Casting DIY Skateboard Wheels Using a 3D-Printed Mold

[@bradluck6372]

This cat is innovative as heck. I enjoy the videos greatly and I sure hope to try some of his ideas when I finally figure out Blender!

[@cateyenebula]

Make a set and send it to the YT braille channel: "you make it we skate it". Then you'll have a definitive answer 😁

[@playteles123]

Man stumbling across this channel might be the highlight of my (youtube watching) year. Cant wait to go through all these videos and start some new 3D printer projects. Awesome work and thanks for sharing!

[@crowcyber2396]

This channel is gonna blow up👌🏼 keep it up!

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks homes! I'm gonna keep at it!

[@openSourceskateboards]

Great video! I saw some other viewers already mentioned the shore hardness scale and converting A to D. I've looked into making wheels a few times (haven't done it yet), and I like the look of Smooth-Cast 57D as a starting point for harder wheels (57D appx = 99A). It has a really short pot life, but does have a much lower viscosity and cures pretty fast, according to the specs. Great job with the mold design and fabrication. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing more!

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks dude! I'm definitely going to take a shot at some of the shore-d resins and see what happens

[@710Canuck]

dang, that looks pretty good.

[@SwardPlay]

Might consider checking out Smooth -on's KX Flex 90. Has shore hardness of 90A with a 2.5 minute pot life and a 20 min handling time along with a 24hr full cure.

[@qrstw]

Have you tried looking at bowling ball urethane?

[@GoodRoads]

I haven't, do you know what durometer they are? Seems like they'd be pretty hard

[@qrstw]

They have different hardnesses for different layers.

[@chrisjames7449]

It looks so cool

[@SethJ-2525]

Congrats on 1k! You are going to go far!

[@dannyallyn223]

This is awesome. I am thoroughly impressed good sir! I'm new here but I do a lot of 3D printing for work and one of the things we do to make our parts strong when the geometry can't really change, is to fill the parts with an epoxy, or polyester resin. You effectively get strength better than 100% infill without having to change the geometry. you just have to make sure your infill pattern isn't celled (like rectilinear). Hope this helps!! really looking forward to the follow up on this video 🤙🏼

[@GoodRoads]

The updated version of these molds are in testing now. Along with a ton of updates to speed up the prints and reduce material costs I just swapped out the printed threads with a bolt.

[@dannyallyn223]

@@GoodRoads nice!! That also works😂

[@GoodRoads]

The resin infill is a really cool technique though, I considered trying that with some of my printed skateboard molds. Those are really large prints though, so it's cost prohibitive

[@dannyallyn223]

@@GoodRoads I hear that for sure. For larger prints using a polyester resin still does a lot but doesn’t cost nearly as much.... also total boat thickset comes in large quantities for relatively cheap.... it’s still expensive tho😂

[@codymott223]

an idea for the part that keeps breaking. carriage bolt and wing nut. carriage bolt goes up through the bottom and wing nut locks the top piece in place. just and idea. hope it helps. also, if you end up getting harder urethane and still want to make some soft wheels (like for long boards), use the harder urethane to make the cores. Idk how long your your 3D printed cores are going to last. but either way. Great videos. You are living the dream man. And I'm so stoked for that next video in the snowboard build series.

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks dude. The next version of the wheels mold has a nut and bolt integrated into it. And yeah, I share your worries about how good a 3d printed core could really be, casting them would definitely be an option for making them out of a higher quality material

[@H4RDc0R3N0iZ3]

The video quality on this vid is top notch! You'll reach 10K one day . Greetings from holland. Keep on skating and stay safe 😁

[@kelho46]

Another perfect example of what 3D printers allow… you don’t have to pay 6000€ for an injection mold just to try an idea, great work 👏👏👏 About the broken pieces, I would suggest making a full enclosed 3 piece mold with two entrances in one of the side pieces and fill it with vacuum.

