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The Builder
About Builder
Builder Last Online: Sep 2015
Model Scale: 1/8
Rating: 
(1 votes - 4.00 average)
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(1 votes - 4.00 average)
Thanks: 0
Started: 08-27-08
Build Revisions: Never
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I mentioned in a post on my '36 3W last weekend that I had had a bit of a brain wave regarding making some narrow aluminium rims. Well here is how I went about it.
I had an empty coke can on my bench and for some reason was looking at it and could see the makings of a wheel rim.
I cut the top of the can just below the rolled edge at the top of the can. See the dotted line in the image below.
I made this cut with a junior hacksaw. Which I infact use for all my modeling cuts!
Here is the 2 pieces after cutting
The piece we are interested in is the top of the can. Now we have to remove the centre of the top of the can, to end up with what will be half of our wheel rim.
I remove the unwanted section by filing along the area that is indicated by the black dashes.
I suggest filing along the edge, rather than across it. because when you start to break through, if you were filing across the edge, because the aluminium is so thin the file may grab and distort where you are cutting. Of course this may not be a problem if you are using an ultra fine file.
OK, we have to do this to 2 cans; so we end up with 2 rims halves.
As I will be joing these together with JB weld I needed to come up with a way to hold the rims in alignment for the joining process. There are all sorts of ways this could be done. But I want something simple, easy and didn't introduce any stress into the joint that may allow the joint to become misaligned.
I came up with a simple piece of cardboard that goes on the inside of the rim. Also the beauty of the cardboard, is that if any JB weld oozes out of the joint onto the cardboard the cardboard is still easily removed after the JB weld has set!
Here is a shot of the rim with the JB weld applied. Basically you are putting a layer of JB weld in the rim that bridges the 2 halves.
Because the can has a protective coating, if you want to polish the rim as I have done in this case. You will need to sand
off the coating, prior to polishing. Even unpolished the finish is quite nice.
Because I am such a lousy photographer, some of these images are pretty ordinary, but I can tell you this; the polished rim here in real life is like a piece of jewellery.
Something you have to be awhere of, is that not all aluminium cans are the same. The outside diameter on the big diameter of these rims is 2 1/8" ( 53mm ) and the inside diameter on the small diameter ( ie where the join occurs ) is 1 3/4" ( 44.5mm ). The Coke cans I used also have a real nice conical shape in the transition section going from top to bottom ( of this rim section that is ).
These rims fit beautifully into the Big T Michellin's. It's just a matter of fitting a centre. I am working on a centre for mine.
These rims would make ideal rims for use on motorcycle models as well.
They don't even need to go on a model, they are just neat to look at.
Geoff aka whodaky
I had an empty coke can on my bench and for some reason was looking at it and could see the makings of a wheel rim.
I cut the top of the can just below the rolled edge at the top of the can. See the dotted line in the image below.
I made this cut with a junior hacksaw. Which I infact use for all my modeling cuts!
Here is the 2 pieces after cutting
The piece we are interested in is the top of the can. Now we have to remove the centre of the top of the can, to end up with what will be half of our wheel rim.
I remove the unwanted section by filing along the area that is indicated by the black dashes.
I suggest filing along the edge, rather than across it. because when you start to break through, if you were filing across the edge, because the aluminium is so thin the file may grab and distort where you are cutting. Of course this may not be a problem if you are using an ultra fine file.
OK, we have to do this to 2 cans; so we end up with 2 rims halves.
As I will be joing these together with JB weld I needed to come up with a way to hold the rims in alignment for the joining process. There are all sorts of ways this could be done. But I want something simple, easy and didn't introduce any stress into the joint that may allow the joint to become misaligned.
I came up with a simple piece of cardboard that goes on the inside of the rim. Also the beauty of the cardboard, is that if any JB weld oozes out of the joint onto the cardboard the cardboard is still easily removed after the JB weld has set!
Here is a shot of the rim with the JB weld applied. Basically you are putting a layer of JB weld in the rim that bridges the 2 halves.
Because the can has a protective coating, if you want to polish the rim as I have done in this case. You will need to sand
off the coating, prior to polishing. Even unpolished the finish is quite nice.Because I am such a lousy photographer, some of these images are pretty ordinary, but I can tell you this; the polished rim here in real life is like a piece of jewellery.
Something you have to be awhere of, is that not all aluminium cans are the same. The outside diameter on the big diameter of these rims is 2 1/8" ( 53mm ) and the inside diameter on the small diameter ( ie where the join occurs ) is 1 3/4" ( 44.5mm ). The Coke cans I used also have a real nice conical shape in the transition section going from top to bottom ( of this rim section that is ).
These rims fit beautifully into the Big T Michellin's. It's just a matter of fitting a centre. I am working on a centre for mine.
These rims would make ideal rims for use on motorcycle models as well.
They don't even need to go on a model, they are just neat to look at.
Geoff aka whodaky
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Thanks Geoff!
QUOTE 
Originally Posted by Don Garrett
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