Rear wheel

I am starting a new thread for each of my SCC kits... future builders will be able to see tips that have been gratefully received by others, more expert than me, and there will be a few photos in each thread that may also prove to be useful for future builders.  Fortunately, I haven’t had any problems (so far) with the building of the first rear wheel - this time I left the spokes in the Cementone for 1 hour, instead of 30 minutes, and they cleaned up pretty well.  You have to dry them thoroughly otherwise they start to get a film of rust on the surface quite quickly.



Here is the wheel before the spokes are removed, one by one, and bonded into place with the araldite.

What should I do about this part , all round the wheel where the rubber has not adhered right up to the edge..... should I cut it all so that the wheel then has a lip which I will paint ?  Thanks very much for any tips.

That appears to be "flash" from the moulding.

You can trim it back to remove the "flap" I painted up to the edge of the rim. Then coated the steel "running face" with a thin layer of liquid rubber. This sealed everything up while maintaining flex.

Thank you very much for your reply Lynn - I know what to do now

I am making progress on the wheel and I have almost finished the undercoat.... I am finding that it’s very easy to be self-critical when the finish is not quite as good as I am imagining other people achieve, but as soon as you step back a few feet, it looks fine. I will see how the top coats look when I do them.  The second rear wheel arrived a couple of weeks ago, but later this month there is no kit (as far as I know, it’s the Boiler deposit) so I have a bit of time....

I have started on the second rear wheel.  I expect to be faster and better at it, this time !  .... I plan to leave all my wheels in 2 coats of undercoat and paint the top coats later. I might practice the lining on a similar-sized piece of steel bar that I will find in my scrap bin. I bought a Beugler lining tool for that. I haven’t decided exactly what lining pattern, and how many colours I will use... It’s a balance between making it look good - and not making the pattern too complicated as there are a lot of spokes to do !!

Practice on a bit of glass. Easy to clean off and try again.

lynnr wrote:Practice on a bit of glass. Easy to clean off and try again.

That’s a great idea.... thank you very much Lynn.

Great to see your photo's, I am also building an SCC but having started after you I have just assembled my front wheels. I had the same issue as you with the rubber flashing but opted to leave it and the undercoat seems to have sealed the edge, I have opted for Burrell canopy green rather than red

MikeBelham wrote:Great to see your photo's, I am also building an SCC but having started after you I have just assembled my front wheels. I had the same issue as you with the rubber flashing but opted to leave it and the undercoat seems to have sealed the edge, I have opted for Burrell canopy green rather than red

Hi Mike - I found that the rubber was not bonded all the way round, so there were a few gaps.... I started off by painting it but wasn’t happy with the look, so after asking on here, I decided to cut off that flashing... Please feel free to post your pictures and your experience into these threads if you like - I am sure that future builders will appreciate tips, tricks , experiences and photos !

When I built the first rear wheel, I didn’t paint it until it was assembled- now that I am building the second one, I have primed it and also primed the spokes. I am also going to paint the first layer of undercoat and then assemble. I am not sure what others do. It’s always the case that you do something for the first time, and learn a different/better way to do it the second time !

I was in two minds whether to paint my front wheels before assembly, and ended building them first so I didn't have to prime and paint all the rivets separately. With the benefit of hindsight I will definitely paint the rear rims and inner hub surfaces first. And then there was the epoxy filling the hub joints. The kit instructions say you can trim the excess off with a Stanley knife, not if you use JB Weld you cant.

I am attempting to brush paint my wheels not having access to a sprayer, how did you paint yours?

Sorry for the late reply Mike.... I used araldite for the hubs... it trims off nicely if you leave it for several hours first.  With regard to the painting... the problem for us is that the people who post pictures have usually made an excellent job of it (and quite rightly, they are proud for others to see the fruits of their labour)  maybe because they have sprayed or maybe because they are more experienced with brushes, and so the standard appears to be VERY high.  Therefore for mere mortals it’s easy to get disheartened by the results.... but I reckon my paintwork is looking ok...

I don’t have access to a booth or other equipment required for spraying, so I am doing my best with brushes for the wheels.  I did use rattle spray cans for the black on the smokebox and chimney and I was pleased with the results.. At the end of the day, I want to enjoy the build and I don’t want to be obsessing over the paintwork - it’s going to get grubby when the engine is running isn’t it.... and remember, you are looking at it from a distance of 2 feet when you are painting it.....I practiced on a piece of sheet steel first and I reckon the most important coats will be the last 2 of varnish..... they should hide any brush marks and imperfections beneath if they are done quite well.... at least that is what I am hoping !!

Hi,

I agree, just glad I'm not the only brush painter

I might as well post a picture showing where I am with the rear wheels - they are ready for a red stripe now, and then they will be varnished.

I used the Beugler striping tool and it works well. It’s not easy when the guide on the striping tool hits the curved parts of the spokes, so I have not done a perfect job, but I think it will pass muster, and as my Aunt once said to me many years ago when I hung some pictures on her wall, “a blind man would be pleased with it”.  

Looking good!