Lots have been done to occupy my tiny mind, since my last post. Sidecar axle bearings have been tentatively installed, minus grease thus far, just to see if it all went together okay. Then it was all out on the wheel rim and hub powder coating, this was accomplished in double quick time (not really in a rush to be fair). Then a swift alteration in the wheel building/spoke acquisition. I received my portion of Stainless Steel spokes etc, then came the rather intense thought processes that accompany wheel building.
The last time I spent a while in the wheel works was back in the latter half of the 1970's. To say I had forgotten what it was like back then would be a truth..... a 40 spoke wheel can be a nightmare for the unwary amongst us. Okay, the hub spoke mounts are the same size, but it really matters how the thing is laced up correctly. I had some pictures taken of the originals in their positions, for my memory to be helped a little, but, even so, I went dreadfully wrong on my first attempt.
As a result, I am now well clued up on the terminology wheel builders use, some of it not exactly polite, but....!!! I had the 'outer' spokes to close together in the rim, this made everything way to loose, but once thought out with the memory from years ago, coming back to me in droves. This was all well and good, but of course I then had to refit the spokes in different holes in the rim, but obviously they were much shorter as a result. This needed other spokes slackening off to alleviate the problem.... big mistake.... some dropped out of the holes, this meant the spokes hung downward so as to prevent me laying the wheel flat......... and so it went on...
I made myself a rather decent 'Turkish Coffee', sat back and relaxed a while. Began again, and more or less did it straight off......yay...!!! although I now have to align it all on the chassis because it is easier apparently, torque the spokes up sort of thing, the job is a goodun' as they say over here...... I have a minor job with the axle to finish off, then the tyre can be fitted and the entire assembly offered up to the bike at last for working the fittings out.....
The leaf springs needed two new leaves, so just as well they got renovated now......
I feel a tad happier now that things are happening again.....
The last time I spent a while in the wheel works was back in the latter half of the 1970's. To say I had forgotten what it was like back then would be a truth..... a 40 spoke wheel can be a nightmare for the unwary amongst us. Okay, the hub spoke mounts are the same size, but it really matters how the thing is laced up correctly. I had some pictures taken of the originals in their positions, for my memory to be helped a little, but, even so, I went dreadfully wrong on my first attempt.
As a result, I am now well clued up on the terminology wheel builders use, some of it not exactly polite, but....!!! I had the 'outer' spokes to close together in the rim, this made everything way to loose, but once thought out with the memory from years ago, coming back to me in droves. This was all well and good, but of course I then had to refit the spokes in different holes in the rim, but obviously they were much shorter as a result. This needed other spokes slackening off to alleviate the problem.... big mistake.... some dropped out of the holes, this meant the spokes hung downward so as to prevent me laying the wheel flat......... and so it went on...
I made myself a rather decent 'Turkish Coffee', sat back and relaxed a while. Began again, and more or less did it straight off......yay...!!! although I now have to align it all on the chassis because it is easier apparently, torque the spokes up sort of thing, the job is a goodun' as they say over here...... I have a minor job with the axle to finish off, then the tyre can be fitted and the entire assembly offered up to the bike at last for working the fittings out.....
The leaf springs needed two new leaves, so just as well they got renovated now......
I feel a tad happier now that things are happening again.....
