MTFCA Forum

Does anyone have an opinion of what might more effectively slow down the wheel's and spoke's drying out process, especially in Southern California's relatively dry and warm climate? Paint or varnish?

Linseed oil

We used linseed oil thinned with mineral spirits. Thinning, allows the mix to penetrate deeper into the wood. I use a 50/50 mix for wood trailer decks, but I think I would use 75/25 oil/spirits on spokes so as to minimize the running drops.

Good wheel builders use super dry wood before cutting/fitting spokes. I had such a set built by Dave Seiler. I did seal with linseed oil before painting.
I heard tell of a T wheel maker that wasnt so conscience about drying the wood. A set of those wheels got stored in a desert attic. They went up tight. After a few years in storage, the spokes shrunk. The wheels were not usable loose.

Hi Jerry,
I don't know where you store your cars, I heard a gentleman here in the Phx. area say he keeps his cars in Conex boxes ( they can get to 150
degrees inside in the summer time) so he keeps a 5 gal. bucket of water next to each car & all the wood stays tight. My Firetruck is almost all
wood stays in a trailer & I flood irrigate every 2 weeks in the summer & the wood stays tight. I'm just thinking you may want to increase the
moisture content before you seal them? Just a thought?
Craig.

Linseed oil and turpentine 50%. Paint it on till won’t take any more. Let dry and wipe off extra with turpentine. Paint the spokes.
Will stop the drying out and soaking with water to swell back up.

jerryb wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 08, 2025 8:09 pm

Does anyone have an opinion of what might more effectively slow down the wheel's and spoke's drying out process, especially in Southern California's relatively dry and warm climate? Paint or varnish?

Buffalo wire wheels!

I use Penetrol. It is a wood preservative, sealer, paint thiner/extender and base coating for subsequent finishes. It is already thin enough to soak right in, and you can add coats for greater protection. It has a quick drying unlike linseed oil mixes. The good thing is, beimg a base coat product, you can get it on the steel parts of the wheel and still paint right over it.

Allan from down under.

Boiled or unboiled?

I believe it is always Boiled /linseed oil if you want it to dry.

Yes, I’m with Dave on this one. Since I heard many years ago you can’t paint over linseed oil, I’ve always used a 50/50 mixture of Boiled linseed oil and denatured alcohol. Just apply and reapply it as long as the wood soaked it in. It is pre boiled in a can at the hardware store. I don’t know if necessary or not but I finish up before painting with a Sand n Sealer. Have had excellent results.

There you go George. Your brew does exactly what purpose made Penetrol does. It soaks in, dries, and provides a base for paint finishes. Penetrol can also be used on metal though.

Allan from down under

Best to soak the spokes in boiled Linseed oil. You can make 2 long trays using a 3’piece of 4” PVC with 2 end caps. Cut in half longways load with the spokes and pour the linseed oil over the spokes with several gallons of boiled linseed oil and leave them to soak. Since the spokes float, you may want to hold the spokes under with weights of some sort. The linseed oil will sink deep into the spokes.

Dan.
Here in New England instead of water I use antifreeze. Water evaporates fast. Antifreeze stays with whatever you are soaking longer.
John

Keep in mind that if using linseed oil, contaminated rags in the trash can spontaneously combust. I am not going to give disposal instructions but will advise YOU to read labels and follow precautionary instructions. Contaminated fabric can absolutely burst into flames.

Useless fun fact: Louisiana is the rainiest of the 50 states for average annual rainfall. So, I don't worry about lack of humidity. I second the motion about care with linseed oil as i have seen the contents of a concrete building get burned out by the stuff on a rag, spontaneously combusting after only a few hours of sitting on a shelf.