wheel wax
Re: wheel wax
Yes
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
Hey thanks so much for the quick reply! and the suggestion of the widely available Meguiar's product, its even available up here in the frozen north! Miracles do happen.Vitamin K wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 4:22 pm
I've never personally used Jig-a-Loo myself, seeing as it how it's only sold in Canada, but the conventional wisdom has been that it's not safe for bores. Maybe that's overblown, as long as you let the propellant evaporate? I couldn't really say.
I think, though, were I in your shoes, I would stick to using the Jig on the axles and find a different product for the bores.
I'm not sure what you have near you, but Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax is a synthetic auto wax that's usually easy to find on local shelves and would do the trick for your bores.
Davet also noted the 3M dry type silicone as an option, thank you Davet.
Any thoughts on how you would properly apply the Meguiar's wax vs the 3M dry type silicone? Not sure of the viscosity of the Meguiar's or 3M, whether it's a "pour in and let sit" or "apply with a tamiya swab" kind of product. Haven't worked with any waxes before in regards to final bore treatment.
Thanks to everyone for their input. You all have a great PWD community here.
Re: wheel wax
For the Meguiar's, I would use an applicator to apply a thin coating to the inside of the wheels, let it dry and haze and buff with a fluffy pipe cleaner. Maybe 2-3 coats?Hyperfocus wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:08 pmHey thanks so much for the quick reply! and the suggestion of the widely available Meguiar's product, its even available up here in the frozen north! Miracles do happen.Vitamin K wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 4:22 pm
I've never personally used Jig-a-Loo myself, seeing as it how it's only sold in Canada, but the conventional wisdom has been that it's not safe for bores. Maybe that's overblown, as long as you let the propellant evaporate? I couldn't really say.
I think, though, were I in your shoes, I would stick to using the Jig on the axles and find a different product for the bores.
I'm not sure what you have near you, but Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax is a synthetic auto wax that's usually easy to find on local shelves and would do the trick for your bores.
Davet also noted the 3M dry type silicone as an option, thank you Davet.
Any thoughts on how you would properly apply the Meguiar's wax vs the 3M dry type silicone? Not sure of the viscosity of the Meguiar's or 3M, whether it's a "pour in and let sit" or "apply with a tamiya swab" kind of product. Haven't worked with any waxes before in regards to final bore treatment.
Thanks to everyone for their input. You all have a great PWD community here.
If I were gonna try the Dry-Type silicone, I'd treat it the same as I did with Max-Pro. Spray some into a cup, wait 10 minutes or so and use an applicator to coat the wheel bores with it.
Re: wheel wax
For axles I polish them as smooth as I can then clean them with 91% alcohol. When they’re certainly dry I check them with a magnifying glass and blow off any lint. Then, I poke them into cardboard close enough where I can cover all of them at once with the cap from my 3M spray. I spray the axles with 2 light coats of silicone making sure to get the of the heads. Then I cover them with the spray can cap and place them high up and away so they don’t get disturbed until I install them.
For wheels I polish as smooth as I can then clean in alcohol them dry. I polish them with the wax and when completely dry I buff it out then repeat one time. Don’t forget to polish the hub faces of the wheels. I put the wheels inside a ziplock bag with the zipper open to prevent condensation and put them away somewhere until install.
If you don’t use wax then polish them smooth with the Novus or similar and clean in alcohol. Then I would spray the silicone onto a Tamiya swab or similar and run it through the hub a couple times. Make sure to get the rear and front hub faces. I would let it set for several minutes then repeat. Place the wheels in the ziplock bag until install.
For install I would check both axles and wheels again for lint and blow off any you find. Put your oil onto a Tamiya swab and just run it through the wheel hub once. You don’t want to completely clean all the wax out if you used wax. I would then wipe the swab with the spray over the axle and get the back of the head also. Then install onto car.
Once car is aligned and axles are glued in the last step is placing it back into an open ziplock bag until race day
For wheels I polish as smooth as I can then clean in alcohol them dry. I polish them with the wax and when completely dry I buff it out then repeat one time. Don’t forget to polish the hub faces of the wheels. I put the wheels inside a ziplock bag with the zipper open to prevent condensation and put them away somewhere until install.
If you don’t use wax then polish them smooth with the Novus or similar and clean in alcohol. Then I would spray the silicone onto a Tamiya swab or similar and run it through the hub a couple times. Make sure to get the rear and front hub faces. I would let it set for several minutes then repeat. Place the wheels in the ziplock bag until install.
