On 2/19/06, Timothy H. Collins <thcollin@mtu.edu> wrote:
> I am working on replacing a few spokes in wire wheels. I have a donor wheel
> from which I am "harvesting" spokes and nipples.
<snip>
Tim,
I don't know how experienced you are with wire wheel building
but in my experience one *NEVER* mixes used spokes from
two different wheels!!!
When a wheel is trued, balanced and then used on the road,
spokes stretch, altering the tensile strength by the unique
forces acting upon each spoke. If they are old, wheels it is
likely that the steel in the spokes is crystalized to some degree
with the crystalization again aligned with respect to the unique
forces applied to that spoke during its lifetime.
I've built dozens of motorcycle wheels. Admittedly, the safety
issue is greater for a bike, but the physics and metalurgy are
the same. You are risking a minimum of a bunch of broken
spokes and possibly a bad accident as a result.
My recommendation is to either by new wires, or at the very
least buy a *complete set* of new spokes then relace and true
your wheels with them. DON'T REUSE OLD SPOKES!
Contact Buchanan for new spokes:
http://www.buchananspokes.com/product.htm
(No affiliation - just a satisfied customer)
Cheers!!
Jim - disemboweled Midget in Dodge City
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