Acrylic wheels

[Peerless Racing]

What do you acrylic wheel dudes use to start off making wheels, blanks that are laser cut or do some people cut there own then shape em? Is this question ok to ask/post

 

[Guest]

Hi Peerless,

Heck yeah it's OK to ask!

I have been wondering the same thing!

No guarantee that we will get an answer though.

 

[Quicktimederby]

When I cut wheels I start with sheets and cut them down, then turn them into rounds. I just ordered a whole bunch of different colors, can't wait to get some cut and see how they turn out.

 

[cycrunner]

I buy cast acrylic round stock, 1.25" diameter, and machine my wheels on my lathe. Do not buy extruded rod as it has built in stresses that will severely craze when worked! The cast material machines and polishes very well.

 

[3phase]

Is it possible to make wheels from this acrylic block ?

 

[Peerless Racing]

Awesome, I'm going to give it a go, I've only built pinecar razors before so acrylics sound sweet to try out. I can already see the piles off plastic trying to figure out how. Thanks guys. Good call cycrunner on the rounds.

 

[Guest]

I buy cast acrylic round stock, 1.25" diameter, and machine my wheels on my lathe. Do not buy extruded rod as it has built in stresses that will severely craze when worked! The cast material machines and polishes very well.

I used to think that crazing and cracking were the same.

Who knew?

A craze is different from a crack in that it cannot be felt on the surface and it can continue to support a load. Furthermore, the process of craze growth prior to cracking absorbs fracture energy and effectively increases the fracture toughness of a polymer. The initial energy absorption per square meter in a craze region has been found to be up to several hundred times that of the uncrazed region, but quickly decreases and levels off.

 

[cycrunner]

Maybe crazing is not the proper term for what extruded material exhibits when machined. Whatever it is , cracks or crazing, the result is a product that fails due to the stresses produced by the extrusion process. Use only cast material!

 

[Guest]

Maybe crazing is not the proper term for what extruded material exhibits when machined. Whatever it is , cracks or crazing, the result is a product that fails due to the stresses produced by the extrusion process. Use only cast material!

LOL! I am just messing with you Cyc.

I have always found it much easier to work with the cast stuff too.