Half-round O-rings?

[sjordan2]

My skills and equipment resources are small – nothing at all like the thread we've seen on building a custom wood steering wheel. I'm looking for convex O-rings with flat backs and various thicknesses, from teeny to 1" OD. I have a number of uses for this item:

• Steering wheel horn rings

• Instrument bezels

• Stone guard frames to hold mesh for 1/12 Bentley headlights

• Vintage wheel disc trim for Bugatti Atlantic

I know that there are fully round O-rings out there in plumbing supplies and hardware stores, which can be sanded for a flat back side, but I was hoping to find something with precision and consistency I can count on. Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Edited June 24, 2010 by sjordan2

[jas1957]

In 30+ years of turning wrenches I don't think I've ever seen any o-rings that were not ether a round , square or flat cross section. I did just look at Grainger supply on line & they listed 3616 different o-rings. So they might be a place to start, or other industrial supply houses. Another idea might be a place that custom makes hoses those places stock fittings & o-rings of many kinds. Parker Hannafin has stores all over the country look them up. Hope this helps.

[highway]

I've never seen a flat sided O ring, either, but couldn't you use Evergreen half round rod for some of those things?

[MikeMc]

Try the flat silicone O rings from some large R/C truck shock valves come to mind first.

if you have an industrial machine repair company nearby they might have some, same part for tool oiling connectors....

not sure that grainger will stock the small ones.....good luck

[Steve Keck]

I read your request as wanting metal "o's" and not rubber. If that's the case, then Replica & Miniatures of Maryland makes a package of photo etched concentric "o's" labled as Wizard of O's. These should satisfy your steering wheel horn rings and instrument bezels.

Another way to create your own rings and bezels is to find a rod of the correct diameter and wrap the appropriate colored bare wire around the rod. Wrap many revolutions. Make a cut through one revolution with a sharp new blade. Slide the ring off the rod; re-align and glue in place.

If you want to replicate the black rubber weather stripping look in the beauty/hair care department for rubber bands to hold the fairer sex's hair back. Wire with black insulation can be used for this application as well.

Steve

[LDO]

You could get a round ball mill and chuck the part in a rotary table, then mill out a half-round circle, lay a round o-ring in it. It would then have a half-round cross section.

[Steve Keck]

You could get a round ball mill and chuck the part in a rotary table, then mill out a half-round circle, lay a round o-ring in it. It would then have a half-round cross section.

I never realized a round ball mill could mill a half-round circle.

[LDO]

I never realized a round ball mill could mill a half-round circle.

Its cross-section would be half round, and yes, it's a tongue-in-cheek reply.

A serious reply would be to make a tiny screed for any ring that is large enough.

[Scale-Master]

I'm not following, could you elaborate? Thanks.

[Kaleb]

What about inkpencils...as in the plain jane ball point pens? they are small enough in dia to go for something. just cut the length you need.

[rollinoldskoo]

maybe check for bushings instead of o-rings

[LDO]

I'm not following, could you elaborate? Thanks.

Yeah on second thought a screed probably wouldn't work down to this size. I'm certainly not going build a proof-of-concept prototype. But man, that FSM article was neat.

[Art Anderson]

A simple solution might well be to get either a metal or plastic round-section O-ring and sand it yourself to a half-round cross-section thus: Take a fresh sheet of 400-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper, lay it grit side up on a smooth (like a formica countertop, or piece of plate glass) with just a bit of water underneath to help it stay in the same place. Then, add water to the grit surface, put your hard O-ring on it, and sand it flat on one side, by moving it back and forth, and alternately in a circular motion on the sandpaper. I've used this technique more times than I can count, to make something truly flat on one side, and to thin down things like foil-cast emblems and such, no reason why it wouldn't work with an O-ring made from a hard, stable material.

Art