Anyone know how the rims where made for the wood spoke wheels?
Not sure I've never seen any old footage on the rims... just the complete non-demount-able early style wheels.
Coker tire makes and sells new demount-able rims they could share or better said... they might tell you the process they use..?
I'm guessing the rims start as a flat piece of metal, which gets stamped in a press to form the clincher beads then probably the next step would be to roll it into a circle using steel rollers then weld the seam. again this is just a guess!
They are being made by a fellow in New Zealand and also in Australia, as well as the US McLaren rims. I asked the Australian maker how he does it. The flat strip is rolled into a circle and welded at the join. It is then re-rolled to true the join.
This hoop is then fed through a series of rollers and the bead is rolled up on each side. I would like to see it being done, but it happens some 2500k awy from me.
Allan from down under.
Allan that makes sense to that the bead would be the last area rolled into the edge of a rim....
I spoke to an old time blacksmith about welding the hoops and he said the joints were heated to a solid solution then flux was added, this would cause the two parts to fuse. To day they are arc welded.