[@tigranohanyan3321]

Hi Chris. Smooth-On PMC-790 Urethane requires Post Curing, quote - "After rubber has cured at room temperature, heating the rubber to 150°F (65°C) for 4 to 8 hours will increase physical properties and performance." Have you tried that too? Some industrial grade urethane can be heated to 240F for 40 minutes. Its cool to play with post curing. It should increase a wheel life span.

[@GoodRoads]

Aaaah! Interesting. I have a whole suite of urethane experiments I'm hoping to get to and it looks like heat treating just made it on the list. Thanks dude!

[@aydengianes2515]

I wonder if you can make split color wheels

[@HoldtSteen]

Well done man! For resin suggestions have you looked in to shore hardness D instead of A? A100 would be around D60. Also I don't think it matters if it is called polyurethane rubber or just resin. I think the 'rubber' is just because it is on the soft side and not any specific property intrinsic to the term. Polytek have some resins like "Poly 81-90" that you might find interesting. Smooth on has the "Task 21", but these suggestions are just my first glance.

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks for the recommendations both on the shore-d scale and on Polyek! I'll get digging!

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

What he said. Shore A and D scales overlap - look at lower D numbers.

[@1337ddd]

yeah buddy! looks like a pro wheel nice work chris!

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks! I'm super excited about it!

[@F1fanatic21]

I'm looking at making rubber grips for my steering wheel and this video was pretty helpful, thanks!

[@jeffgoggin1394]

Any luck on the harder urathane?

[@joshww5110]

I skate 90a wheels that have no cores?

[@GoodRoads]

Hm. Maybe we could make that work then! A harder duro would mean a more rigid bearing seat, but any core-less mold I come up would work the same for 90a as it would for 100a. It's worth a shot!

[@ironwolf6002]

You are crazy underrated bro!! Keep up the unique and good quality videos

[@LongboardTechnology]

This is a wheely good video.

[@Aross846]

My man 3D printing everything lol

[@WisdomFillod-gi7ck]

Hy chris am looking for 3d wheels molds all size how can i find it please help me

[@putraarynugraha8264]

What brand or type of the color pigmen?

[@jameslowe2979]

Top job! Enjoyed that!

[@Mel0w_animation]

The result looks great

Para patins online fiz 8 ensaios com pmc-790 mas achei pouco resistente. Chegou a testar a dureza nas rodas que você fez? Como não tinha nenhum núcleo para colocar, não tive como testar muito. Com meu peso e ao aquecer, os rolamentos ficaram soltos dentro dos alojamentos deles. Pouco consegui testar.

[@GoodRoads]

I didn't test the hardness of this wheel, but I've had a lot of problems with PMC 790. For my most recent tests I used Specialty Resin's Flex-it 90 and I like it much better. specialtyresin.com/product/flex-it-90/

@@GoodRoads What problems did you have with the PMC-790? This link that passed, does not open here. To help, I'm in Brazil and many manufacturers do not ship or the shipping cost is too expensive.

[@GoodRoads]

It takes a long time to cure, it pours very slowly, and I've had a lot of failures using it. I've been trying to find better materials to use. I don't know what suppliers ship to Brazil, but I hope you find something. Good luck dude!

@@GoodRoads So there were the same problems that I had here. I got this material from a company that imports and had surplus, as a customer who canceled the order. In my research I found the Xencast PX90 which on the website they indicate the material for making wheels for skateboards. I believe that you can acquire in the country where you live.

[@GoodRoads]

Great find! Thanks for the tip!

[@munecorompecabezas5044]

Where can I buy one

[@TheJ1991]

Take a look at Forsch polyurethane. They're used a lot in making suspension bushings for vehicles.

[@GoodRoads]

Thank you!!! I'm always excited to learn about a new urethane manufacturer!

[@timbeeston5820]

You could add a metal bolt in your top piece thats print modled in, that way you would get a metal thread and bolt point, the only way I have ever beating the 3d printed thread to torque breakage is by printing the bolt laying down on the print bed .

