BrianI Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Phew! One wheel done, another 4 to go! unfortunately the outer "rim" ring on the wheel broke as I dismantled the poorly made attempt. So I scratched together a ring out of glued together plasticard. It'll do for the "spare" on the Bentley! Need to decant the halfords rattle can as it is a bit heavy using it for the spokes, hence the dribbles. Edited February 10, 2015 by BrianI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radpoe Spitfire Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Looking forward to the progress on this Bentley as I recently got one off "that certain on line auction site"😁. Big however, this one had been built & was falling to bits, looks like an original boxing, (but hey I like a challenge now & then). Cost me £20+ but funds went to a hospice charity. Came with a number of tools, an empty britfix yellow label liquid cement bottle, a no 3 scalpel, but also has an original electric motor. It may prove to be my undoing, but I want to get my 10 year old son on board.👍👍👍👍 Regards Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Oops 8 months since I've last touched this model.. I've got knee surgery coming my way in november, and will be off work recoving from surgery for at least 8 weeks! So hopefully i'll get cracking with this build!It'll be interesting to see yours built with the electric motor, assuming it still turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnuts Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Nice to see you back on it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) lol, still no progress! Relacing those wheels seem to be have my undoing! Anyway, I found this video on the internet of a 1930 Bentley fitted with a 27L Merlin engine! Some nice reference footage. Edited November 29, 2015 by BrianI 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 I've rejigged my jig again. I found that the wire pegs I had used to anchor the wire when I wrapped it had become loose. So I've replaced them with 3mm bolts & nuts so they are now nice and secure. However I have thought about halfing the number of spokes in the wheels, and using slightly thicker gauge of wire. The reason behind this is with the method I'm using, (wrap wire round the hubs then round the pegs) results in a large build up of excess wire around the hub. This is difficult to tidy up. Would 36 spoke (21 spoke rear, 14 spoke front) wheels look reasonable? I fear if these wheels don't get built I'm going to end up with either an unbuilt Bentley, or an email sent to Airfix asking for replacement wheel sprues and a Blower Bentley built with kit wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 Another sneaky plan that I have, which I must admit is a bit of a cop out, is to fashion solid "aero disk" covers to cover up the spoked wheels. Could owners of the 1930s Blower Bentleys have fitted solid covers over the spoked wheels in a bid to increase aerodynamics? e.g. random google image of 1930s car with solid disk wheels: In my hours of googling today, I can't see any photos of any Blower Bentley's with wheels like this..... But if it means I can get on with this build? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions! I can see this build sitting on the shelf of doom for a while yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 I'd suggest doing them in wire. Never been keen on the nylon line approach even though Sir Windgrove swears by it. I used wire on mine years ago with no problems. Plan to redo them someday as I'd like them thinner and with spoke nips. Strangely enough my build came to a stop after 5 rims were completed! :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Sorry for the phone shot. Removed from cupboard and dusted down! My first spoking project and can't even remember how I did it. If memory serves, I made a jig to hold the hub in position and then cut and replaced the kit spokes (about 10 at a time). The next one will be the Mefistofele and have the wire and tube ready to go. I prefer this method over fishing line because you can set a nice tight bend where the spokes touch the hub. Fishing line always seems to carry the bend along its length. Edited November 29, 2015 by vontrips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 I have another idea. Imagine a circular disc 15mm in diameter big enough to cover the rear of the hub. On this disc I'd drill 42 small holes to hold individual spoke wires. This disk with spokes would be glued to back of hub and the ends of spokes tied round appropriate pin on my jig. A similar smaller disc would be used for the front of the hub. This might work and it should avoid build up of wire wrapping around hub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Argh! That's the last of my small enough micro drill bits snapped! So I think I'm going to go with the solid "aero disk" wheels instead! OK, so this may not be historically accurate, nor look as intricate as the wire spoked wheels, but I think this will be more in my achievable skill set! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Here are some pics of the wheel jig etc for others to make use of. Wheel jig - the idea is the hub is held in the centre, and wires are wrapped round the bolts, then the hubs to give the correct lacing pattern. Works well enough, except there is a big build up of wire as it gets wrapped around the hub... Each pin should take two spokes. To do this method, the rims need to be split into three sections, back section goes on the jig first, the rear spokes are laced over it. Then the middle section gets glued on, and the outer spokes laced over. Then the last bit of the rim gets glued on top. Sadly I just can't get my head around lacing the wheels in the "correct" pattern, nor can I solve the problem of the amount of wire building up around the hub as it gets wrapped round the jig! So what better way than sweeping it all under the carpet, and going for aero disk wheels instead! I don't have many options left, as I no longer have enough kit wheels left in one piece to make 4 wheels for the car! Plasticard disk glued over the spokes of one of my shoddy earlier wire wheels built using an earlier form of the jig above. Needs a bit of filling around the edge of the disk. Looks OK, if a bit toy like. Might look better when painted green. At least I can start to see a way forward on this build now! Edited November 30, 2015 by BrianI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnuts Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Very resourceful and inventive. Who's to say some private owner didn't add some of those to his (a bit like modern boy racers fitting alloys instead of the standard steel wheels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 A slightly left-field suggestion but your excellent idea of aero covers for the wheels made me think: that style of Bentley could be the basis for a fantastic steampunk "what if"... