1Likesneed help! Tires came unglued...
05-19-2022, 11:50 AM
#1
need help! Tires came unglued...
Hi all - I recently decided to not buy pre-mounts due to availability and I carefully glued up some 1/8 scale buggy holeshots to beadless rim Jconcepts mono wheels and after one race, they came off the rim in many spots. I used AKA glue and used tire gluing bands. Any idea what might have gone wrong, and how to clean them up and hopefully salvage them? There is dirt in there now, perhaps I didn't clean off any manufacturing oils enough. I used rubbing alcohol to clean the surfaces first. I need to clean them again of any dirt and oils I guess and reglue - any tips are appreciated.
05-19-2022, 01:22 PM
#2
It sounds like you are using good practices.
A good rule of thumb before gluing or painting the plastics being used in r/c is to remove any residue/mold release leftover from the manufacturing process. Whether it is nylon wheels or polycarbonate (lexan) bodies, I will clean them with regular dish-washing soap and rinse them thoroughly with warm water. Of course let them fully dry after cleaning.
As far as prepping the rubber tire itself, I will usually spare some motor spray (although alcohol leaves no residue) onto a blue shop towel and rub off any mold release residue on the area of the tire that will contact the plastic wheel.
Usually these methods work just fine. However on chrome plated wheels, you will want to remove any of the chrome plating in the areas where the tire will be glued to the wheel. You can also lightly sand or scuff the plastic of any wheel where you will apply glue (or paint on lexan bodies) as that will provide more surface area to bond with.
----------
So what can you do if a wheel becomes "un-glued" from a tire?
- First you want to clean any dirt from the affected area.
- Then ideally you will want to remove any excess glue from the tire & wheel.
You can remove old glue using products made to remove super glue. Be mindful that these products can affect the plastic wheel or rubber tire so test them first and use them sparingly.
- Once you have cleaned and prepped the surfaces you should be able to glue them back together again.
When using super glues, I have found r/c manufacturer "tire glues" to work well. One thing I like about these glues are that they can be found in various thicknesses. I prefer to use a little thicker glues as the thins ones tend to run quickly and can create a mess.
Another option for quicker gluing is using super glue accelerants which help speed up the drying process.
I should also note that environmental variables such as a powerful motor and excessive traction can want to "pull" the tire off the wheel. in those instances a bead lock wheel may be a better option.
Here is a good link about the tire gluing process (https://www.rccaraction.com/glue-tires-right-way/)
A good rule of thumb before gluing or painting the plastics being used in r/c is to remove any residue/mold release leftover from the manufacturing process. Whether it is nylon wheels or polycarbonate (lexan) bodies, I will clean them with regular dish-washing soap and rinse them thoroughly with warm water. Of course let them fully dry after cleaning.
As far as prepping the rubber tire itself, I will usually spare some motor spray (although alcohol leaves no residue) onto a blue shop towel and rub off any mold release residue on the area of the tire that will contact the plastic wheel.
Usually these methods work just fine. However on chrome plated wheels, you will want to remove any of the chrome plating in the areas where the tire will be glued to the wheel. You can also lightly sand or scuff the plastic of any wheel where you will apply glue (or paint on lexan bodies) as that will provide more surface area to bond with.
----------
So what can you do if a wheel becomes "un-glued" from a tire?
- First you want to clean any dirt from the affected area.
- Then ideally you will want to remove any excess glue from the tire & wheel.
You can remove old glue using products made to remove super glue. Be mindful that these products can affect the plastic wheel or rubber tire so test them first and use them sparingly.
- Once you have cleaned and prepped the surfaces you should be able to glue them back together again.
When using super glues, I have found r/c manufacturer "tire glues" to work well. One thing I like about these glues are that they can be found in various thicknesses. I prefer to use a little thicker glues as the thins ones tend to run quickly and can create a mess.
Another option for quicker gluing is using super glue accelerants which help speed up the drying process.
I should also note that environmental variables such as a powerful motor and excessive traction can want to "pull" the tire off the wheel. in those instances a bead lock wheel may be a better option.
Here is a good link about the tire gluing process (https://www.rccaraction.com/glue-tires-right-way/)
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
