Quicky tut on using pen tips to mount alloys

[crazydave]

At first I was leary of reccomending my pen tip method, because my wife used to collect advertising pens and gave up, so I had to sort through literally hundreds of pens to find the right tips. Didn't seem like the most practical way of going about it.

But now I've found a brand of fairly cheap pens that'll work, and I think this is a good method, because my rims spin 100% true, and metal wont wear as fast as epoxy or other filler.

The batteries are dead in my camera, but I think it's simple enough we can do without pictures. Here's what you do:

Get some Pentel RSVP medium tip pens. I got a 3 pack for a buck and eighteen cents.

Rip the tip out, use a pin or needle to push most the ink out. Soak ithem in alcohol, or nail polish remover to get the rest out. Twist up the end of a paper towel and clean wipe out the moisture.

Now your ready to cut them down. You can use a Dremel w/ the red cut off wheels, or a razor saw. Use a pair of vice grips, gripped very tightly on the section you not going to use.

Your gonna want to cut them as shown in this diagram:

You'll be using the narrow section of the pen tip.

You want to leave a slight lip on the front ones so the head of the pin doesn't pull throught the wheels. Slip it in your alloy mount it up.

The back is trickier. After you've got the rims off the back axle, and sanded the lip off the gear, put the gear back on the axle. The pen tips are snug so you'll have to pound them on with a hammer. Be very careful not to bend the axle, or split the pent tip bushing, and checking against your chassis to make sure they are not pounded on too far. The bushing just slips right in the rear rims, and you'll have to glue them.

And your done, it's just that simple, not counting pen tips flying across the room, splitting, or other unaccountable miseries, but I've done this on both 10mm, and 8.3mm rims, and worked out great.

[MaxximumRC]

If I ever get aloys, I am going to do that.

[CaboWabo]

excellent dave, I think this method is a great idea...
I've been planning on taking apart 1 of my sets of alloys and doing this method, now I've got instructions to boot!
thanks home boy!

[crazydave]

Yeah no prob. I only made you guys a little tut, because some people were interested in my method. Thanks for showing interest.

I only hope I didn't make it sound too simple. There's a few little complications along the way. The knurled part of the front pin can be hard to get through. Cannonball pins work best because they have no knurled part, and a larger head. Thunder Charger ones will give slight resistance, but you should be able to push it through with your fingers. Microsizer ones might need a tap from a hammer. I just line the hole up in the bushing with the hole in an old junk rim, to give it room to push through, and usually a it just takes a slight tap to get it through. Forget about using Zip Zap pins with the pen tips.

Another tricky part can be getting them the right length, especially the rear one with the spacer. It's best to cut them a tad long, and grind them back to the exact lenghth with a Dremel.

[MaxximumRC]

tut

I am a little slow today, at first I thought you just mispelled tit, but that didn't make since.

[CaboWabo]

to tell ya truth dave, honestly if this mod works out like I'm thinkin, it should be easier than the method I posted...
so you might be one uppin me here lol
but that's okay - we're looking for the best method to bring to people

[bdebde]

Tut = King Tut

I like your method. I used the plastic spray tube method, don't know how long that will hold up.

[Havok]

tut= tutorial

[sidewinder]

OK, I guess I'm kind of reviving a long dead thread, but since the image is missing I was hoping that Dave or someone has a picture of the pen tip mounted wheels...or even if you still have the file for the missing picture. I think I get it but if I'm wrong a picture to save some time while trying to figure it out.

Maybe something like this???

[crazydave]

Sorry, I'm not sure where the picture is, and don't have time to look at the moment, but you're very close. The shaft end in stepped where the ink tube fits over it, and slips into the back of the hole up to the step, the writing end gets cut off.

[sidewinder]

OK, cool. I have a set of Scalas' that I was trying to figure out how to mount, that should help.

[betty.k]

from memory, the way i got my front scala's to work was brass eyelettes. i bought mine from a craft shop.

brass eyelettes = those things your shoelaces go through, just gotta find tiny ones.


another tip is using the tubes that come with wd40 cans (you got that stuff there, yeah?)

[VooDooMafia]

another tip is using the tubes that come with wd40 cans (you got that stuff there, yeah?)

LMAO

[betty.k]

i'll take that as a yes

[sidewinder]

Yeah, I couldn't get through a week without it. That reminds me, I need to spray my car door, it's getting squeaky.

The WD40 sounds like the easiest since I have probably three nearly empty cans sitting on the work bench...so there is probably a tube around for at least one of them. Thanks.