[@GoodRoads]

Yeah, the updated version is going to have a nut and bolt integrated into it

[@NullBlox]

Your reaction is HYPE and so is the channel!

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks homes! Glad you like it! And I definitely want to send a setup to Braille buuuuut I want to learn to make trucks first >:-)

[@daniel_hawryschuk]

I think the urethane might be getting in the threaded part of the mold. If you end up redesigning the mold, i would try to make the center of the bottom part go further up, and have the top slide over top of it like a bracelet before screwing on. Sorry for grammar.

[@GoodRoads]

It actually broke when I was assembling the mold, so it wasn't because the threads got flooded. The sleeve idea would be a good approach for sure!

[@martinem78]

@@GoodRoads What if you made the threads a dowel... then just mechanically clamp the pieces together while they cure?

[@frankcastle3827]

Try mixing hardener That's used for bondo

[@TheStuartstardust]

Embed at standard threaded bolt in the mold - is that possible? And maybe a nut on the other end of thread if that end is not at least 2 times longer than the thread with. Else hybrid system - a machined inner par - and 3d outer / end part for various outside profiles. 🤔🤓 Cool vid!

[@GoodRoads]

Yep! V2 has a bolt going through the center, it's working out pretty well so far in testing.

[@TheStuartstardust]

@@GoodRoads cool - great work on the mold system, very impressed! 💪👌 If the resin is too thick, some heat might make it flow better 🤔

[@raistnox]

you could leave the central axis of the mold hollow and just bolt them together... threads cant break off if they aren't there

[@GoodRoads]

The newest version of this system does exactly that

[@raistnox]

@@GoodRoads just found your channel, haven't caught up on all your content yet lol. subbed though, like what im seeing.

[@YeahThatPerson]

freaking epic bro!! great work! can't wait to see what you do in the future!

[@FIL0OZ]

hey bro, why don’t you have them cnc after you make the mold or just ask someone to make the mold with metel?

[@GoodRoads]

Cost is the biggest reason. Both the cost of having the molds made in the first place and the cost of updating and iterating on designs. 3D-printing the molds means I can make them at home, on a machine I already have and understand how to use, for probably less that $3 worth of material. And any time I want to update or change my designs all I have to do is print out a new mold. If I ever get a wheel shape that I'm absolutely in love with, and I want to make a huge batch of them, that would be the time for me to get molds machined out of metal.

[@FIL0OZ]

@@GoodRoads make senses. keep it up bro

[@hellospam879879]

@@GoodRoads Maybe find a guy at the metal shop who is a skateboards? Time to team up?

[@hamdyahmed5058]

How many bar in the bottle?

[@GoodRoads]

It's 45-50psi so about 3-3.5 bar

[@bumstudios8817]

Saw another channel he cast the wheel with a silicone mold first maybe that will help instead of 3D printed mold and core. I’ll look around for urethane

[@ottobeatzmusic]

Ohhh Mannn I love u! jaja keep up creating and sharing !!

[@guido69x]

You just need to put your front foot a bit more backwards so you have more space to drag it up,align your shoulders with the board and dont look down,that prevents you to go higher! Good job with the cast,looking forward for more ;)

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks dude. Coming from mountainboarding and longboarding a standard skateboard stance just feels so narrow. Maybe I should build myself a bigger deck...

[@speedydave2155]

woah ur vids are so cool

[@antonwinter630]

thats fantastic. weird that you still got a bubble with the pressure pot

[@GoodRoads]

That was just because I didn't put enough urethane in the mold, more of a void than a bubble

[@jakeguaitarilla3527]

Can you give the link for the mold design

[@GoodRoads]

I'm refining them right now so they don't break and they're easier to use. As soon as the new version is finished and tested I'll release the files so stay tuned

[@munecorompecabezas5044]

Thanks for show this nice video

[@My2Drumsticks]

Doesn’t smooth on make a pot life extender?

