Scratchbuilding 'Blank' Wheels

[slowlylearning]

You'll need:

Dremel

2 to 3mm styrene rectangle rod OR 2 to 3mm styrene sheet (I didnt have that hence the rod)

Sanding sticks/paper

Glue

Blade

Grinding/engraving bits that come with Dremels

Sheet styrene .5mm or slightly smaller

Spare Tyre

Sanding-Drum Dremel bit

Cut a strip of .5mm or smaller sheet styrene. Cut it quite long incase of any mistakes (I made plenty of its too short practicing this). Cut the strip as wide as the tyre you're using.

Curl your strip of styrene around your hobby knife handle from both ends a few times, it help the strip of sheet styrene to keep its curve.

Curly whirl-y!

Test fit it in the tyre and chop off the excess to make a since ring of strip styrene, and glue the ends together on the inside while it's in the tyre.

Once the glue has dried pull out the rim about a third of the way and put some glue on the outside of the rim, repeat for both sides.

Cut a much thinner strip to set the deepness of the wheel, Mine will be quite deep-dish so the thin strip is glued almost all the way around towards the back of the rim. Use plenty of glue, it helps with the rigidity of the rim.

You can see here I left a gap because I cut the strip too short, silly me!

[slowlylearning]

*Only do this part if you have no 2 to 3mm SHEET styrene*

Cut some lengths of the rectangular rod and a piece of sheet styrene to glue it on to.

\

This will make up the center of your wheel, so make sure there's enough rectangle rod to fill the rim.

Glue the rectangle rod to the piece of sheet styrene with plenty of glue, let dry. Drill a hole that the screw of your sanding-drum bit will fit into in the center.

**

Miunt it on your sanding-drum bit like so and put on your safety goggles 'cause we're gonna make a big mess!

(CAREFULLY) Using a blade or whatever works best for you, lop off the corners then start sanding it down to a perfect circle shape.

Sand and test it until it fits snugly in the rim you made.

See how it's flat? Boring! Make some more mess...

... To shape the face of the rim-center! I've found tools like there help a bit, using them to 'machine' the front surface of the rim-center. Blades work too, but theyre pretty dangerous.

Use those tools and sandpaper/sticks to make the shapes you want, this one's a concave shape.

[slowlylearning]

Concave (right) and bulbous (left) rim centers made with love... and lot-sa sanding!

[bobthehobbyguy]

Great tutorial.

[Roncla]

Well done

[geras24]

This is a great tutorial, thanks for sharing

[Funkychiken]

great tip!

[Darren B]

love it thanks for sharing.