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I am getting really flipping annoyed at the all-too-frequent failures of set screws and hex drivers for same. It is not unusual to have the threads strip out in aluminum wheels or the socket of a set screw strip the first or second time out.
My most recent failures have been with Super Wheels SW1710S set-screw wheels. Their set screws have an M2 thread and are only 3 millimeters long. Very tiny. But it isn't just Super Wheels. I have had issues with several different brands of wheels. Super frustrating when you can't get a wheel off because the socket is stripped, or can't get a wheel tight because the threads are stripped.
And it is not because I'm being a gorilla on these things. I have a Slot.It PA72 M2 torque-limited driver, purchased from SlotCarCorner.com. It doesn't prevent stripped threads or sockets. (By the way, it is supposed to be torque-adjustable. It is also supposed to take replacement tool-tips. Damned if I can figure out how to do either. No instructions came with the tool.) I also have Wiha hex drivers, and a Quick Slicks driver. The set screws that come with wheels often won't engage with one driver but might with another. Or the other way around. I can't tell in advance which will work, or if any will.
The Quick Slicks driver has some promise. The tool-shaft is very long and held in a pin-vise. It can be reversed to provide a fresh tip, or cut with a Dremel tool cutoff wheel to do the same. It is nice that it has no shoulder on the tool to interfere with anything.
I have bought M2 x 6mm set screws -- twice as long as the 3mm screws the wheels come with. They happen to fit the hubless Super Wheels. But dang if those don't seem to work any better.
I have been experimenting with drilling out and re-threading the set-screw holes on wheels. I have done that for M3 x 6mm set screws, replacing the comes-with M2 x 3mm screws. Kinda brutal but I've had some success. It is the best solution I have found so far. I had to print special fixtures to hold the wheels aligned for the drilling and tapping operations.
I've also purchased some -- very expensive -- M3 Torx socket set screws and the Slot.It torque-limiting driver for same. Those came from LEB Hobbies. I haven't played with them yet. Might cure the stripped sockets, dunno about the stripped threads. Of course I'll have to drill out and re-thread the wheels because M3 set screws are too large for any 1/32nd slotcar wheel I know of.
I have also purchased a drill and tap for M2.5 set screws. Something else to 'speriment with. Not quite so radical as the M3 screws.
On a recent custom-car build I just gave up and superglued the wheels on. How to get them off again? Not sure. My best idea right now is to cut the axle in half, salvage the gear but replace everything else. Yes I am that desperate.
But I probably could make a wheel-puller tool. Could be the ultimate solution -- use superglue or Loctite and get rid of set screws entirely. Maybe not the dumbest idea I've ever had.
My most recent failures have been with Super Wheels SW1710S set-screw wheels. Their set screws have an M2 thread and are only 3 millimeters long. Very tiny. But it isn't just Super Wheels. I have had issues with several different brands of wheels. Super frustrating when you can't get a wheel off because the socket is stripped, or can't get a wheel tight because the threads are stripped.
And it is not because I'm being a gorilla on these things. I have a Slot.It PA72 M2 torque-limited driver, purchased from SlotCarCorner.com. It doesn't prevent stripped threads or sockets. (By the way, it is supposed to be torque-adjustable. It is also supposed to take replacement tool-tips. Damned if I can figure out how to do either. No instructions came with the tool.) I also have Wiha hex drivers, and a Quick Slicks driver. The set screws that come with wheels often won't engage with one driver but might with another. Or the other way around. I can't tell in advance which will work, or if any will.
The Quick Slicks driver has some promise. The tool-shaft is very long and held in a pin-vise. It can be reversed to provide a fresh tip, or cut with a Dremel tool cutoff wheel to do the same. It is nice that it has no shoulder on the tool to interfere with anything.
I have bought M2 x 6mm set screws -- twice as long as the 3mm screws the wheels come with. They happen to fit the hubless Super Wheels. But dang if those don't seem to work any better.
I have been experimenting with drilling out and re-threading the set-screw holes on wheels. I have done that for M3 x 6mm set screws, replacing the comes-with M2 x 3mm screws. Kinda brutal but I've had some success. It is the best solution I have found so far. I had to print special fixtures to hold the wheels aligned for the drilling and tapping operations.
I've also purchased some -- very expensive -- M3 Torx socket set screws and the Slot.It torque-limiting driver for same. Those came from LEB Hobbies. I haven't played with them yet. Might cure the stripped sockets, dunno about the stripped threads. Of course I'll have to drill out and re-thread the wheels because M3 set screws are too large for any 1/32nd slotcar wheel I know of.
I have also purchased a drill and tap for M2.5 set screws. Something else to 'speriment with. Not quite so radical as the M3 screws.
On a recent custom-car build I just gave up and superglued the wheels on. How to get them off again? Not sure. My best idea right now is to cut the axle in half, salvage the gear but replace everything else. Yes I am that desperate.
But I probably could make a wheel-puller tool. Could be the ultimate solution -- use superglue or Loctite and get rid of set screws entirely. Maybe not the dumbest idea I've ever had.
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