I need gaiters for my 1944 lorry rear axle swivel joints,

[Matchless]

I was going to have them made in leather as per the originals but I cannot find a firm to do them, and likely costs seem high! thought about doing them myself but seems a lot of faffing about and I would need to get edges sewn onto them, so thinking about getting someone to 3d print them, no idea if it is possible, no idea of costs, I can post up some pictures of the originals, about 8" od, 4" id, 2" tall, about 1/8" thick, would need a lip to stop the clips from coming off, material needs to be oil resistant, flexible like a CV gaiter, even if no one fancies making them is it possible for someone to design it for me to punt around? If you printerists don't think it is possible to 3d print then maybe could a mould be printed so I can cast them in two part "rubber"

 

[tom2207]

is it for use or show , which is important , it looks like a split type cv boot may do the job , practically ,, but wont look authentic . maybe a drive shaft cover may be close in size.

 

[m_c]

I'm not sure anything 3D printed would hold up to the conditions those see, plus each one would take a fair bit of material, and TPU isn't the quickest thing to print.

Creating a mold then casting them is likely to be more durable.

 

[steve t]

Would a saddler make them in leather?

 

[Agroshield]

The shape it is now, on the bench is not the shape it is supposed to be on the vehicle. Any measurements you make need to be with it in place.

A contour gauge (https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-polypropylene-profile-gauge-9-250mm-/697FT) would be useful for that. Once you have the profile, cut a piece of plywood to the inside shape (i.e. the profile minus the thickness of the leather), tack the leather to it at the join in the piece and remove the links. Then you can dip the end in some paint and potato print the correct profile. After that, it is a simple revolution of that profile to complete.

A solid version made by 3DP can be used it as a pattern to make a silicone mould to then cast the correct one from appropriate material.

Alternatively, if you do go the cowhide route, a slightly smaller version of the 3DP one can be used to shape the leather (even a male and female half to press the wet leather, like a cup seal for a water pump). The important thing is to get the 3D model correct.

The advantage of 3DP is you can make a small section to check the fit and then refine as required. Make the finished one in two halves (perhaps honeycombed to save material) and check on the vehicle before proceeding wiht any permananet material.

To proceed, you need to make the best dimensioned cross-sectional drawing you can and upload it.

 

[addjunkie]

I'm not sure anything 3D printed would hold up to the conditions those see, plus each one would take a fair bit of material, and TPU isn't the quickest thing to print.

Creating a mold then casting them is likely to be more durable.

Id be inclined to agree. Latex moulding maybe

 

[hotponyshoes]

I'd think TPU would hold up fine providing it doesn't get particularly hot.

I think the join would be the problem. You could tounge & groove the join and glue it but the glue will be the weak point.
Or use a bootlace arrangement like the original but I can see that ripping through if there is much movement in use.
Maybe a tounge/groove to locate then some holes with strips of leather or tpu U clips to hold it?

Or, could you print a one-piece solid boot and take the hub off to fit it?

Printing tpu is an issue if you have any overhangs as the supports are difficult to remove. Might not matter if you could get all the supports on the inner side where they won't be seen. Or find someone with a multi-material printer that can use seperate supports.

Might take a while to print but that's not really an issue as the £/hr rate is not that bad..
If you wanted loads of them by all means make a mould and cast them but in my experience it's easier to print 2 out rather than print one mould, cast one, wait for it to cure, remove it and mix up another lot of stuff to cast another one.
Casting works when you have 10 molds and only mix one batch of resin to fill them all.
Also, a polyurethane would probably be a good choice to cast those with and that's what tpu is anyway.
I can't see the point spending the time printing 2 mould halves when you could probably print the pieces themselves in the same sort of time?

Although if you had access to a lathe or even a basic turntable it wouldn't take much to make a buck out of something soft like plaster of paris, spin it to shape, make a silicone mould from that..
But that's quite a bit of material you need to source and faff with plus you would still need to create the profile.
If you just measure and draw the prilofile digitally it only takes minutes to extrude that into a circle and send it to the printer..

 

[tom2207]

Rubber Gaiter - Rubber Manufacturer UK | Butser Rubber Ltd

UK based specialist manufacturers and injection moulders of Rubber Gaiters. Materials include EPDM, Nitrile, Viton, FKM, Silicone, Neoprene, Natural & HNBR

www.butserrubber.com

be worth a call

 

[Screwdriver]

I'd be more than happy to design and print a TPU version for you but even at cost, it might end up being a pricy experiment.

I'm guessing I'd need at least one roll of quality TPU, possibly 2 (maybe even experiment with compounds). It is pretty strong stuff though if printed correctly. There's an epidemic of 3d printed TPU footwear at the moment for example. I assume flexibility won't be a problem so fatigue shouldn't cause any issue either.

My only concern would be the effect of whatever grease or oils might have, durability and of course potential heat damage. Won't know it unless you try it though...

 

[awemawson]

From my experiance of some years ago with Landrover gaiters leather if well grease soaked prior to fitting is the way to go. Even in this day and age there must be loads of horsey types doing custom stitching. In my youth we had a hand awl that incorporated a spool of heavy waxed thread and the "roundness" of it's rump meant that perforating heavy items such a leather or carpet was relatively easy.

 

[bricol]

Curious - what seals the other side of the spherical bearing housing to the brake backplate?

The stitched ring on the inside looks to be more for keeping it in place under the clip - so glue one?

If you can make a former (wood ?), it's amazing what you can form damp leather into, so it might not be as difficult a job as you might think. Ebay has been a good source of leather bits for when I've need odd bits.

 

[Agroshield]

In the diagram, part 34 is the internal clip. To install/tighten it, the item needs to be turned almost inside out. Would a 3DP item have that ability?

To make the holes for sewing, leatherworkers use something that looks like a table fork to prick the spacing and then use an awl to make the hole.

 

[indykid]

I'd be looking closely at @Hood's foray into polyurethane gaiters if you wanted to go a bit more modern.

MDF, filler and epoxy paint for the mould? Probably a bit pricy in ally given the scale...

 

[Brad93]

I Agree, I think polyurethane as per @Hood posts.

 

[Seadog]

To make the holes for sewing, leatherworkers use something that looks like a table fork to prick the spacing and then use an awl to make the hole

A pricking iron.

 

[Porkypine]

Looks similar in concept to the Land Rover leather swivel gaiters, might be they'd be adaptable to it ? I also reckon any 3d print plasticky type solution wouldn't last long on a motor !

 

[Hood]

...In my youth we had a hand awl that incorporated a spool of heavy waxed thread and the "roundness" of it's rump meant that perforating heavy items such a leather or carpet was relatively easy.

This is likely what you are meaning, very handy piece of kit

 

[awemawson]

The very thing Hood - can I have it back please !

 

[OJCar]

Speedy Stitcher



https://www.tradline.co.uk/speedy-stitcher-1813-p.asp

 

[RichardM]

Motor cycle leather repairers maybe?