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my steering wheel design...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Sinister, Jan 20, 2004.

  1. Sinister
    Joined: Jan 19, 2004
    Posts: 710

    Sinister
    Member
    from Oregon

    Here is the steering wheel design I am going to make for my ride. I called a local casting company today to get a price check..OUCH!! It's $8k(eight thousand dollars) just for the mold (two pieces) and about $140 for each cast (for mass production)unfinished and not heat-treated. I think I shat myself. time to look for a different method to my maddness.
     

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  2. It's probably cheaper to CNC machine one and stronger. were you thinkng an aluminum one?
     
  3. Sinister
    Joined: Jan 19, 2004
    Posts: 710

    Sinister
    Member
    from Oregon

    I checked into that as well, and I found a company called M.A.D. that has a skull and cross bones wheel. The problem is the billet wheel blanks all have a very thin center and look very two-dementional. I wanted to have it cast so the bones (spokes) are round like they should be. It would lose the look I was going for if I was to do it that way.
    Thanks for the thought of the idea.
     
  4. ..time to carve it out of wax and have it cast!

    Use a stripped wheel for the template..and once its cast weld/etc a rim to the cast center...

    [​IMG]
     

  5. Scrapyard
    Joined: Dec 3, 2003
    Posts: 86

    Scrapyard
    Member

    You could also try acrilyic or resin casting it. Unless you want it chrome finished? It might be easier with metal.
     
  6. Flynn's_57
    Joined: May 10, 2002
    Posts: 948

    Flynn's_57
    Member
    from Nor*Cal

    (snicker)
    Is it going in a "HEARSE"????
    Or a "death rod"???
    Or a "psychobilly cadillac" (circa 1982)????

    (sigh)
    Why not just make it out of fiberglass?
    That you could do YOURSELF, right?
    and it'd be pretty cheap...?
    And the shape you want...?
    If you came up with that design I'm GUESSING you could carve it too, yes?

    There's tech articles on the net somewhere "how to - 'DO IT'" if you don't know,
    Maybe I will get bored
    and show you the sights?
     
  7. ray
    Joined: Jun 25, 2001
    Posts: 3,791

    ray
    Member
    from colorado

    that will match PERFECTLY the skull and crossbones SPINNING HUBCAPS i seen down at autozone yesterday! [​IMG]
     
  8. Machinos
    Joined: Dec 30, 2002
    Posts: 761

    Machinos
    Member

    Wow...$8000 must be what they charge because they figure people are gonna be making money off of it.

    There are actually "hobbyist" casting clubs around. I have no idea how you'd find them, but they definitely exist.
     
  9. Accually there is a company, in cali who sells them.. ALmost exact design as yours. M I C is the name. Master Imaging Customs.. Try getting a Mini Truck magazine, they have their tiny catolog in their...
     
  10. chromedRAT
    Joined: Mar 5, 2002
    Posts: 1,737

    chromedRAT
    Member

    jesus christ, are they casting in, gold? my dad and a friend of his from back in the first grade do lost-wax bronze casting, which is kind of an expensive process, and even IT would be a good bit less than 1 thousand for something that size in bronze, maybe alot less depending on the actual amount of metal needed. i'm sure they'd have to retool and all that stuff, as they are probably set up for mass production, but FUCK. if you want that cast in metal, i'd suggest sculpting in another media than wax. victory brown (a really common sculpting wax) gets real soft with heat, which helps you shape it, but also makes it sticky and hard to work with. when cold, it is more difficult than plastilina clay to cut or shape well on a large piece. plus, if you sculpt it in wax, and have it cast from that wax, it would be really thick, and require alot of material. if you sculpt it in something else, you can make a rubber mold from it and cast the wax that will be used in the process from it. if you want to try it all yourself, i know there was a back yard foundry link passed around on the HAMB more than once that should show you how to low-buck a rig to cast aluminum. as far as making a rubber mold to cast waxes from, get a hold of me if you need any help, and also when making the ceramic mold over the wax and "spruing" the piece so that metal flows in and gas flows out well. that whole process can get tricky if you haven't been around it for years like i have. if you're gonna do it, let me know, i'll also be able to put you in touch with the suppliers that we use and etc. BITCHIN steering wheel, though.
     
  11. LOL... wake me up when this skull thing is over
     
  12. haring
    Joined: Aug 20, 2001
    Posts: 2,335

    haring
    Member

    [ QUOTE ]
    (snicker)
    Is it going in a "HEARSE"????
    Or a "death rod"???
    Or a "psychobilly cadillac" (circa 1982)????

    (sigh)

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Don't be so hard on him.

    The skull is to let everyone else know that he is TUFF and READY TO RUMBLE.

    And that he might be a pirate. [​IMG]
     
  13. If it has to be chromed you're in bad shape unless you go with what has been suggseted
    The acrylic thing will work like a champ and then paint it.
    Go down to the colledge and get some kid (from the art class)to make you up a clay piece for the center. With the top removable from the skull. (or do it yourself)
    Make a plaster of paris casting of the whole thing then separate it. Get a steering wheel hub, and weld an x to it in the right place to go through the bones and weld to the rim.
    Lay that in your mold and cast the resin around it.
    Make up a seperate mold for the top of the skull. And cast it.
    Now attach the skull top with screws from the backside. Paint that bugger and shazaam. One Skull and X Bones steeringwheel. That you can stick on your colum and drive.

    Way too involved for me. But...

    Or just start a new club and use that for a logo. The first prospect can have one cast for you for initiation. Then leave the club, you still got the wheel. [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  14. DrJ
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 9,419

    DrJ
    Member

    I think that would be a fairly reasonable quote for making two patterns from your paper sketch, having you say they need to be a little different here and there, making two more patterns then making two match plates for sand casting or two flexible molds for waxes and then figuring out how to gate it so it doesn't get chills around th rim during casting.
    Lost wax would be my choice because then the rim could be more easily poured in a verticle position cutting down on the possibilities of freeze-out lines where the two flows meet look at any flat plastic item with a hole cast in it, it will have the line I'm talking about opposite where the plastic was injected, same thing happens with metal if not poured just right.

    Easiest way to make ONE wheel?

    Buy an existing "billet" wheel with the spokes in the same location and Tig weld metal to it so you can carve/sculpt the bones and fingers on it.

    Do the same for the skull horn button or make it in wax and have it cast one off the wax.

    You could model it in clay and make a plaster mold off the clay and with the plaster still wet with water, slush cast the wax in it.
    There can't be any undercuts with that process and you need to increase the size of the original pattern to allow for shrinkage of the wax and shrinkage of the metal.
     

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