Can the rubber on old contact wheels be replaced?

LARRYZ10

LARRYZ10

Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
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Does any one know if the rubber on old contact wheels that has become worn and damaged can be replaced or does one have to buy new contact wheels? I have worn my 8 and 10 inch contact wheels down and have tiny tears on the edges of the rubber. I have two Beaumont wheels and a Bader wheel. They are 70 durometer wheels. Has any one had this done? Thank you, Larry
 
Hi Larry,
If it is just edge and surface damage, the wheels can be put in a freezer compartment and frozen, then the correct size bolt inserted in the center hole with enough thread showing to clamp in a mill chuck or collet. Make sure the rubber is frozen solid before its turned or it will gouge out small pieces.
We use a cutter out of our fly cutter, locked in the mills vise and canted at the proper angle to cut the rubber. Run the mill on a very slow speed. It takes about 10 minutes and the rubber wheel will look like new.

Regards, Fred
 
A similar process to refresh is turning the wheel on a lathe & grinding its surface with a beltgrinder.
Obviously only works if there is enough good material to leave behind.

Otherwise, sorry Indont know of a place what can recoat & vulcanise.
 
Fred that's a genius idea about freezing the wheel. I just had to resurface my 8" wheel because of a whoops on my part. I ended up melting the very top surface of the wheel and it was all wrinkly and bumpy. My platten is made from a square block of D2 with 2 threaded holes in the side. I spaced it out and flipped it over and forgot that it does not fit that way. Well it fits but you have to grind off the corners of the platten or it hits the wheel. Well I slapped a belt on it and fired it up. 1 min later I shut it off because it was running weird. The platten was rubbing the wheel hard enough that it created enough friction to melt the surface of the wheel. After much thinking and pondering I just slapped some sharp corse grit sand paper on a flat bar of steel and set up my grinder to use the belt to drive the 8" contact wheel. And I used my sanding stick and my rest to sand it smooth. It's not as smooth as when it was new but it works.
 
Thank you all for the suggestions. I do not have a mill so I will probably send a wheel to ContactRubber.com and see how it works. They have a form and will give a quote. It has got to be cheaper than new wheels. They also balance the wheel after retreading. Thank you, Larry
 
Wonder if thy can turn my 8" into a 10" lol
 
I'll third Contact Rubber Corporation, Larry. They were great to deal with and the work was flawless.
 
Fred.Rowe said:
..... the wheels can be put in a freezer compartment and frozen, then the correct size bolt inserted in the center hole with enough thread showing to clamp in a mill chuck or collet. Make sure the rubber is frozen solid before its turned or it will gouge out small pieces.
We use a cutter out of our fly cutter, locked in the mills vise and canted at the proper angle to cut the rubber. Run the mill on a very slow speed....
Click to expand...

Fred, that works like a champ. I put my 10" wheel in freezer around noon today and 9 hrs later removed, chucked into a collet, clamped HSS tool in vise- now I've got a smooth round wheel. Thank you.

Ken H>
 
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