Wheels?

[Ivanhoe76]

Is it possible to obtain undercarriage wheels in solid model scales, 1/32 - 1/48 - 1/72 etc? or do all members make their own? any suggestions much appreciated.

Wilf

[Will]

Is it possible to obtain undercarriage wheels in solid model scales, 1/32 - 1/48 - 1/72 etc? or do all members make their own? any suggestions much appreciated.

Wilf

Hi Wilf

You can trawl Hannant's website for various details.
http://www.hannants.co.uk/advancedsearch/
You will need to use the keyword, scale and item details buttons with circumspection to avoid getting ridiculous number of items.  They have things like wheels, guns, props etc listed, metal or resin and so forth.  I've never used Hannant's but I know local placky modellers do!

Regards
Will

[Mothman]

Wilf,
I suppose that solid modellers like to make their own, so without a lathe you could do smaller ones in a minidrill held in the vice or an electric drill.  You could do them in the watchmaker's lathe, even without that pesky missing tailstock, using a rest in the slide.  I could send you some Ureol offcuts to try out if you like?

Martin

[lastvautour]

I use wooden dowels, but then my degree of detail is not up to your level.

Lou

[K_mars]

I make it with chemical wood.
It is how to make wheels of Fw190-D9.(Fukuda made it)
The right is a tail wheel.
I make these with only a knife and sandpaper and file.I am completely handmade.

kenji.

[Peter]

I know some where on this site someone mentioned using wooden craftstore buttons. I haven't tried it but I saw a bag of mixed sized buttons for a dollar at Michael's.

Peter 

[Ivanhoe76]

I make it with chemical wood.
It is how to make wheels of Fw190-D9.(Fukuda made it)
The right is a tail wheel.
I make these with only a knife and sandpaper and file.I am completely handmade.

kenji.

That is great work, Kenji, you have more patience than I do!

Wilf

[Mothman]

Me too, Kenji.

You didn't do those boltheads with a file and sandpaper!!

Very good work, but how did you do those boltheads??

Martin

[K_mars]

Martin,

I use the waterproof sandpaper put on the board.
The boltheads is a brass line.

[Mothman]

Ah, that's how I do them, but I'd make the wheel in brass, too, then solder the brass wire in.
Thanks.

You have a good eye for concentricity!

Martin

[cliff strachan]

I believe that most Solid Scale modellers have as a basic belief that most of a model should be made from scratch - although that is also subject to the individual's own opinion. As for myself, I've tried with some very modest success, to make wheels from wooden dowels purchased from hardware stores and cut to the desired width of the wheel. I then tried to hold a hand drill to the center of the "wheel" and the so-called wheel held with pliers so that I would be able to more or less engrave a center of the wheel by using a drill bit of the type dedicated to drilling holes. The pliers grip provided the tire tread where required and the hole provided the place for a shaft for the wheel to revolve on. Depending on the scale, after painting it can be successfully accomplished - at least to what was provided with the kits of the past.
Cliff.

[Balsabasher]

The idea of the button was myself, I am the culprit ! for WW1 and vintage wheels original cloth buttons ( they are not made any more but over the years I have picked them up at car boots etc ) you just fill the redundant holes and drill them out,then a cone of some type of material ( I use car filler P38 etc ) is applied to the centre and sanded when cured.
For more moden wheels you will be surprised how many buttons there are out there that resemble them and can be easily converted for our purposes,once again the foure holes are filled and the wheel reworked starting with the centre hole.
Kenji your wheels are superb but beyond my own modest capabilities,those bolt heads look the part,your model building is an inspiration to us all,thank you.
Barry.