Supplier of model wheels or casters

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Building Materials & Supplies
1

I am building the Atomic City 1:12 Mercury Space Capsule. I want to display it on a scratch bult support cradle. Does anyone know where I might purchase some scale model wheels or casters for the support cradle?

Thanks!

2

Hello!

Mostly out of curiosity - how big would those wheels have to be and how many of them?

How about drawing them up in 3D and then 3D printing them?

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

3

Shapeways maybe?

https://www.shapeways.com/product/ETZUPHTUM/2-3-4-caster-set-1-24

4

Thank you both for your reply. I need 4 of them about 1/3-1/4 of an inch. The Castors you suggested may work!

5

I have made wheels that size by sawing off short lengths from plastic rod. Usually castors do not have much detail. I make the swivel mounts from brass rod- twenty or thirty mil.

Broken or lost a number of tailwheels and done that several times.

6

Thank you! Great idea! I will do that.

7

Agree with the above regarding slicing plastic rod. But what if your rod is not the right duameter

Another approach may be laminating discs of sheet plastic. Use a paper hole punch (office supply or craft store item) to punch holes in sheet styrene. 1/4 inch is a common size. Harbor Freight Tools offers a die punch set with sizes 1/8 to 3/4 inches (it is also my go to for punching out round tape masks). Glue multiple layers together for appropriate thickness. Sand the tread even

Evergreen is a common brand, but also look at the plastic yard sale signs at hardware stores (not corrugated). My local big box hardware store sells plastic sign blanks that are about 30 thousands. They come in an attractive yellow, lime green, or shocking pink. But you are going to paint anyway.

The sheet stock also allows you to fabricate the U shaped axle brackets that support the wheels and attach to the frame

8

Since he is looking for wheels less than a quarter inch, I believe you will find more sizes of plastic rod than punches. I think plastruct rod goes up in 1/32 increments.

9

Ah;

But Don! Evergreen goes up in thousandths! You start with .010 rod all the way up to 1/8 inch rod. Plastruct is okay. But even in my engineering office, it WAS NOT our go to building material. The material Plastruct used wasn’t Styrene (it was ABS) and it wasn’t carried by every store you would think would carry it! They do carry a full line of Styrene now though. But I think it is in thousandths too.