For install I would check both axles and wheels again for lint and blow off any you find. Put your oil onto a Tamiya swab and just run it through the wheel hub once. You don’t want to completely clean all the wax out if you used wax. I would then wipe the swab with the spray over the axle and get the back of the head also. Then install onto car.
Once car is aligned and axles are glued in the last step is placing it back into an open ziplock bag until race day
Re: wheel wax
I used to put a couple drops of oil into the wheel hub with the axle in the wheel. That was too much oil. When I started just wiping the oil in the hub and into axle it was significantly faster
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
I was planning to just use a ballpoint pen tip drop size of the Krytox on the axle, let gravity move it around a bit then insert it in the wheel and give it a few spins, then wick off any excess. Would that work? I've even read about people applying the oil, spinning the wheel on the axle then removing the wheel and wiping all the oil off the axle before putting the wheel back on. That seemed excessive to me (in terms of oil removal) but as we know less is more.
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
Thanks for going into detail here, its appreciated.davet wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:29 pm For axles I polish them as smooth as I can then clean them with 91% alcohol. When they’re certainly dry I check them with a magnifying glass and blow off any lint. Then, I poke them into cardboard close enough where I can cover all of them at once with the cap from my 3M spray. I spray the axles with 2 light coats of silicone making sure to get the of the heads. Then I cover them with the spray can cap and place them high up and away so they don’t get disturbed until I install them.
For wheels I polish as smooth as I can then clean in alcohol them dry. I polish them with the wax and when completely dry I buff it out then repeat one time. Don’t forget to polish the hub faces of the wheels. I put the wheels inside a ziplock bag with the zipper open to prevent condensation and put them away somewhere until install.
If you don’t use wax then polish them smooth with the Novus or similar and clean in alcohol. Then I would spray the silicone onto a Tamiya swab or similar and run it through the hub a couple times. Make sure to get the rear and front hub faces. I would let it set for several minutes then repeat. Place the wheels in the ziplock bag until install.
For install I would check both axles and wheels again for lint and blow off any you find. Put your oil onto a Tamiya swab and just run it through the wheel hub once. You don’t want to completely clean all the wax out if you used wax. I would then wipe the swab with the spray over the axle and get the back of the head also. Then install onto car.
Once car is aligned and axles are glued in the last step is placing it back into an open ziplock bag until race day
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
Would buffing with a new tamiya swab work? I find bore/axle diameters for Awana is a few thousandths larger than BSA, so tamiya swag goes through the bore pretty easily. I have fluffy cotton pipe cleaners but I found they left a good amount of tiny fibers behind. Seeing as I'm going oil instead of graphite, I wonder how that work go with the buffing the wax (as in, would fibers be left behind, stuck in the wax).Vitamin K wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:16 pmFor the Meguiar's, I would use an applicator to apply a thin coating to the inside of the wheels, let it dry and haze and buff with a fluffy pipe cleaner. Maybe 2-3 coats?Hyperfocus wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:08 pm
Hey thanks so much for the quick reply! and the suggestion of the widely available Meguiar's product, its even available up here in the frozen north! Miracles do happen.
Davet also noted the 3M dry type silicone as an option, thank you Davet.
Any thoughts on how you would properly apply the Meguiar's wax vs the 3M dry type silicone? Not sure of the viscosity of the Meguiar's or 3M, whether it's a "pour in and let sit" or "apply with a tamiya swab" kind of product. Haven't worked with any waxes before in regards to final bore treatment.
Thanks to everyone for their input. You all have a great PWD community here.
If I were gonna try the Dry-Type silicone, I'd treat it the same as I did with Max-Pro. Spray some into a cup, wait 10 minutes or so and use an applicator to coat the wheel bores with it.
With how you describe treating with the Max-Pro, having it sit in the cup, likely to off gas the accelerant? I wonder if that would be a reasonable approach with the jigaloo as well, for wheel bores. Guess it would depend on the reason jigaloo is a hazard for the wheels in the first place.
- gpraceman
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4926
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2003 12:46 am
- Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
- Contact:
Re: wheel wax
A no graphite rule, I like it. Seems rather rare to have a rule like that. People are usually afraid of oil fouling the track. However, graphite is the messiest lube, IMO. By the end of the race it is all over everything and the hands of those that handled the cars.Hyperfocus wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:29 pm My son has a race on Saturday (Awana), and I'm currently working on the wheels. I have tamiya swabs, Novus 2 (and 1), and Jigaloo. Race rules are NO graphite, so oil only. Using the Krytox 100 mix from Maximum Velocity.
