Hey guys,

I may have mentioned before that I want to put wire spoke wheels on a
1/24 scale plastic model of a Morgan 3-Wheeler. The roll of wire
supplied in the kit is .0105" (which is in the 29 to 30 wire gage
range), quite soft, and is "probably" aluminum. It's kinda greasy and
is non-ferrous. It's also a real bitch to try to get the wrapping
kinks out and make it straight.

The instructions show that an 18" long cut length of this wire will
be "passed" from a point on one "side" to a point diametrically
opposite the start point (about .710"), passing alongside the hub (so
it's not actually "straight" from one side to the other), then make 90
degree turn, set over about 1/8" and another 90 degree bend to send it
back past the "other side" of the hub and to the start side again (one
"wrap" will therefore provide 4 spokes from hub to rim) and then
continue on until all 18 spokes are in place which will do the whole
"face" with one wire, then flip the assembly over and repeat on the
other side of the wheel.

This requires a very slight bend each time the wire passes the hub,
and two 90 degree bends to complete one pass and move over to the next
spoke, with a very sparing glue application. So, the softness is a
good idea for the bending, but hard to keep pulled "straight", and
even the slightest touch of the mounted wire causes it to bend and
look like **** and impossible to fix !!

Anyway, I thought maybe straight pins as used by tailors and
seamstresses might work, nice and stiff, cut to length from hub to rim
and applied individually, but they are .025" thick, which would work
out to be almost a 1/2" thick on the original wheels. So, I'm looking
first for the actual known diameter of the spokes of the prototype
wire wheels just in case that would be OK, but secondly for something
"stiff" and bright like a straight-pin, but closer to 10 or 12 thou
thick. Antibody got any ideas or suggestions???

Thanks.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX