Posted by Torvald [172.71.147.227] on Friday, January 31, 2025 at 22:06:51 :
In Reply to: Steering wheel material posted by Karl [172.68.3.114] on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 19:48:20 :
Here are my notes from rebuilding my wheel. I did this in '22 and it has held up well.
Steering Wheel Re-build Notes:
The steering wheel was severely cracked.The cracks ranged from barely discernable hairlines up to 1/8” gaps. The goal of repair was not just to make the wheel look good, but to also restore its structural integrity for decades to come. With that goal in mind, three categories were set for repairs; hairline cracks, somewhat larger cracks, and gaps. The cracks and gaps had to be not just filled; the fill also had to be bonded to the existing material. The hairline cracks were repaired with penetrating superglue (Loctite 420). The somewhat larger cracks were repaired with regular liquid super glue (Loctite 45209). The gaps were repaired with 2 part epoxies; J-B Weld Plastic Bonder (preferred), and a 5-minute epoxy.
1. Before repairs, the wheel was thoroughly scrubbed down with Simple-green to remove caked on oils that would interfere with adhesion of the repair materials.
2. All gaps were then cut/filed/ground out to at least 3/32” to allow the epoxy to penetrate to the bottom of the gap).
3. The super glues were applied to the cracks, sometimes taking several applications to fill the cracks.
4. Since the epoxies were a bit runny until set, they were also usually applied in a few layers until the epoxy stood a bit proud of the ebonite. Care was taken to only apply the epoxy to the gap, not smear it all over the area.
5. After sufficient epoxy and super glue had been applied to entirely fill gaps and cracks, the portions that were proud of the ebonite were very carefully filed down with jeweler’s files (6” long files). After filing to near final surface, the surface was finished with 320 sandpaper backed up with a file or other hard surface, and then 400 wet-or-dry.
6. After filling cracks and gaps, the wheel was painted with an automotive primer and sanded again with 400 grit wet-or-dry. Final coats were enamel paint; 1 coat Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel (flat black), 1 coat Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel (semi-gloss black). Do not use lacquer; the oils in your hands will attack it.
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