Our new wheels consist of a steel tyre with a press fit and bonded 3D printed centre mounted on a steel axle.
The intention is to have a range of diameters on a range of axles. The initial tyre is the 10.5 mm diameter typically used in many kits
| Tyre – | is blackened steel |
| Centre – | is 3D printed in an ABS black resin |
| Tyre to Centre – | is a press fit but is also bonded with a rubber reinforced black glue |
| Axle – | is CNC machined steel |
| Centre to axle – | is a press fit with the assembly tool setting the gauge – see back to back below |
Back to Back
The back to back is set during the assembly process but they can move on the axle if handled harshly. Typically, the act of springing them into a chassis can do this. Making the fit tighter is a compromise between making the printed centres fatter and maintaining the fine appearance of the wheel. As a result the wheels with spindly spokes are more prone to this than, say, the 3 hole disk.
We sell back to back gauges and I’d argue that if you are working in the with kits and scratch built wagons you should have the appropriate ones in your tool kit
I have a cunning plan that may see a crude B2B gauge as part of the packaging but it is still in development as I type this (March 2025).
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Once you have checked the back to back I’d suggest a dab of paint as shown to the left although I’d suggest using black and a smaller brush than I did. |
–Warranty
These wheels are the production of a one man band and using techniques to suit low volume production. We’re learning as we go. (a mate used to teach IT and he reconned he was the expert because he was two pages ahead of the students in the manual). I want to hear from you as it informs the development of the products.
If you have a problem then please get in touch. Our usual response is to exchange for new unless you have done something really silly with them.
Constant Development
As were learning we are constantly developing the product so what you buy today might be a little bit different to what you bought in January. More of the same might be more of the similar.
Known Issues Blog
| Tyres coming loose | Some early production wheels have had their tyres fall off seemingly in the post. We done several things to try and address this: –
Testing suggests this has sorted the issue but we await user feedback
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| Wobbly Wheels | A small number got past our QA check (means I didn’t notice) where the tyre wobbled a bit. This was, I think, due to an issue with the tool that presses the centre into the tyre not always pressing the centres fully home due to a build up of glue. Two actions have been taken.
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