I did some messing around with my little Unimat lathe. I'm having casting ideas for a Standard Gauge project and turned down an old Lionel 390E wheel just to see what works. Lo and behold, nothing is perfect 
JB Weld to follow.
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Holy cow! When we mold (plastic) parts, we X-ray them to detect voids in the castings like this. I've got a box of old warped Std ga wheels, and an atlas 4800 lathe. I should cut a few open and look inside.
CJ Meyers posted:Holy cow! When we mold (plastic) parts, we X-ray them to detect voids in the castings like this. I've got a box of old warped Std ga wheels, and an atlas 4800 lathe. I should cut a few open and look inside.
Quite the voids there, aren't they? I chucked it in a three-jaw and had a live centre up against the axle-hole to hold it. All worked out ok. I made a couple of small saw cuts on the "tire" and pried it off. I have three more old wheels if this one goes south, but I suppose I should work fast. Removing metal might cause more warping.
Porous pot metal castings - whoda thunk? Maybe this is where the zinc pest resides! LOL!
Is it really a surprise that castings for what were once considered toys did not have the precision of say a NASA product?
Tinplate Art posted:Is it really a surprise that castings for what were once considered toys did not have the precision of say a NASA product?
LMAO!
Henning's Trains has those wheels if you wreck yours. 
GRJ: Nice segue.
Tinplate Art posted:GRJ: Nice segue.
Well, I figured it was a good time to mention it.
I'm with GRJ on this. Not worth my time to mess with bad standard gauge wheels. Zinc rot in these is well known, and replacements readily available.
Chris
LVHR
And the replacements, especially from Henning's, are well crafted in the quality tradition of MEW!
For the younger folks on the OGR Forum, Model Engineering Works (MEW) was a quality pioneer supplier of prewar replacement diecast drive wheels, as well as other parts, such as headlights and loco pilots for many years.
gunrunnerjohn posted:Henning's Trains has those wheels if you wreck yours.
Aha! I no so stoopid I look! I bought replacements before I carved up the old ones.
Henning's bought the MEW line and produces them right in downtown Lansdale. 
Firewood posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:Henning's Trains has those wheels if you wreck yours.
Aha! I no so stoopid I look! I bought replacements before I carved up the old ones. [
Good thinking.
I wish they would do a set for Marx too; more chips than Pringle's has.
Adriatic posted:I wish they would do a set for Marx too; more chips than Pringle's has.
The prewar spoked drivers can be rotted, but very seldom on the postwar Baldwin style. At least they are interchangeable except the ones from later DR motors. Spare used motors/engines are cheaper than a set of Repro wheels would be.
Steve
I'm usually not hesitant to go with used, but I've had every pair of Marx I've pulled crack or be loose on the splines.
They still work, but take care to pick up, do fall off at times, or are unsightly. I think it's their weak point and wouldn't mind the sure thing vs a risk. I can put up with beat up and rusty beyond the norm on the topside, but only if I like the mechanicals.
Maybe give me a holler when you dump that old junk box upside down Papa Steve.
(and thanks for pointing that out too btw)
It is more likely that many original wheels are damaged by the use of an inappropriate wheel puller tool, or by misusing a proper one. Older castings are probably more brittle by nature, and should be handled with great care by using the proper tool, and by exercising gradual force. The careful use of a drift pin punch on a driver axle might be a safer choice than a wheel puller. Even with these precautions, there will unfortunately be some breakage. RE: MARX replacement parts: The Robert Grossman Company out of Mentor, Ohio, has been the long time reliable supplier of parts for MARX trains, including tools.