We allow any type of lube, as long as it is not messy. If it is all over the wheels, oozing out of the wheel bores, or comes out with a modest shake of the car, we hand it back to the racer to clean off the excess.
Randy Lisano
Romans 5:8
Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
Romans 5:8
Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
-
- Master Pine Head
- Posts: 109
- Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:50 pm
- Location: Hudsonville, Michigan
Re: wheel wax
We primarily race Awana cars, so we are quite used to them.Hyperfocus wrote:Would buffing with a new tamiya swab work? I find bore/axle diameters for Awana is a few thousandths larger than BSA, so tamiya swag goes through the bore pretty easily. I have fluffy cotton pipe cleaners but I found they left a good amount of tiny fibers behind. Seeing as I'm going oil instead of graphite, I wonder how that work go with the buffing the wax (as in, would fibers be left behind, stuck in the wax).Vitamin K wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:16 pm For the Meguiar's, I would use an applicator to apply a thin coating to the inside of the wheels, let it dry and haze and buff with a fluffy pipe cleaner. Maybe 2-3 coats?
If I were gonna try the Dry-Type silicone, I'd treat it the same as I did with Max-Pro. Spray some into a cup, wait 10 minutes or so and use an applicator to coat the wheel bores with it.
With how you describe treating with the Max-Pro, having it sit in the cup, likely to off gas the accelerant? I wonder if that would be a reasonable approach with the jigaloo as well, for wheel bores. Guess it would depend on the reason jigaloo is a hazard for the wheels in the first place.
We clean the wheels thoroughly with dawn and dry them good. We will apply a sealant with a no scratch applicator to the bore and liberally to the riding surfaces of the wheel. Then, we blow off the excess with compressed air and let it dry to a haze. You can use the fluffy pipe cleaner to polish the bore and use a microfiber cloth on the rest of the wheel. Make sure to blow the bores out real good to take care of those fuzzies.
We like to let them sit a day before the next coat.
The Jigaloo is pretty caustic until it flashes off. I've not played with applying it to the bore after it flashes off, but definitely try it on a spare wheel first!!
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
Thanks for the advice. I picked up some 3M Dry-Type Silicone for the bores today. Knee deep with getting the car ready, has to be handed in by Thursday night. I didn't need sleep anyways! No pain no glory! HahaLoud2ns wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:20 amWe primarily race Awana cars, so we are quite used to them.Hyperfocus wrote:
Would buffing with a new tamiya swab work? I find bore/axle diameters for Awana is a few thousandths larger than BSA, so tamiya swag goes through the bore pretty easily. I have fluffy cotton pipe cleaners but I found they left a good amount of tiny fibers behind. Seeing as I'm going oil instead of graphite, I wonder how that work go with the buffing the wax (as in, would fibers be left behind, stuck in the wax).
With how you describe treating with the Max-Pro, having it sit in the cup, likely to off gas the accelerant? I wonder if that would be a reasonable approach with the jigaloo as well, for wheel bores. Guess it would depend on the reason jigaloo is a hazard for the wheels in the first place.
We clean the wheels thoroughly with dawn and dry them good. We will apply a sealant with a no scratch applicator to the bore and liberally to the riding surfaces of the wheel. Then, we blow off the excess with compressed air and let it dry to a haze. You can use the fluffy pipe cleaner to polish the bore and use a microfiber cloth on the rest of the wheel. Make sure to blow the bores out real good to take care of those fuzzies.
We like to let them sit a day before the next coat.
The Jigaloo is pretty caustic until it flashes off. I've not played with applying it to the bore after it flashes off, but definitely try it on a spare wheel first!!
Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
- Hyperfocus
- Apprentice
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:34 pm
- Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Re: wheel wax
Yes at first I was disappointed as graphite is the most forgiving of lubricants, but I am enjoying the lack of mess.gpraceman wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:33 amA no graphite rule, I like it. Seems rather rare to have a rule like that. People are usually afraid of oil fouling the track. However, graphite is the messiest lube, IMO. By the end of the race it is all over everything and the hands of those that handled the cars.Hyperfocus wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:29 pm My son has a race on Saturday (Awana), and I'm currently working on the wheels. I have tamiya swabs, Novus 2 (and 1), and Jigaloo. Race rules are NO graphite, so oil only. Using the Krytox 100 mix from Maximum Velocity.
We allow any type of lube, as long as it is not messy. If it is all over the wheels, oozing out of the wheel bores, or comes out with a modest shake of the car, we hand it back to the racer to clean off the excess.