MTFCA Forum

My box of spokes came from Snyder’s the day before Thanksgiving and they look great. Nice straight grain on all the ones I have seen so far. They are for my Kelsey felloes and rims. Once the hub puller I bought from the classifieds arrives. I will pull the wheels and start to work. I do notice that they have been treated with something, not sure what it is. I assume it’s a preservative of some sort that will take finish. It has raised the grain a bit so a light sand before assembly is in order. I’ll give Snyder’s a call to check what it is next week. I am going to varnish them as I like the look better than black. This is one of the last things on my punch list for this car. I do need to clean up the correct Kelsey rims I picked up to match, but I have all the parts on hand.

Hi Morgan,
I for one would love to see your progress on this. I'm just about come up with all the parts to do the same but lack time. I have to many irons in the fire (seems) all the time.
Craig.

I will put some posts up as I do it. If I were “outside” (as we in Alaska call the lower 48), I would have just sent the wheels off to have it done. But, shipping in and out of Alaska is really expensive, so I am going to do it myself. Wish me luck!

The material you see on the spokes is “Nelsonite” which is a dimension stabilizer. It soaks primarily into the end grain to prevent end splitting and retard the movement of moisture into and out of the wood. It will have no effect on the finish, whether paint, stain, or varnish.

Great! Be sure to keep the sealer, varnish, and/or paint off of the sides of the spoke hubs, otherwise it will add thickness and the spokes won't fit properly on the hubs.

Have you built your wheel press? Be sure when you place the spokes on the hubs that you orient the chamfer towards the hub flange, this gives clearance for the fillet at the base of the flange.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1404960383

Here is the plan for the wheel press and a picture of the sealer and urethane finish I used on my spokes:

Everyone has their preference to a wood stabilizer., mine is Minwax Wood Hardener.This brand has a polycarbonate type plastic dissolved in solvent like acetone. hen the solvent evaporates it leaves the plastic behind in the wood fibers. If you brush it on you can see it immediately being sucked into the wood, But take a look at this video to give you an idea of how to apply whatever you use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5SvMVrMur0

Thanks guys. I was thinking of using spar varnish, which I have used on wood boats in the past. But, I will look at the spar varathane. Why, in your experience, is wood stabilizer necessary for new spokes? I understand about not putting finish on the angled sections due to fitment issues. In the posts I have read, I see some discussion on whether it is better to finish the spokes before or after they are in. It would be easier to just paint them black, but I like the wood look better.

Reno Speedster wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 26, 2022 1:00 pm

Thanks guys. I was thinking of using spar varnish, which I have used on wood boats in the past. But, I will look at the spar varathane. Why, in your experience, is wood stabilizer necessary for new spokes? I understand about not putting finish on the angled sections due to fitment issues. In the posts I have read, I see some discussion on whether it is better to finish the spokes before or after they are in. It would be easier to just paint them black, but I like the wood look better.

A wood stabilizer will soak deeper into the wood fibers providing better moister/wet protection. I follow instructions and apply several coats until the wood stops absorbing the it (Minwax wood hardener). Then sanding and finish it off with Spar Urathane (Minwax Helsman). The reason is that the Urathane is a bit thicker and doesn't seem to penetrate into the wood as it is being applied.
This link explains the difference of using of Spar Varnish vs Spar Urathane (Varathane) https://goneoutdoors.com/spar-varnish-v ... 93353.html
I can't find the pictures of the wood spoke wheels I restored with the Minwax Hardener & Helsman (sold the wheels) but here is a picture of my kitchen table (Pine wood unstained) - its just several coats of Helsman Urathane that I did 10 to 15 years ago. Its my end of the table used daily.