I want to make wheels.

[kookyfish]

Hi its a rainy day here so no skating just thinking about it, which got me to this piont ...can I make my own wheels?
has anyone else made there own wheels?
how did the process go,meaning was it hard to do?
and how did they ride compered to standard manufactured wheels?

might be worth a crack at it,

[samhell]

All I can say is: Good Luck!
You need a $6,000 mold,
and it costs a fortune to have them poured.
Urethane isn't some you mess with in your kitchen or garage either.
We all wish we could make our own wheels.............

[PeterWeinrauch]

Good.

Luck.

[satori]

i checked into it last year--- toxic, very toxic

[QuantumT]

Yeah probably just leave well enough alone and buy your wheels.

Would be neat if it was possible though.

[HerBDerb]

Awhile back, Slim had posted a link to another forum where a guy had made his own wheels... try to search for it.

[audacity]

sounds like a good idea, if you can afford it )

[kookyfish]

hmmmm. thats pricey Samhell $6000 dam, well where theres a will and all that ,Im going to look into it, I dont think I want to make a commercil amount, so there must be a cheaper way to make a mould,and pour the urethane, how where the 70s wheels made.I think the first ones came from factory convayer belt rollers.

[T.V.A.R.]

Look into a product called "Alumelite" That may be spelled wrong, but it's an inexpensive material for making your own molds. I have used it to mold urethane in the past and it works great if you're not looking to mass produce. I have yet to make wheels, as I have many other projects that are far ahead of that one on my list of priorities. Maybe someday...

[Lee W]

hmmmm. thats pricey Samhell $6000 dam, well where theres a will and all that ,Im going to look into it, I dont think I want to make a commercil amount, so there must be a cheaper way to make a mould,and pour the urethane, how where the 70s wheels made.I think the first ones came from factory convayer belt rollers.

I don't really know too much about the polyurethane properties...but in wheels it is its natural state...which is a solid. So how would you pour it? I really don't think you can simply heat it. You have to react it/produce it and have it in those molds as it hardens and takes its state at our standard temperature and pressure (STP). That's just random thinking though, I haven't looked into it.

[ryanredbaron]

firstly, this might not help at all, and be irrelevant... so ya



quoted from: http://www.polyurethane.org/s_api/se...D=846&DID=3459

"Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Wheel
Did you know that in 1973, the roller skate was improved and popularized by the introduction of the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) wheel and later by the TPU boot? Today it is known as Rollerblade."


So i started researching TPU plastic, it is VERY rare to find just laying around on the internet, but i was able to find a couple of companies that distribute it. But they might only do so in large batches... ill let you do that!


Some might look like some of those stupid search websites, just let it load.

Getting some thane

"Industrial" distributer:
http://www.bharat-enterprises.com/pr...lyurethane.htm

Search site with semi-promising results:
http://www.indianplasticportal.com/p...moplastic.html

chemical info (just incase?):
http://www.indianplasticportal.com/tpu.html

Promising buy, shows grandular TPU:
http://buy.ecplaza.net/search/1s1nf2...yurethane.html

seems promising too:
http://br.tradeholding.com/default.c..._polyurethane/

says "polyurethane importers"?:

http://www.alibaba.com/buyeroffers/Polyurethane.html


Typed into google : raw TPU polyurethane buy

and got those results


Pouring:

something about molding, VERY informative about temp for pouring:
http://www.memoriflex.com/

Making a mold:


I cant find much on this but ill take a crack at it.

Most of the websites say use plastic molds, but that would melt right along with the urithane.

Sooo make a custom mold out of ceramic its cheap, very heat resistant, and good to work with!

http://www.masterlinemolds.com/HOW%2...20PRODUCTS.htm

so make a mold in a mold... kind hard but the best i can think of at 2 in the morning!





thats about it

Ryan



ps: my parents own a ceramic store, so im going to go and try and mess around with some ceramic on a spin wheel, see if i can make something?

[kookyfish]

wow thanks for that ryanredbaron,thats heeps to ponder, I found some interesting sites on alumilite moulding. seems this might be the way to go for a small quantity pour,it all seems do/able. just collecting as much info as pos first,

[EBasil]

I think "shapeshifter" is one that worked on wheel projects, and I recall him posting photos of a master-mold for his wheel.

Most wheels today are poured in one of two kinds of mold: aluminum or epoxy. The aluminum molds are individually machined into a cup shape, and either stand alone or are made in "muffin pan" configuration (I have a photo of an old Road Rider mold plate I can post up). Epoxy molds are made by using a single, aluminum or steel "master-mold", which is then pressed into clay-like epoxy to make numerous cavities into which the hot, syrupy urethane is poured. I don' tknwo why you couldn't also make your molds out of aluminite or ceramic...it might work fine but just not be the best call for industrial applications.

[kookyfish]

Im looking into silicon moulds as they can hold heat to 400deg similar to that of a bakeing or cooking mould, Im not to sure how they will hold there form though.
this is more becoming me wanting to prove to myself I can make my own wheels ,

[ryanredbaron]

*cough* ceramic * cough *

[kookyfish]

*cough* ceramic * cough *

Yep I`ll look at that too ,there are heaps of potters around here so I`ll do some door knocking,

[David H]

heres the link that (i think) slim posted a while back:
http://www.poernaka.com/tandpastagal...wielenENG.html

maybe not commercial grade, but hey, make some fun outta a rainy day, right? and who knows, they might turn out to be your new favorite park wheels.

[ryanredbaron]

heres the link that (i think) slim posted a while back:
http://www.poernaka.com/tandpastagal...wielenENG.html

maybe not commercial grade, but hey, make some fun outta a rainy day, right? and who knows, they might turn out to be your new favorite park wheels.

only real hard thing about that is taking in out bearings ill guess.... but none the less im doing that next weekend

[ryanredbaron]

Heres another one of these forums:
homemade Wheels

Quoted

"Tadco

Tell them you want to do a science project on how to make skateboard wheels or some other similar caca.

Batch lots for sale are usually in the 55gl. drum size so you will want samples of hand poor 'thane with a minium work time of 30 - 60 seconds.

If you call early in the day (they are on CA time) you may get a hold of one of their chemists.

If the chemist is working on his first cup of coffee, be nice, ignorant and let him tell you everything you need to know.

Do not say "Some guys on Silverfish told me to call you" and piss them off or you will never get this kind of help again.

Brian"


NOT ME THAT SAID THAT



O by the way

http://www.skullandbonesskateboards....9bb4e4f9407f63

READ THIS


you can thanks me later

[monkeyhead]

http://www.skullandbonesskateboards....ic.php?t=63850

wheel making?