I have to agree with the use of JB weld. It is the right colour of black
(well, OK dark grey)
I have restored my original TR4A steering wheel using this product. It is
hard to sand down but the result is worth it. One piece of Bakelite adjacent
to the spokes had actually disappeared on my wheel and using JB weld I built
up the area without trauma.
Masking off the stainless steel spokes was a pain but with patience
perfectly possible.
A safety warning here! Be very careful when sanding Bakelite do not inhale
the dust it is deadly!
In the 60s I worked in a factory that produced machined products using
Bakelite. After 25 years I went to a works reunion. 90% of the guys I knew
were dead, the big C, I am glad to say I only worked there four years and
not on production of these products.
One tip that I found may be useful to anyone contemplating their own
restoartion is that I initially cut a vee on each crack on the wheel down as
far as the metal core using a craft knife. The vee was about 3/16" - 1/4"
wide. I mixed some Araldite expoxy resin glue and filled the cracks with
this first. I trimmed off the excess prior to final hardening. When fully
cured I finished with JB weld.
It may be a belts and braces (belts and suspenders) approach but I think
that the Araldite in the cracks first will prevent further cracks appearing.
Although on reflection JB weld may have been sufficient. The centre hub is
aluminium so needs an etch primer prior to colour, otherwise the colour coat
will not be stable and may flake off.
I sprayed the wheel using Acrylic enamel from a spray can available at the
local supermarket. I did three or four coats and rubbed down with 1200 grit
between coats. The finished wheel was outstanding even though I say it
myself. In retrospect if doing this again I would have applied more coats of
paint for durability.
After I had done all this I found out somewhere on the internet that the
original TR4 steering wheel was a painted as standard.
With specialist companies charging Mega Dollars to restore these steering
wheels I was quite pleased with the result after spending a lot less than 10
bucks!
Adrian
1966 TR4A CT64306 O
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