Wheel hubs.

Hi, just assembling the front wheels and hubs. Do I really need to bung the hubs and hub covers full of araldite / epoxy resin ? Can I just bolt covers on and leave it at that ? Or is it to seal up the gaps etc ?

The epoxy is actually sealing the hub to stop the oil/lubricant from escaping. Also it makes the hubs look a lot nicer and stops moisture getting in and rusting.

& the real thing was cast as one . before you stick it together make sure the Axel fits

Thank you for your replys. Wouldn't the epoxy resin make it impossible to change the bearings when needed ? All the hub covers, screws embedded with glue ?
Wouldn't all the grease / oil stop any of it from rusting ? I thought the hub Cap would keep the lubricant where it needs to be ?
I'm just curious, as I don't really like the idea of all that glue. I haven't done a build before, so I'm learning as I go 😊

You can push the bushes in with the hub covers in place & yes it is a messy job.

Ah ok thanks. I'm going to get some glue.

Its not messy if you plan ahead.

Watch the following video of a wheel getting built.

I glue the spokes in with expoxy at the hub outer edge. Then once all spokes on. Sand the surface down so that it is flat and smooth to take the cap.
Put a bead of expoxy just in from the edge. Put the bush in its hole without locktite and put hub cap on and screw down. Clean edge with spatula and a bit of thinners.

This was me building a wagon wheel but it is exactly the same.
P.S. I have built up 22 wheels in total between engine, wagons and water cart.

Good idea. I'll put a ring of resin around the hub edge to seal the spokes in and close the gap between the hub and hub plate.

Done a nice job of my first hub using araldite. How do I upload pictures on here ?

At the front of the photo section I did a tutorial.

I thought we could upload photos. I've seen plenty on the forum. ?