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 That's 3 wheels with aero covers on. I was even able to rebuild what was left of the rim & hub which I had completely dismantled to relace! This then leaves me with an option to stick aero covers on the front wheels, or leave the rear drive wheels (and spare) as aero wheels, and leave the front with kit spoke wheels. Hmmm. I think I'll be putting this kit back on the shelf for a while, as I'm wanting to get on with my 1:12 Ford GT500 first, and my 1:25 Ford Futura... But at least I know I've got wheels sorted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Very resourceful and inventive. Who's to say some private owner didn't add some of those to his (a bit like modern boy racers fitting alloys instead of the standard steel wheels. Thanks kpnuts! At least it means that I now have a complete set of functional wheels (of sorts). I wonder if back in the 1930s boy racers souped their cars up with large gramophones to blast out the tunes of the day? Hopefully i'll be able to sleep tonight, as the past couple of nights have mostly been spent pondering on wire spoked wheels..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Nice solution to the problem. Hopefully the "mojo" will now return... Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 I'm still not any further ahead with this build Ian! I would have to say I'm not happy with the aero wheel "bodge" to get round my lack of success with lacing wire wheels. I'm hoping this kit isn't going to sit on the shelf unbuilt for most of 2016 as well as 2015.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I'm researching a conversion of this kit at the moment, to a conventionally-aspirated 4 1/2 litre. The basis of the conversion will be an Airfix kit that I bought and built when it was first released and has suffered somewhat down the years in the course of several house moves. I'm still at the "collecting information" stage at the moment, but hope to get cracking later in the year. I've learned quite a bit from this and Limeypilot's thread, for which my grateful thanks. One reference I have found very useful is James Taylor's "Bentley Four-Cylinder Models In Detail, 1921-1930" (Herridge & Sons Ltd., Beaworthy, Devon, 2012, ISBN 978-1-906133-30-6). It has some good detail shots of both blown and unblown cars. According to him, wheel discs were available as an option from the factory and were used to make the car "look more modern than it otherwise would have done", meaning that you're not just off on a frolic of your own. I prefer the wiries, so I'm going to cheat - I have a set of Pinto wheels ... I have a second, unstarted, kit in the stash, which will end up as either the Birkin single-seater or the beautiful two-plus-two Barnato car. That's well down the track, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 That's good to hear about the wheel discs being a factory option! I think I'll add discsc to the front wheels too. I'm sure they will look better once the gap between disc and rim is filled, then primed and painted. That book sounds really interesting and a good reference. I'm looking forward to seeing your build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 There you go, Brian - no more excuses! Now I suppose I have to get back to mine too..... Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 One word of caution - looking through Taylor it seems that whilst wheel discs were not uncommon, they were more frequently used on non-supercharged cars. Some of the "homologation special" (i.e. non-racing) supercharged cars may have had them, but I doubt that they would have been used on any of the race cars, supercharged or otherwise - they were only a styling gimmick and would have made wheel changes more difficult. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianI Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 One word of caution - looking through Taylor it seems that whilst wheel discs were not uncommon, they were more frequently used on non-supercharged cars. Some of the "homologation special" (i.e. non-racing) supercharged cars may have had them, but I doubt that they would have been used on any of the race cars, supercharged or otherwise - they were only a styling gimmick and would have made wheel changes more difficult. Good point, However I'd rather have my wheels with blingy discs if it means my 1:12 bentley gets built! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weesiep Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Hello All, So I signed up specifically to reply to this topic, and my apologies for it being inactive for a few years. Possibly the Topic Starter has long stopped this built but perhaps some fellow builders will still benefit. I googled like crazy and could not find this answer (bare with me :-) ). I too purchased the new edition of the Airfix 1/12 Bentley, so the new style (post Hornby Airfix rescue) reissue (2014 issue year I think) with the great 3D artwork on the box top and the grey injection moulded parts. My kit too had dreadful thick chrome, flash on the parts simply chromed over, flow lines in the chrome on top of the radiator and the insides of the front lenses were mostly "matt". The Chrome had to go for these reasons alone let alone the normal reasons of having to remove the parts form the sprue and doing cleanup. I tried everything, days in the oven cleaner (2 brands) days in pure undiluted thick bleach, a day in caustic soda (undiluted) (I bought a bottle meant to help you deblock a drain) no result at all, the chrome hadn't shifted one little bit. But I certainly felt some effect on me (especially the caustic soda I don't want to use again). But currently I am having success in the following way, immerge the parts (I bought a relative big plastic storage bin (with a lid) at a thrift shop) in a cm or 2/3 of hot water and then simply pour (the same thick bleach that undiluted had no effect whatsoever) like a half or even as little as 1/3rd of the bottle of thick bleach into the water. Now let it sit. After a few hours the water starts to turn black and the bleach now eats away at the chrome. Very very very very slowly but it is getting there. I think it might actually take a few weeks (every few days I throw the water away and refill the tub) . I scrub the oxidized chrome of the parts with a old washing off brush when doing so. The plastic (under all the layers of chrome and primer) appears to be off-white. This kit does not have "aluminium oxidized" fake chrome (like the original issue (green plastic) had) I think as Airfix likely received a lot of complaints on how easy it comes off. But actual chrome. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Test stripping with automotive brake fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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