Control Line: Scale
By Bill Boss
Spoked Wheels
Have you ever wanted to build a vintage biplane for the Sport Scale event but couldn't find the proper size of spoked wheels? Bob Furr of the Orbiting Eagles of Omaha says you shouldn't put off building your dream plane of the Twenties or Thirties for the want of ready-made spoked wheels of a particular size— with a little effort they can be made in your own workshop.
- Materials and initial assembly
- Start with a disk of hard balsa having the diameter you want for the finished wheel and a thickness about 3/8 of the finished wheel thickness.
- Glue 3/32-in. disks of aircraft plywood to each side of the center disk.
- Add soft balsa outer disks sized so the wheel will be its full finished thickness when complete.
- Center bushing and shaping
- Drill a hole in the center and glue in a piece of brass tubing sized to serve as the axle bushing.
- Sand the outer balsa disks to a cone shape (by hand with a sanding block or by spinning the disk in a drill).
- Groove the center balsa disk to accept a tire.
- Spoke layout and wrapping
- Mark the spoke positions around the rim. For 24 spokes, divide 360° by 24: make a mark every 15° (a protractor helps).
- Using carpet thread, wrap the wheel in a continuous radial pattern: start the thread at the axle bushing, go out to the rim, and return to the bushing on the other side. You can also wrap in a spiral.
- Use a touch of CyA (cyanoacrylate) glue here and there during wrapping to hold the thread and give the spokes stiffness.
- When fully wrapped, use CyA to lock the thread and harden the balsa disk.
- Fabric covering and finishing the spoke appearance
- Cut a disk of silk or a silk/rayon blend about three to four times the size of the wheel hub.
- Using plenty of dope, apply the fabric to the wheel on the face side. Allow it to dry thoroughly.
- Cut away the excess fabric in the groove so the fabric remains only in the groove on the inside of the wheel.
- Cut away the thread where it crosses the grooved inside balsa disk; sand off remaining thread so the spokes show through the fabric.
Note: Many early airplanes that appear to have solid wheel hubs actually have spoked hubs covered with fabric. A fabric cover produces a very realistic-looking wheel.
- Tires
- Obtain a tire or make one. Bob recommends vacuum hose or other rubber hose from an auto supply store—choose a size matching the wheel groove.
- Clean and sand the inside of the hose and glue the tire into the groove with CyA. Ensure the tire is centered.
- Alternatives: latex tubing, fuel tubing, or commercially available rubber tires.
- Final steps
- Install the wheel on the axle, give it a final sanding, and paint as desired.
- Add small details such as valve stems and grease caps made from brass rod or small bits of styrene, glued and painted.
Alternative: Brass Wire Spokes
- For a more realistic look, use thin brass wire for spokes.
- Place the wheel on a wooden jig with the hub centered and bend the wire spokes to shape.
- Anneal the brass wire before bending to prevent springback.
- Solder or glue the inner ends to the hub and the outer ends to a thin brass rim or into slots in the balsa rim.
- The finished wheel will look very much like real wire-spoked wheels.
Alternate Tire Source
- Another possible tire source is vacuum cleaner parts: many models use round rubber belts for driving the brush. For wheels about 3–4 in. diameter, you may find an appropriately sized belt.
Documentation and Resources
- Cam Martin (Virginia Beach, VA) recommends the book The Great Aircraft Collections of the World by Bob Ogden (1986). While not directly usable for scale documentation, it lists museums and large aircraft collections around the world, with typical profiles including the collection name, location, and a list of planes in the collection. The book may help you identify museums to contact for more detailed information or photos. It is available in the Walden Books chain for $14.95.
- Profiles are available for about 40 popular aircraft (three examples are mentioned in the original column); the entire series of 300 titles is expected to be reprinted. The titles now available are listed in Zenith's catalog at $2.50 each. To request Zenith's latest catalog, write to:
- Zenith Aviation Books, P.O. Box 1/MA/067, Osceola, WI 54020.
- The Zenith catalog lists over 3,000 books and videotapes on aviation.
Correspondence
Please send all correspondence—especially photos—relating to C/L Scale to:
- Bill Boss, 77-06 269th Street, New Hyde Park, NY 11040.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
