My grandson is down to axle installation. The axles seem to (dry) fit nicely, but wondered if gluing them in would be recommended by any of you?
Gluing the axles in standard slots? Yes? With what?
- Thread starter Joanna Barker
- Start date
Echo what Mojo said, avoid super glue! I’ve messed up a few wheels with it. Do take some to the race day just in case, but be extra careful when applying!
You definitely want to glue them in. Otherwise your risking them moving in the slots on race day and during handling. Wood glue is great, sometimes I use a dot if epoxy as well.
You definitely want to glue them in. Otherwise your risking them moving in the slots on race day and during handling. Wood glue is great, sometimes I use a dot if epoxy as well.
I use wood glue, because if I need to take that axle back out, I can. If I epoxy it in there... it is going to stay in there.
That and years ago, a very fast racer told me that if I use wood glue, when I take my axle out, it will go back to the same gap when I re-insert it. And most of the time, it does!
That and years ago, a very fast racer told me that if I use wood glue, when I take my axle out, it will go back to the same gap when I re-insert it. And most of the time, it does!
Maybe a dissenting opinion, but I prefer to just use a sacrificial nail to pre-insert into the slots which opens up the equivalent of an axle hole in the slot space. Then, as long as the axle is fitting snugly into that hole, I don't see a need for glue.
That said, if allowed to, I'd much prefer to fill the slots with epoxy, let it dry and then drill actual holes into the slot space.
That said, if allowed to, I'd much prefer to fill the slots with epoxy, let it dry and then drill actual holes into the slot space.
Holy cow, you just blew my mind with that one! Too late this year for our scout builds, but doing that next year. Our rules say nothing about filling in the holes, just that the nail has to be visible. I can fill that bad boy in with clear epoxy and re-drill! Brilliant.
Take caution... The epoxy and pine are different hardnesses... If you fill and drill in the same spot, there is a pretty good chance your drill bit is going to wander on you if you are at the edge or top of the epoxy.
Try it out first and see how it works for you. you will see a LOT of talk on how just grain alone will mess with your drill job and alignment.
Try it out first and see how it works for you. you will see a LOT of talk on how just grain alone will mess with your drill job and alignment.
For the sake of clarification, what we'll usually do is snip the ends of a toothpick so that it's the same width as the slot, roll the toothpick in epoxy and then push it into the slot. That way the main "filler" for the slot is the wood from the toothpick, and it also helps avoid the gaps that you get trying to force epoxy into a slot.
Typical cyanoacrylate (super glues) release vapors that will foul a nice polished wheel. There are odorless versions that seem not to do this that come in various thicknesses to address migration problems...expensive, but convenient that you don't have to wait an hour for curing. Avoid normal super glues around critical areas because of the vapors. If I had the time, wood glue or epoxy...if I don't then odorless super glue. Take the odorless with you to the race in case of accidental repairs. You normally have a time limit.
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