Removing old tyres

[BuggyDad]

Mixed messages I get from a Google about this.

I read you can soak in acetone, and that it's a really easy job and all is fine, as youtubers merrily demonstrate left right and centre, but that this has sometimes entirely dissolved a (Tamiya I think) wheel.

I read that you can leave them in a container with acetone fumes to soften the glue. And I read you can boil them in water then wrestle the tyres off through insulated rubber gloves like in the opening credits to The Simpsons. 

My tyres are perished slicks. They will break up with any/much force applied. 

Which method would you go for on these? 

I think they are old Tamiya wheels. Gone a bit yellow in places. I like them and the offset is just right. If they're uncommon I'd like to save them, but if they're common as muck I suppose I could just replace. 

If the risk to the wheels comes only from submersion, then acetone fumes seems like the most sympathetic method and also easy on the hands, but will the fumes really get right in to the glue behind the glue behind the other glue under the bead? Maybe I could tear off as much tyre as possible manually then leave in the fumes?

Also, can the yellowing be treated? 

[Tamiyabigstuff]

Strong solvents can attack some types of plastic so try at your own risk !

My method is to remove as much of the tyre as you can with a sharp knife and clean out the left over bits carefully with a hacksaw blade - or maybe 2 taped together to get a wider cut.

If you have access to a lathe you could try spinning the wheels and removing the left over tyre bits with a cutting tool.

The yellowing of the white plastic is best resolved by cleaning the wheels in soapy water, rinse & allow to dry, prime & paint with white gloss aerosol. 

[sosidge]

Don't submerge, that is people who misunderstand the acetone method, fumes is the way to do it.

Freezing is also an option. As is baking.

I do know that not all wheels like the methods and can go bad.

Only method I've ever used is boiling and that distorted the wheels. Personally I just bin them or sell to someone who wants worn wheels and tyres.

[alvinlwh]

Instead of using super glue, @ad456 suggested to me to use T-8000 glue instead. It is kind of like UHU glue and can be removed and clean up from wheels. The flip side is they are less secure than super glue so may need reapplication in some situations.

[ad456]

Yeah, t-8000, e-6000 and shoo goo, all fairly similar glues with slightly different properties though all should do the job. I use T-8000 as it’s free for me. 
 

As for those tyres, I’d jus chip and cut if you want to save the rims. It’ll be tedious but maybe less likely to damage or melt them. 

[BuggyDad]

Thanks all. I think I will cut my way to minimising what's left and then have a think about the acetone fume method if that'll help to loosen the most stubborn bits. Bit of a hybrid. 

These weren't my tyres - they came with the BMW shell. I've had reasonable success with shoe goo on truck tyres on a buggy. I found E-6000 gave me somewhat less good a hold. But these tyres with high profiles and being torn about the place will ask a lot of the glue. Buggy wheels on the same buggy I get away with not gluing. On my rally car I used CA glue, knowing I'm unlikely to want to remove them (cheap wheels) but I'll have another go at shoe goo next time because I think it should be sufficient. 

[SuperChamp82]

Agree with @sosidge

Also soak in glycerin beforehand 

[Re-Bugged]

Hey @BuggyDad, these are on PJ, pretty cheap,

https://www.plazajapan.com/4950344534685/?setCurrencyId=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQFVlfRvPOrABjLnQQ7_o7UsgpMeRfP3DwbI68Git8R8GzwnCUkHkjRoCx3AQAvD_BwE
 

They look like your wheels if they are 24mm wide ones?

Goggle ‘Tamiya 53468’ and you might find them closer to home. 

[BuggyDad]

19 minutes ago, Re-Bugged said:

Hey @BuggyDad, these are on PJ, pretty cheap,

https://www.plazajapan.com/4950344534685/?setCurrencyId=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQFVlfRvPOrABjLnQQ7_o7UsgpMeRfP3DwbI68Git8R8GzwnCUkHkjRoCx3AQAvD_BwE
 

They look like your wheels if they are 24mm wide ones?

Goggle ‘Tamiya 53468’ and you might find them closer to home. 

Ha! That's funny. Yep, that's them. Mine are 24mm...

That's maybe £5 for the set including a fair share of postage. 

So added to the eternal PJ basket of things I don't really need (eternal because I purge it into other browser tabs before ordering at below the brexit limit, then add the things back into the basket after)! 

[Re-Bugged]

1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

 

So added to the eternal PJ basket of things I don't really need 

Cool 👍🏻, I know what you mean about ‘collecting’ stuff you don’t need along the way. I hoping that before long I’ll have enough bits in the spare’s bin to build a free car 🤣😂

Nice Beemer by the way, I’ve got the Scalextric version of it. 

[BuggyDad]

6 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

Nice Beemer by the way, I’ve got the Scalextric version of it. 

Cheers! 

I can't take any credit for it. I bought the shell off @Dirt-540

It's got some battle scars but some really solid repairs. It seems odd to build up a brand new quite hopped up chassis and completely hide it under a used shell and wheels, but I kind of like that. 

[OnTheTrail]

I had a set of tires on a TRX4 I wanted to remove.  Tried the acetone, heating (both in the oven and a dehydrator), boiling an none of those budged the glue.  Ended up having to use a heat guy VERY carefully while wearing a glove and with a lot of heating and tugging, eventually got them off the wheels.   With the amount of time I wasted trying all those methods, I should have just bought a new set of tires!   

[GermanTA03Guy]

On 2/8/2023 at 4:34 PM, BuggyDad said:

I think I will cut my way to minimising what's left and then have a think about the acetone fume method if that'll help to loosen the most stubborn bits. Bit of a hybrid

Dont do Acetone. Tamiya wheels are damaged by that. Works on associated etc. But not tamiya.... Cut or sand away it is for me.

[jonboy1]

I've found WD-40 to be quite good at breaking down super glue without attacking tyres. Spray it onto the join and leave it to soak in. Repeat as necessary.

[ad456]

2 hours ago, jonboy1 said:

I've found WD-40 to be quite good at breaking down super glue without attacking tyres. Spray it onto the join and leave it to soak in. Repeat as necessary.

I’m gonna have to try that!

[OnTheTrail]

On 2/20/2023 at 11:46 AM, ad456 said:

I’m gonna have to try that!

Just curious if this worked out for you.  

[ad456]

In short, no. 
My wheels that could be sacrificed are at the back of the shed and it’s an absolute tip. Tomorrow I may get time to tidy up so I may have found them by Sunday and I’ll try and remember and do it. I’ve got some various makes so I’ll try a few for mileage sake. 

[BuggyDad]

I'd pretty much given up on the idea of saving these wheels since I learned they're available cheaply from PJ. I haven't reordered but they're in the basket for when it grows into an order. But I might try the WD40 thing, in the name of reusing them rather than binning them. 

[ad456]

I’m interested as I got some clod tyres in a job lot years ago that have good rims but someone must have tried to cut them into crawler tyres (they did not do the most fantastic job) so they’ll be first to test.