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Removing wheel inserts can be tricky. From what I hear even with the best methods it is common to damage them in the process of extraction. That got me thinking about another way to do the job.
I just removed four wheel inserts chilling them with MG Chemicals brand 'Super Cold' refrigerant (HFC 134a) before pressing them out of the wheel with an axle. Only a few seconds of spray were needed to break them loose and make them easy to remove.
Like it says on the can, the refrigerant spray chills to -51 degrees Celsius (-60 degrees Fahrenheit ) . That causes both the plastic and the aluminum to shrink due to thermal contraction. But plastic typically shrinks in the cold 10 times farther than aluminum, so the plastic inserts should come loose.
I see some evidence of an adhesive on the back of the wheel inserts I just removed. So it is possible those inserts were glued in place rather that pressed in. If that is the case chilling the adhesive may have made it brittle, and the differential shrinkage broke it. Different mechanism, same result.
Glued in, pressed in, maybe a bit of both. Whatever. My experiment with chilling the inserts shows once cold the inserts can be easily pressed out without damage. At least the inserts I experimented on, which were from Revoslot cars.
Don't stop reading now -- I need to warn you about that Super Cold spray...
That stuff is cold enough to give you INSTANT FROSTBITE. Dermatologists use it to remove skin tumors. A couple seconds of spray will KILL a patch of skin. BE REALLY, REALLY CAREFUL WITH THIS STUFF! Most especially DON'T SPRAY IT IN YOUR EYES! WEAR EYE PROTECTION!
I should also mention this stuff ain't cheap. A 14-ounce can (0.414 liters) costs about US$23. But it only takes three or four seconds of spray to loosen a wheel insert.
Please understand that I have only experimented with this refrigerant on one brand of slotcar wheel inserts. Your experience may dang well vary. It would be very useful to have some independent reporting using this technique on other inserts and by other people. Until we have some confirmation of my results don't assume this is a proven technique.Attached Files
I just removed four wheel inserts chilling them with MG Chemicals brand 'Super Cold' refrigerant (HFC 134a) before pressing them out of the wheel with an axle. Only a few seconds of spray were needed to break them loose and make them easy to remove.
Like it says on the can, the refrigerant spray chills to -51 degrees Celsius (-60 degrees Fahrenheit ) . That causes both the plastic and the aluminum to shrink due to thermal contraction. But plastic typically shrinks in the cold 10 times farther than aluminum, so the plastic inserts should come loose.
I see some evidence of an adhesive on the back of the wheel inserts I just removed. So it is possible those inserts were glued in place rather that pressed in. If that is the case chilling the adhesive may have made it brittle, and the differential shrinkage broke it. Different mechanism, same result.
Glued in, pressed in, maybe a bit of both. Whatever. My experiment with chilling the inserts shows once cold the inserts can be easily pressed out without damage. At least the inserts I experimented on, which were from Revoslot cars.
Don't stop reading now -- I need to warn you about that Super Cold spray...
That stuff is cold enough to give you INSTANT FROSTBITE. Dermatologists use it to remove skin tumors. A couple seconds of spray will KILL a patch of skin. BE REALLY, REALLY CAREFUL WITH THIS STUFF! Most especially DON'T SPRAY IT IN YOUR EYES! WEAR EYE PROTECTION!
I should also mention this stuff ain't cheap. A 14-ounce can (0.414 liters) costs about US$23. But it only takes three or four seconds of spray to loosen a wheel insert.
Please understand that I have only experimented with this refrigerant on one brand of slotcar wheel inserts. Your experience may dang well vary. It would be very useful to have some independent reporting using this technique on other inserts and by other people. Until we have some confirmation of my results don't assume this is a proven technique.Attached Files
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