mini wheel needs repair

[DrNik]

i have a original mini revolution wheel thats cracked, whilst i could send it off to a wheel repairer, id much rather either have a go myself or does one of you guys fancy helping me out for beer tokens, or need something i may be able to help you out with, what procedure would you recommend

 

[Shox Dr]

now you gone and opened a BIG tin of

 

[hotrodder]

As Shox said. Some people think nothing of welding wheels, some of us think about the metallurgical aspects- they often aren't cast with weldability in mind, they're usually heat treated which'll be local destroyed by welding etc etc. Plenty of threads on the subject, search the TIG forum for 'wheels' and most of them will pop up without having to wade through loads of irrelevant results

I've an inckling they're magnesium not aluminium? Certainly looks more like mag in the pic, clean the oxidation off and a drop of vinegar will let you know- fizzes and bubbles producing hydrogen on magnesium, no reaction with Al alloys. If it is magnesium the price of the filler wire alone is beyond the realms of 'beer tokens'. Unlike steels neither have a 'proper' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit and it doesn't look like there's any mechanical damage that could have caused that crack i.e. it's the result of fatigue, maybe initiated by corrosion?

The very FEW times i've broken my general rule of not touching wheels it was for something virtually irreplacable, worth thousands and cast magnesium which made my insistance of getting it heat treated and X rayed (after i'd DPIed it) worthwhile. That was the more usual radial crack on the lip of the inner rim though.

 

[Jim_gsxr1000]

Tig is the boy for the job, you need to find the verystart of the crack, the bast method to do this is to do a few cleaning passes with the tig torchand you will see the contamanation comming out of the crack this will highlight the crack, seen it done with very rare old VW wheels

 

[armalites]

I've seen a crack in a similar place on an old Discovery rim. On my rim it was caused by an attempt to straighten it by me. Annoying thing was I had already straightened to an useable level but got carried away.

Looking at the pictures it may be the same as it looks like it may have been dented at some point near the crack.

From a safety point of view I would say it's better to be welding there than one of the spokes but, I have no Tig skills at all.

Jim_gsxr1000 I've seen that episode of the Campervan Crisis a few times myself

 

[DrNik]

now you gone and opened a BIG tin of

story of my life, i was only asked today why i dont just go with the flow, i said i have to have answers and question why

With a medical experiment on the kitchen worktop, added best malt vinegar to alloy wheel............. nothing no reaction, so "she" can be welded

the rim was damaged against a kerb, the split was wider but i put it in a vise and bent it back straight closing the split,

should the rim be preheated or heated after welding

anyone want the job????

 

[bpcoryton]

its by far a rare wheel is it!,drop it in the scrap bin and buy a new or good second hand wheel.
it has been said a big tin of worms now opened!! not worth messing with

 

[Woody.v8]

As Shox said its defenately a big Some would weld some wouldnt,
If it were me I would weld it if was mine but i wouldnt weld for someone else (for road use anyway).

 

[dannymac]

a new 4 spoke revo rim can be still bought today for under £50 or there abouts,still,I have welded a rim before,worse than that,a chunk missing on the edge,served me well,still got it after 20 years and was used hard on afew of my old fords,was also a polished dish rim and the repair was invisible after sanding and buffing.Some people wont touch a rim repair,fair enough,nobody wants to be responsible for a (possible) car accident

 

[Alex-the-tig]

Hi, I'd be happy to repair your wheel but you're a bit far away unless you post it.... I'm 99% sure it is ally and not mag. You need a ac/dc tig set up (300 amp is ideal) I would also use filler wire with some silicone to reduce further cracking (something like 4043)

 

[aametalmaster]

I would weld it also. Mig with spoolgun and 4043 wire. Completely cut out the crack with a whiz wheel, some preheat with a propane torch and fill it up. Might need to repeat to get all of the junk that bubbles up while welding...Bob

 

[dannyp]

with things like wheels i wouldn't weld them but the magical welding pixies that live in the workshop will do.

dye pen to see where the crack goes, drill the ends of the crack then cut the ****** out and turn the tig right up

 

[DrNik]

ive spoken to a few people and a second hand wheel is actually easily available, and the owner of wheel is scared it might fail in the future, so to the scrap bin it goes

 

[Shox Dr]

Make a clock out of it

 

[langy]

story of my life, i was only asked today why i dont just go with the flow, i said i have to have answers and question why

With a medical experiment on the kitchen worktop, added best malt vinegar to alloy wheel............. nothing no reaction, so "she" can be welded

the rim was damaged against a kerb, the split was wider but i put it in a vise and bent it back straight closing the split,

should the rim be preheated or heated after welding

anyone want the job????

If its welded properly it won't be a problem, that's not a Magnesium wheel, Its an ally rim, Mag can still be repaired easily, your biggest problem is you will need a big machine to do it, It should also be cracked tested after.
But after saying all that its not an expensive wheel really so not worth the bother.