Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

[flyguy]

What the heck are those things made of?
DC

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Cast aluminum centers with a formed sheetmetal rim.

Mike

[M Towsley]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Mike,

I may not have understood the question or know the answer, but I thought the Shinn's were aluminum hub with a magnesium outer swaged to the aluminum inner???? (I told you ahead of time I probably don't know what I'm talking about). I'm just going by what I was told before.

[jCandlish]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Really? If the hub was cast onto the rim of simular material, what prevented rim separation on cooling? They look spin cast too me, but I'm just guessing.

Has anyone cut a bad one in half?

Regards
jCandlish
.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Mike,

I may not have understood the question or know the answer, but I thought the Shinn's were aluminum hub with a magnesium outer swaged to the aluminum inner???? (I told you ahead of time I probably don't know what I'm talking about). I'm just going by what I was told before.

You may be right, and after I typed it, I thought I had seen mag as well. Did you get your present yet?

Mike

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Really? If the hub was cast onto the rim of simular material, what prevented rim separation on cooling? They look spin cast too me, but I'm just guessing.

Has anyone cut a bad one in half?

Regards
jCandlish
.

The rim lip is rolled on.

Mike

[M Towsley]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Nothing yet, Mike. I will let you know when I do, though. Thanks!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

I don't know the material but I would SERIOUSLY doubt anyone would make brake parts from Magnesium. Hot brakes and Mag would make for some interesting fireworks.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Hank,

I had a small sliver of the outer rim material, (from a spare rim), that had separated, probably from a prior owner removing the bearings. I applied flame to that small sliver and it certainly acted like magnesium.

[Vasey fan]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

I don't know the material but I would SERIOUSLY doubt anyone would make brake parts from Magnesium. Hot brakes and Mag would make for some interesting fireworks.
Hank

I've seen some old Cleveland calipers that were magnesium, there's a cracked one around here somewhere - been saving it for firestarting purposes.

[paulnuss]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

It is hard for me to imagine that the hardest possible application of the Taylorcraft's Shinn mechanical brake system could produce enough friction to catch anything on fire.

[Chet Peek]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Tribe, this is legend or history, not technical advice. When I was writing the Taylorcraft book, I had numerous conversations with Byron Shinn. He was a delightful man; he, (and Ken Scholter), told me much about the interval when Taylor moved to Butler, PA and built the first Taylorcraft. He had his small wheel foundry there, a very simple affair. He said, "we just threw any kind of scrap aluminum we could find into the furnace, pots and pans, old car crankcases, etc." I believe he said they were sand castings. Certainly not rocket science.
Another story. When Firestone bought him out during the war, they ordered a whole carload of brake linings. But their engineers ordered the rivet hole countersinks on the wrong side, (thinking of auto applications) and the whole lot had to be scrapped.
I probably heard a hundred such stories when I researched the book, but didn't use them, thinking of lawsuits. Perhaps I should have.


Chet Peek


At any rate, not rocket science.

[flyguy]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Great story about the pots and pans Chet. After looking at them carefully I've come to the conclusion that the inner part is stamped and the outside is cast on both halves. I was thinking that the outside cast part looked a bit like pot metal so that rather tracks with the mixed metal raw materials.
I really have to get a copy of your book!
Darryl

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

Mixes of old pots and pans?!?!?! What is REALLY funny about that is when I was growing up we had a local race car guy who had some success (wish I could remember his name) with his hand built car. Years later the car was found (in a barn or something) and a local museum decided to restore it for display. Some of the suspension was busted and they were having a time figuring out what it was made of to make new castings (yea, he had CAST suspension parts!). They finally found someone from the era and he said a proprietary aluminum alloy called "Pistalloy" was used. You got it. They had a pile of old busted cases, blocks and pistons out back and they just dumped them all in the pot and melted them down for casting. The iron and steel would be left in the bottom of the pot and the aluminum (and God knows what else) would be melted and cast. They broke a LOT of parts! That stuff was really WEAK!
Thanks for bringing back a funny memory. There were LOTS of back yard charcoal foundries before WW-II and they made a LOT of lousy parts (and a few good ones too).
Quality control, what's that? This is my back yard, not Alcoa!
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Shinn, Firestone Wheel Material?

All of above is true, I have rough castings of Shinn wheels from back then ; they must have rejected them, voids & funny bits of metal show up in them.
Chet your check is in the mail, ah 2007 may be a better year.