Casting a new steering wheel

Jon B
Jon B Administrator
in "How To" - Skills, mechanical and other wise
Here is a fascinating video showing how to cast new steering wheel plastic over an old "banjo" style steering wheel core, using a casting material called "Alumilite".  The same material can be used to cast hard-to-find headlight lenses for pre-Sealed Beam era cars.  https://youtu.be/g2ZLEpHnh3M

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  • barrysweet52
    barrysweet52 Expert Adviser
    Great video. Would be good if someone could make some 1934 lens's. Barry
  • bob ward
    bob ward Senior Contributor
    Its not impossible to DIY to whatever lenses you need but I imagine there would be a lot of unknown 'tricks of the trade' waiting to trip you up along the way. Talk to Greg Eshelman, he is well practised in reproducing taillight lenses and steering wheel centres etc, although I could see reproducing headlight lenses being a degree of difficulty harder. 
  • bent metal
    bent metal Senior Contributor
    Great video.  I'd like to see things like this posted in "skills, mechanical and other wise", rather than "off topic".  Should anyone in the future be looking to find this topic it would be nice to have all of the "How-To's" in the "skills, mechanical and other wise" folder so we can find and reference them when we need them.
  • PaulButler
    PaulButler Administrator
    bent metal said:
    Great video.  I'd like to see things like this posted in "skills, mechanical and other wise", rather than "off topic".  Should anyone in the future be looking to find this topic it would be nice to have all of the "How-To's" in the "skills, mechanical and other wise" folder so we can find and reference them when we need them.
    No sooner asked than done :smile:

  • Courtesy Man
    Courtesy Man Expert Adviser
    For the fun of it - years ago I tried to make a mold for the small triangular tail light on the 1949 Super six model.  I used a good glass lens. Cut the bottom off a cardboard milk carton, poured in Plaster of Paris and sunk the lens into the mix. The plaster heated up and expanded breaking my good lens !  Not to get too discouraged - remember the fun part - I removed the now worthless lens, then shellacked the mold and poured some plastic goo with red dye into the mold . This actually worked except I had thin and thick areas making it unusable. Gave up - think I should have made a two part mold not an open one. However back then the supply of parts was bountiful.  There are two books I know of that may be helpful. "How to Cast Small Metal & Rubber parts" by William Cannon isbn 0-8306-9869-8  and "Steering Wheel Restoration Handbook" by Jack Turpin  (no ISBN given) dated 1981, 1987.  Turpins hand book is more of a pamphlet than a book. I have both if you want to ask regarding contents. Probably many other references available and perhaps YouTube videos.   Gert Kristiansen

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