How do you make wire wheels?

Modeling Subjects Autos
1

I have an old Duesenberg kit that has been sitting unbuilt for about a decade or so, one reason being that I don’t think I can do justice to the wire wheels. The kit’s plastic ones just don’t measure up.

I have a lathe for the hubs and rims, but does any one have tips on how to wire up the spokes?

Thanks.

2

See if you can find any books or web references to a Brit called Gerald Wingrove.
He has scratchbuilt an amazing number of car models, and he makes everything himself. I hope you have good eyesight before you start, 'cos you may not have by the time you finish!. Another source may be the aftermarket companies, making stainless steel wires. I imagine a good auto model magazine or even FSM will have adverts.

3

Check the web for Pocher web sites. They have 1/8 scale cars that have wire wheels (proud owner of two of them) and I have seen some info on the wire wheels there. I have yet to build the wheels on either car yet, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal other than the time involved.

4

Thanks guys for the excellent advice. I usually model ships so this is a bit of a departure for me. I sent Emails off to Gerald Wingrove and some of the folks at the Pocher forums and I’ll see what comes back … there were some topical discussions at Pocher about wire wheels but they were many moons old.

I must day I was blown away by Gerald’s models. He has certainly set a high bar for us to aspire to!

Thanks again & regards.

5

I just found a site that you may be interested in;
http://www.xstuning.com
Good Luck.

6

The Wingrove method is most suitable for 1:20 and 1:15 models. (Which he builds). The Pocher method is suitable for 1:8 and up (seperate spokes).

If you can’t get hold of the info from Wingrove, drop me a line. I can do some explanation.

Best regards,

Herman

7

Check the April 1995 issue of FSM for a nice three-page article. Included is a template and a useful exploded diagram explaining the construction method. The photos in the article explain it further. You should still be able to obtain a copy of this from the back-issues dept.

FITTER

8

Thanks for the updated hints. I have had some Emails with Mr. Wingrove. He is also putting wire wheel photos onto his site for his latest project, so I’ll be perusing those with interest.
I’ve been away a while but now I can start looking for that FSM back issue as well.
regards to everyone for your help.

9

Hi All,

First post, glad to meet everybody. The wire wheel info request caught my eye. They are not too hard to build, just very time consuming and pricey. I’m not trying to push my products but pictures of 1/8 scale wheels are available at www.precisionscalereplicas.com

Regards,
John Parry

10

Those PSR wheels are B-U-T-FULL!!

Here’s another site with a (simpler?) alternative to plastic spokes:
www.scaleautosport.com/models/100-6/index.html

11
12

Those are nice wheels. But before I saw this website, I have heard that piano wire works.