[SML] : Antique wheelchair - need new rubber for tires

[Jon Ares]

On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 1:13 PM, Duncan Mahoney via Stagecraft
<stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> I had to do this very job last year.  McMaster-Carr had rubber O-ring stock
> in the diameter needed, and the proper cyanoacrylate to glue it together
> with.  I made a little jig to hold the ends of the rubber so the joints
> would line up.  The joints held through stretching the o-rings onto the
> wheel rims, and a few weeks of run.  We don’t own the chair so I can’t say
> anything about longer term performance

Thanks, Duncan.  Much appreciated. Very helpful.

Now that I've torn apart the offending wheel (and inspected the
others) I see that these were most likely the original rubber... this
wheelchair is an "institutional" type, most likely from the 30's thru
the 50's.  Would work great for shows like "Cuckoo's Nest."  2 years
ago, I painted it up for a 40's show, with a hammered bronze color,
and looks great - even "steampunk" like....  but the rubber is
crumbly. The original tires actually have a bit of 'shape' to them, as
they fitted on the rims, and a hint of tread, and no scarf joints -
just butt joints, and this is where they're failing. Upon removing the
crumbly rubber, there's a wire inside, and at the butt joints, the
wire was hooked together, but without any discernible gap at the butt
joint - not sure how they did it, but they did. Don't think I have
that skill myself, though....

-- 
Jon Ares
www.arescreative.com