[@followMii-Ng]

I'm in Boston and Smooth-on is just down the road from me, I've been working with them to get different materials for over 5yrs, they are great to work with, and have extremely knowledgeable staff. I believe they have thinners, and pot-life extender for most of their products. Dm me if you want to talk more.

[@Fluchii20]

It would be great if you made a fingerboard version!

[@johnpadams8079]

Have the mould machined out of aluminum! The 3D print proved it worked but because 3D printing is done in layers, the layers splinter under the torque as you twist it apart.

[@hellospam879879]

I wonder if he could use the 3D -printed part pressed into sand (then removed) and then pour molten aluminum into cavity made when the printed part is removed. We did something like that in shop class.

[@luvinfunvan]

Dude this is pretty freakin cool. Nice work! I'd be keen to design a wheel for LDP, big diameter, lightweight, efficient and smooth ride...

[@GoodRoads]

The second version of this mold is finished and I'm going to be releasing it open source in the coming weeks. You could definitely take the working file and design a wheel with a big, light core and a wide contact patch. Square lips too for pumping right? To get that grip?

[@luvinfunvan]

@@GoodRoads Square lip is generally preferred yes. Though one can pump most wheel shapes. Thats exactly what I'm thinking, we have the venerable Seismic Speedvent 85mm which is nice. Beyond that most larger wheels are geared towards the eboard market, which sucks. They don't prioritize weight and efficiency which is key for human powered boards.

[@GoodRoads]

Love me some seismic wheels, I haven't ridden any of their bigger offerings but their urethane is so good. Maybe I should do LDP build, pumping is really fun I just don't know if I have any good spots to do it in the area

[@luvinfunvan]

Defcon urethane is the best I’ve ridden, Otangs Happythane is pretty good too in their softer durometers. My LDP rigs are all hybrids plenty of pushing and where it makes sense pumping. We have one long very slight downhill maybe 1% grade bike path here and it is ridiculously good fun to pump that run the entire way. It’s like snowboarding but you get to do it right out your front door.

[@elan2jaybroah744]

hey man, saw your post on facebook but cant find it again,lol. looks great, deffo subbed. i know with epoxy if you heat it a little it can change the viscosity to make it pour better. also for your mold. have you considered using a bolt or something you could design into the mold, if that is your weak point. anyways good stuff man

[@GoodRoads]

Thanks! I' definitely incorporating a bolt in the next design and I'll have to try the heat thing

[@b5a5m5]

@@GoodRoads Careful with the heat thing. I believe that will shorten the pot life (increases speed of the reaction.) Also, as far as finding something with a shorter cure period, you may want to be careful here too! Shorter curing period probably means higher heat generation in a shorter amount of time. This could wreck your mold!

[@jackwatson7323]

Your ollies would improve much faster on a board with some camber to it. Great video but why did you pressurize the mold?

[@GoodRoads]

The urethane kinda foams up when it cures in open air, curing it under pressure reduces/eliminates bubbles

[@kenmastersmaster]

How much? Labeda makes wheels for yak at like 50 cents each

[@danielmanzo6964]

Great content, keep it up!

[@1dunnj]

you may want to ask some more professionals about using a pressure pot with flexible rubber or foam urethane. the pot works by compressing air bubbles so that they are tiny and trapped, but those collapsed microscopic bubbles are still under pressure. The less rigid rubber or foam urethane may allow the bubbles to expand and distort or damage your part when returned to atmospheric pressure. I think this what happened with your pigment tests (the fabric dyes contain moisture which foams the urethane and you pressureized the pieces which why they exploded when taken out). You may do better with a vacuum pot which will evacuate the air bubbles and free up your pressure pot for other projects. get a long pot life resin, vac the cup, pour 70% full (because it will foam and overflow), vac the mold to get surface bubbles out, top off the mold, let it cure in atmosphere.

