Hot Glued Wheels or...

K

keons5

Collin Snoek
Hey hey, I was just thinking an came up with an idea. If you think that this is a pointless thread then delete it, I could care less. It's not like I post much anyways.

Hot glue is soft and flexible. In my opinion, it does not make the wheels that much stronger. However, if you used a fiberglass epoxy to put in there it would be much stronger and more stiff. I'm planning on trying it on my next set of wheels. I have done it to a broken wheel and it made it strong as crap. It does add some more weight(unnoticeable when riding), but I think it is going to be worth it for the strength of the hub that'll be gained.

If you have never worked with a fiberglass or some sort of epoxy don't bother trying to shoot down the idea because you probably have no idea what the stuff is like.
 
S

skooterkid

Member
Well, hot glue when its DRY is kinda hard. Epoxy glue is really strong, my dad uses it for engines and stuff. Epoxy glue is super strong but pretty long to set and dry. It says its as steal but i dont think so. maybe
 
D

dre

Member
go to a boat shop/marina and just pick up some fiberglass epoxy resin. Get a small tub, it's kinda expensive, but the cores on your wheels will NEVER break (it basically hardens and becomes fiberglass which is what they use on the hulls of boats to prevent wear and tear for long periods of time) but you have to put it on fast and carefully, because the stuff dries fast and it's bad if you have a lot of bubbles in it after it dries.

I definitely think that someone should try it out if they get their hands on some of that stuff.

Or a cheaper alternative is to buy the fiberglass putty mixture kit thing that you can use to patch up holes in a boat underwater, etc. on the fly. Seems like it would be waaay stronger than hot glue either way..
 
B

Brian Boston

I got myself banned.
When you hot glue the core of the wheel, you give the spokes no room to move when they crack, and if they're already cracked you fill up the small gap... It doesn't really matter if you use a glue stronger than hot glue, as long as theres something solid there so the spokes can't crack and bend out of place your good.
 
E

ENERGY TURTLE

Member
Brian Boston said:
When you hot glue the core of the wheel, you give the spokes no room to move when they crack, and if they're already cracked you fill up the small gap... It doesn't really matter if you use a glue stronger than hot glue, as long as theres something solid there so the spokes can't crack and bend out of place your good.
Click to expand...

Plus with a harder glue it has more potential to crack and chip out. Hot glue is fine for most people and easier to do, plus you can find it at almost every craft shop.
 
D

daltonkennon

Steel Member
I'd have to say hotglue didnt help me at all. i had an almost new pro wheel i hotglued and it completely shattered. little plastic bits everywhere, so i am looking for anything stronger. Tell me if this works.
 
K

keons5

Collin Snoek
K, well I already did it to a broken wheel, but I'll do it to a new one when I get them sometime next week. I personally don't think the hub should flex. Can the micro metal cores flex?

Epoxy won't chip out. Once, I tried to break a piece with a hammer and it took me quite a few swings.

Also, epoxy is cheap. You don't need to high grade marine epoxy. I just use 3M epoxy for most of my stuff. You can buy like 44 ounces of resin with hardener for ~$12 at autozone/napa. It is really easy to do too. All you need are some plastic bag, a popsicle stick or two, and a container to mix it in.

Dre - You don't need to go to a boat shop to buy it. It will be $40 for a small sum of resin without hardener. You don't need a highgrade product for this. Also, the workable can vary from 3 minutes to an hour. It depends on the epoxy you buy. I think mine is ~15 minutes.
 
K

keons5

Collin Snoek
mat said:
i would advise against using fiberglass resin for a number of reasons. try using bondo
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What reasons? Bondo chips and probably couldn't handle the vibrations, and it's also heavier.
 
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