TIP: removal of tyre mold lines

No matter how good the manufacturer (i.e Tamiya) there is always going to be the central mold seam on the tyres. Road tyres are the worst when what with all the tread to consider when trying to remove the seam.

I've tried a fresh scalpel blade, but I found that I could never get a clean enough cut, there is a threat of slipping and taking away a few blocks of tread and it usually takes ages.

I've tried sanding, but this is not that easy either as the seam is thin and flimsy and you end up taking more rubber off than required. You also don't cleanly remove it either.

Well, here's a solution I stumbled accross last night when working on the Aoshima Exclusive Matrasse wheel set. The 'tool' I used was a nail clipper. It was perfect! As the cutting edge is curved for your fingernail, it was ideal to clip around the circumference of the tyre. You can get in very close, as the rubber is fairly self healing. I managed to cleanly remove the seams off four tyres in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Hope this of help to you.

Nice tip...never thought about using them before

great tip i have been using it for ages just never thought to post it:D the clippers also work well for trimming the plastic away from pieces and for cutting off of the trees. my gf showed me when she was building a gundam

-GTi-VR6_A3

Hmmm. Interesting. I'll try that. :flash:

I've given the mold seam a coat of superglue to harden the rubber. After that it's very easy to sand off. I think this method works better on slicks (I usually coat the whole thread surface and then sand it to give it a used look) but it isn't impossible to use on normal tyres either.

-Mikko

I've given the mold seam a coat of superglue to harden the rubber. After that it's very easy to sand off. I think this method works better on slicks (I usually coat the whole thread surface and then sand it to give it a used look) but it isn't impossible to use on normal tyres either.

Mikko,

Would this not leave white residue all over the tyre?

Great tip! Thanks for sharing.
You should have posted this tip 24hrs earlier. I already spent ages trying to remove mold lines on 8 tires.
12 more to go... :p

12 more to go...

Well, now you can get them done in a matter of minutes

How do you guys remove the mold lines from the inside of the wheel?

How do you guys remove the mold lines from the inside of the wheel?

Why would you need to?:confused:

I haven't tried it, but I suppose you can turn the tyre inside out and adapt the method(s) above.

another thing that works well is cuticle scisors the cutting blades are only about 3-4 cm long, they are usually very sharp and they come in both straight and curved blade variety. I get mine from where my wife gets her beauty stuff.

Cool:cool: never thought of nail clippers before!

No dude you misunderstood. I said the wheels not the tyres. I bought some Fujimi Model 5's and the mold lines are shocking and because they are long spokes you can see the mold lines really badly through the wheel.

Thanks for the tip, realy saves alot of time and sandingpaper:flash:

I had a poor set of wheels with a bad seam that was hard to get rid of. I actually used little bit of lacquer thinner on a q-tip and rubbed it lightly over the seam. Be very careful if you try this because the lacquer thinner basically 'melts' the rubber. If you're careful, you can melt the seam away and a light 'scuff' with sandpaper seems to finish everything off.

Murray

Spooky exhaust smoke - that is the same technique I use on treaded tyres! As you say the curve of finger nail clippers perfectly matches the circumprence of a 1/24th tyre. Works a treat. :D

Would this not leave white residue all over the tyre?

I haven't had that problem. If you sand the tyre enough it'll only give it a used look. But if you're concerned about it then try it on a scrap tyre or on the inside seam. It really makes the seam removal easy.

-Mikko

It is always prudent to keep the molds absolutely clean and properly protected to maximize their usefulness, lifespan and keep them in the pink of condition efficiently. As far as removal of tyre bold lines is concerned, expert advice is highly recommendable before you make your move to do it.

wtf is this a bot account?