Rim hole plugs?

[Pressureangle]

I had my rims powdercoated, and the hole plugs are...deteriorated. Has anyone found something that works? I'm a little stunned that I can't just jump on Amazon and find something at least close.

[docc]

I hate to be ignorant, but must ask: what are the "hole plugs?"

[po18guy]

Hollow spokes. Some plug the casting holes to exclude dirt and debris. 

[docc]

AH. I've never noticed that. Mine are all open.

[guzzler]

I also had no idea what this was about...

Thanks for the explanation and mine are open as well.

Cheers 

[docc]

Is it the holes in each spoke we're talking about? (Or the big holes in the front wheel's "hub" area?)

[leroysch]

1 hour ago, guzzler said:

I also had no idea what this was about...

Thanks for the explanation and mine are open as well.

Cheers 

I was afraid of what it might have been about....

[Pressureangle]

15 hours ago, docc said:

Is it the holes in each spoke we're talking about? (Or the big holes in the front wheel's "hub" area?)

All of mine were plugged; 6 front and 9 rear. The plugs are actually rubber, maybe I'll do some homework and see if I can reconstitute them chemically without destroying them.

Also; if Docc's wheels don't have seventeen pounds of road grime in them, they probably don't matter.

[p6x]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:39 AM, Pressureangle said:

I had my rims powdercoated, and the hole plugs are...deteriorated. Has anyone found something that works? I'm a little stunned that I can't just jump on Amazon and find something at least close.

Sorry, stupid question:

Shouldn't the plugs be removed and replaced by their own masking plug to prevent coating the inside?

[p6x]

On 4/23/2022 at 8:49 AM, Pressureangle said:

All of mine were plugged; 6 front and 9 rear. The plugs are actually rubber, maybe I'll do some homework and see if I can reconstitute them chemically without destroying them.

Also; if Docc's wheels don't have seventeen pounds of road grime in them, they probably don't matter.

You could use Dow-Corning self vulcanizing rubber? or other brands.

[Pressureangle]

2 hours ago, p6x said:

Sorry, stupid question:

Shouldn't the plugs be removed and replaced by their own masking plug to prevent coating the inside?

I would think that any coating that goes to the inside is a benefit as it will prevent any corrosion where it attaches. But it's unlikely that any significant amount of material is deposited inside the wheel.

[Pressureangle]

2 hours ago, p6x said:

You could use Dow-Corning self vulcanizing rubber? or other brands.

I'd hate to think of what it would look like if I did that.

[p6x]

9 minutes ago, Pressureangle said:

I'd hate to think of what it would look like if I did that.

Just to confirm; I used Dow Corning cold self vulcanizing compound extensively. This was used to ensure no water could penetrate the chassis of a battle tank through threads or anything if crossing rivers using snorkels.

You can pretty much shape it the way you want, and even paint it so it blends in with the rest.

It never goes so hard that you cannot remove it, and it is cheap. The one we used at the time was transparent, but I saw they make them in different colors now.

As I said, we used it every where a perfect seal was required, and I am quoting the 70's here.

[LowRyter]

The holes in my wheels are open, no plugs. 

[Pressureangle]

So the 6 plugs in the spokes of the rear wheel are snug and flush, yay. The other 9 not so much- so I looked online for rubber softening, and I've locked them away in a ziplock doused with silicone spray. We'll see what comes out in 3 days. 

I have little to work on until my throttle rod comes back. 
I'll also be exploring making a fender support, as the Sport fender is unsupported behind the forks and my paint is full of cracks.