[MAF]

For those not already fed up with updates on this project here's how the interior is coming along....

Pattern scratch built (Ninco Seats) and casting made of a 3/4 interior as there will be plenty of room for a sidewinder set-up on this car

Painted, Ninco body, scratch built head, thought I'd give him a moustache....

Small homemade decal for the dash...

I'm not happy with the steering wheel as its too small and will change it if I can work out how to cast my own. If anybody can tell me how to cast steering wheels I would really appreciate it.

Fits nicely into the body screwed in one end and 'clipped' in the other....

looks quite at home in there now...

 

[dannyboy]

Man, you really get into it, don´t ya!

Cool. I like your work.

You´re a dedicated man

Danny

 

[JT Previa]

Smashing!

I like the blue scarf on the driver as well.

JT

 

[ettore]

Excellent work, and BTW, the scribing to make the shut lines isn't easy to make look that good, either. Ettore

 

[Ecurie Martini]

I can't suggest a way to cast steering wheels but I can tell you how I make them:

First I find some copper wire of a diameter suitable for the rim thickness and then I cast about through small paint bottles or cans, large dowels and other circular objects until I find the right diameter - wrap the wire tightly arount the form and twist and solder the ends together (you can file away most of the twist but, from a practical standpoint, I usually find that I am cutting away some portion of the bottom of the rim to accomdate a shallow cockpti.

A thin brass disk and some narrow strips of flat brass are soldered together and to the rim forming the hub and spokes - the center of the hub can be drilled for a large pin as a column and, if the hub and spoked are tinned all over with something like Sta-Brite solder, they can be polished after soldering - add a couple of coat of gloss brown, tan or matte black on the rim and you are done.

 

[gascarnut]

Another way to make steering wheels is to use an O-ring of suitable size as the rim and fashion the spokes from plastic or brass sheet. If the spokes are plastic you can glue the whole lot together with cyanoacrylate ("super glue"), but brass spokes might require a bit of epoxy to attach the O-ring.

 

[howmet tx]

Fantastic, Maf! This just gets better and better!
Thanks.

 

[alfetta]

I think you have made a super job of the Bentley.
A question. What do you use to achieve those wonderfully clean shut lines? I have yet to achieve anything quite as clean.
Alfetta

 

[Phil Kalbfell]

I have a mould with about 10 different size steering wheels on it. This sits on the bench and each time I have some resin left over in it goes. Sometimes I may only get one sometimes a whole sheet. The top side of these wheels need to be rounded and trimmed as the mould is not two piece.

Have a look at: Matt Bishops casting article

 

[MAF]

Thanks for the tips on the steering wheels.

Alfetta, the tool I use is from my wood carving box, its a small 45 degree, bevelled one side only, chisel....

I normally keep this razor sharp (its tip is burred in the picture) and start by scribing the shut line with the very tip, then the line can gradually be opened out either side of the initial fine line to maintain/control a nice even width of line by turning the chisel round as its bevelled one side only this helps the chisel from straying off line and I can achieve a lot more control this way.

I've found using this tool easier than a vee grooved chisel as I can hold this one almost like a I would a pen and drag/slice with the tool in both directions.

Marlon.