[@NullBlox]

Send some to Braille Skateboards!

[@mountainsmedia9529]

Hats off to you sir as per norm 🤜🤛

[@jamesedwards7432]

did you end up abandoning the snowboard project?

[@GoodRoads]

No! Not at all, but I had a couple setbacks with tooling earlier in the year and it got to the point where even if I finished it I wouldn't have anywhere to ride it. So I put it on the back burner while I worked on more warm weather projects. Now that winter is on it's way again I'm going to pick it back up soon

[@kokohanu8778]

Why did you put it in a pressure vessel? Does it matter? It is not normal if I did not use it and let the wheels dry in 48 hours

[@kokohanu8778]

and someone plz answer me

[@GoodRoads]

The pressure pot crushes any bubbles in the resin down to nothing so that when it cures you have a wheel that is solid urethane all the way through with no gaps or bubbles in it. If you made a set of wheels without pressure or vacuum degassing, first of all: that's rad. Second of all: there's a chance that there are voids or bubbles in them that would be weak spots. I would just ride them really carefully in case they fail or blow out. Don't bomb any hills, don't drop any stairs, or anything, just be safe. I'm working on an inexpensive way to degas the urethane but I haven't quite figured it out yet. I hope to be able to share it soon

[@kokohanu8778]

can i use epoxy 150 3d to make the wheels??

[@kokohanu8778]

@@GoodRoads can i use epoxy 150 3d to make wheels???

[@kokohanu8778]

@@GoodRoads I am from Egypt and happy to watch your videos, and if you please, is there a way to communicate with you so that I can ask about the wheel industry?

[@prestinemichael]

Hey man may you can help me to make my own skateboard at home

[@patrickthenomad]

I've heard the best wheels are poured hot

[@GoodRoads]

We've still got to get the basics nailed down for DIY wheels, but a hot pour / cure would have the advantages of a more even mix of the resin and a faster cure time. That alone is a good set of reasons to pursue using heat as part of the process, the fact that it might also improve the qualities of the rubber means that we've _got_ to take a look at it at some point.

[@peteraagaardcarstensen400]

Your problem with the thread on the mold might be solved by changing the print direction of the part... I'm guessing that you printed it so the the layers are horizontal with the thread which makes it to the lateral pull that accures when you tighten it... Try turning the part 90 degrees i think that'll do the trick ✌️

[@mewserino]

Since the threaded insert keeps breaking, maybe design it around a big ass metal bolt? Takes away the charm of having it fully 3D printed, but wouldn't have to worry about the threads anymore.

[@GoodRoads]

The next version is going to have a bolt through it for sure

[@newrenaissance]

congratulations! its a wheel!

[@GoodRoads]

Hahaha! Up next: man make fire.

[@SkateTube]

It would be way more impressive by more primitive method, by using silicon rubber liquid to make the mold in propper way, as well as making liquid itself from natural resources. That's one step, besides the fact that amines in urethane consist methylamines or meth xD nobody even talks how advanced is pressure pot with pressure gauges, so another starting point, would be pressure pot that does not need gauges and had DIY pump.

[@prestinemichael]

Please i need your help

[@mahderzergaw3918]

u r amazingly smart

[@tommysisk9055]

Do a how to make grip tape pls

[@GoodRoads]

I wouldn't even know where to start. I've seen people do home made grip by embedding coarse sand in a polyurethane or resin finish coat though

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Nice :)

[@crackin2000]

You should contact someone who makes wheels in the UStell them your making hand made artisans Wheels I bet they would hook you up Someone like nhs santacruze or shortys

[@GoodRoads]

For urethane you mean? That's an interesting idea

[@chibibotto]

Me: hmm can't seem to find good offset wheels, I wonder if i can cast my own freestyle wheels, finds this video, yupp seem like it will work.

[@VimleshKumar-th1vr]

Kya kya bolate Hain