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jockwalker.northeastslotcars |
Applying silcone?? |
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Looking for the procedure to apply silicone (and what kind of silicone) on tires. It seems to be a well kept secret to those folks that do the best job.
Thanks!
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slider2 |
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Not exactly sure what your question is.
If you are talking about putting a permanent silicone coating on the tire (this is sometimes done to re-hab old foam tires. Get a tube of silicone (preferably black) and just smear it over the surface of the tire with your finger. The smoother you can get it, the better your results will be. You might even do a final squegee roll over a sheet of waxed paper which is held flat on a table or board. Your finger is probably the best tool to use for application and smoothing sidewalls and edges. Then just let it dry and you've got a silicone coated tire. You may have to sand / true it after it is cured and mounted on the wheel. Considering the time and hassle involved, it might be better to just buy comercial silicone or urethane tires. If you are talking about a temporary traction coating on a rubber tire, I don't think there is a silicone one. Some people have good luck with WD40, but it can eventually "eat" rubber and plastics. I had good luck with STP in the '60s. Others have used lighter fluid & other secret / patented formulas. Frankly, I just think a clean tire is the best.
Greg
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jockwalker.northeastslotcars |
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It is a semi permanent coat that needs to be stripped off and recoated every 3-4 weeks of wear or after a number of crashes. These are applied on any tire in
good shape but especially new ones. They really hug the track after 40-50 laps wear.
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jockwalker.northeastslotcars |
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I found what I need in a yahoo search. Anyone interested in siliconing their own tires, this is very good.. http://www.oldweirdherald.com/scalestuff/silongies/
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Teamsterjohn |
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I have been looking for that also.
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RichD |
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Here is a procedure that was originally written for HO tires, I have modified it slightly.
You'll need to go down to your local O'Reilly auto parts and get some flowable silicone, it's made by Versa Chem and is type 750 made for windshield and glass cleaner. I then chuck up an axle wheel and tire in my Dremel tool. You'll need to turn this at a fairly high rate of speed around 20,000 RPM. Take an X-acto knife and trim the outer edges of the tire so that they are close to the edge of the wheel (don't cut them to close as you'll be able to sand them true later). Use a piece of sandpaper around 200 grit (in my case I simply got some of the stiff finger nail sanding files, I'm sorry I don't know exactly what they are called but they work very well and provide a stiff support and are some what flat). I then start sanding the tires down, you'll want to sand the tires down to around .010 of an inch smaller then what you want the finished product to be (the silicone will add the remaining diameter to the tire). Be sure you make it as square as you can. After getting it to the diameter you want I then sand the outer and inner edges to the wheel. Now get an adult beverage and clean up all the foam dust you have all over you. OK now you've got the wheel and tire blown off and you're ready to apply the silicone. Chuck the wheel and tire in the Dremel, and add just a little of the flowable silicone (just a word of advise, this silicone is FLOWABLE and will drip so don't do it over your wife's good carpeting or counter, yes, I learned by mistake). Work this into the foam and around the outer edges, (don't worry if it's not flat, just rub it into the foam). Once the first coat of silicone is rubbed in, hold the tire assembly inside a Dixie cup or some other disposable cup and turn the Dremel on as fast as it will go. I have an adjustable one and it will turn up to 30,000 RPM. Please do this inside something that will catch the excess silicone flying off of the wheel (yes, I also learned this by mistake. I also have a very understanding track manager. This silicone will eventually dry and peel off of the wall but it's hard to get off of the dog). You'll notice that the silicone will look rough, this is OK. Carefully take the wheel and axle combination, and either leave it in the Dremel and stand it upright carefully take it out of the Dremel and mount it in something that will support it upright (in my case I took a block of wood and drilled holes in it for the axle/tire assemblies. The silicone takes around 15 minutes to start to gel; I usually wait around 30 minutes and then add another coat. After each coat check the diameter until you achieve the size you want. If you spin the tire at the speed I indicated the silicone will add about .003" of silicone with each coat (I know this doesn't sound like much but 3 or 4 coats will usually get you in the ball park). If you've done everything correctly you shouldn't even need to true the tire up after it dries. The silicone will dry very flat at that thin of a coat. Please be patient when trying this, it's not something you're going to master immediately.
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