Tyres, general

Hi Jan. Did you try a paint to cover the polystyrene ? To cover it with a lay of fabric must be a hard work. I see that you don't cover the underneath side ; am I right ? Friendly yours Richard

it's no use trying to paint it because I would not know which kind of paint would stick on this polystyren stuff. The gum glue (pritt and other similar glues) for household use sticks quite well though, is harmless, stainless and washable. It is not difficult to cover the pieces of polystyren with a fabric like that, although some complicated shapes may have to be cut out incidentally. Just some other picture examples I found, below. Kind regards Jan

Mr Moderator The above Post dated 12/04/2014 (4 December 2014) is incomplete. The two images or more plus my continued narrative is missing, which unfortunately makes the following Post from Jan in its current state irrelevant as he refers to both the images and my observations. Can you please locate the original Post on the old website and transfer the missing section to the above Post. Many thanks. Bruce (150) 5 January 2015 #741

Jan I should have made a comment in March last year when you posted the Meccano LIST OF TYRES FOR DINKY TOYS sheets, but neglected to do so. What a fabulous addition to our information on Dinky Toys and certainly puts to rest models that are shod with any other type of tyre such as the 150 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith with 14095 white engraved. However, I have a 'slight' problem with one of my American cars given to me for Christmas in 1959. The tyres are starting to crumble, with the first sign having been large cracks. This was no doubt caused by the temperature and humidity of where we live in Australia. In fact, the rear tyres have both fallen off with the front ones having the large gap hidden by the mudguard! I can easily replace these with tyres from a local dealer, but the thought has occurred, why not genuine tyres that came from Meccano? This is the conundrum facing me - I have an unopened pack of 14095 (white, engraved) tyres that I acquired a number of years ago. I have no idea what condition these tyres are currently in, and whether they also have succumbed to the climate in Australia. Do I throw caution to the wind and open the packet, and if they are satisfactory, re-shod my model with four of these, leaving the other eight to be used in the future on any others? I only have one packet of these, but I am sure other unopened packets can still be found - eventually! Here is the test for today for you and anyone else who would like to provide me with the benefit of their wisdom! Do I use the packet of Meccano white engraved tyres for the purpose for which they were made, or should I forget authenticity and just go for the modern day replacements? I welcome any and all comments! Kind regards Bruce (150) 7 February 2016 #760

Hi Bruce, this is an 'ethical problem'. My policy is that I will not remove bad tyres from an excellent to mint model unless I have found authentic replacements (see the example above). I have exactly the same sealed box with engraved white tyres but in unworn condition. I would never open that one. Yours seems to be in a slightly more worn condition, so, less 'scarce'. This may be a consideration to break the seal and use them. Still, the condition of the contents may be a surprise, they can very well have hardened too and break when you try to fit them (which is always the risk, the present quality of the rubber is always unpredictable). In that case you have broken the seal without the result desired. Therefore, you might also try to find such a box with original tyres, but opened and perhaps with incomplete contents. They are not hard to find. Of course these authentic tyres tend to be more expensive than cheap modern replacements, but I have no problem spending a few dollars/ euros/pounds on an original tyre for a fully authentic and sometimes expensive model. If your model is less than excellent, more or less play-worn, however, I would use modern replacements, not just to save your box's virginity, but also because these impeccable looking new tyres would seem a misfit on the visibly less impeccable model. It would be a pity if you were to give the original tyres from your box a worn appearance, That's a minor problem with modern replacements and you can even buy these in a less bright, discoloured shade of white. This is my view, which is personal, as in all 'ethical matters'. By the way, this reminds me of my intention to upload my factory lists to the website! Kind regards, Jan

The preceding message is yet another example whereby during the transfer process from the old website to the new, something happened that edited the above Post of mine. Unfortunately this occurred before I started making a copy of all the Posts I had submitted to the old Forum. Does anyone still have the email that was sent out to those subscribing to this Thread/Topic? If so, I would be grateful for a copy of that email that will allow me to finish off the discussion! It would be nice to see every Post that has been transferred in their original unedited state! The same goes for those who have noticed some of their posts are incomplete. I still have most of the messages delivered to me when a comment was posted although I do have large gaps where I forgot to save messages or had been busy with the 'delete' button! Kind regards Bruce (150) 7 February 2016 #761

Hi, A few years ago, I saw some replacement Dinky Toy tyres being sold by a company in London. The interesting point was that the seller claimed they were made in the original dies (tools) with original material. I had a look at the rest of their items and they seemed to be things such as walking stick tips, etc. Any ideas? Ron

Hi Ron, There are several people trading in Dinky Toys (and others) spares and I know that they swap parts between each other. The tyres are probably made by or for one of them and he supplies them to his colleagues.It is possible that the original dies are extant as the tyres were not made by Meccano but by yet unidentified supplier. In France they were made first near Paris and later in Britanny by 'Le Joint Franais' who may but unlikely still have the dies. The seller which you mention would have to name the manufacturer which I doubt very much that he would do. The other sellers such as Steve Flowers, Nigel Pearson and others would probably not do either. About the original material, during the 45 years life span of Dinky Toys there were certainly different types of rubber used so claiming the tyres were made of the original material is meaning less. Jacques.

Here's a tip for fitting or removing hardened rubber tyres, whether they are originals or not :- immerse them (or the model from which you wish to remove them) in hot (not boiling) water for a couple of minutes. This will soften the rubber enough to allow a 'stretch' over the rim. I have used this technique many times, with the loss of only one tyre which was already flattened and cracked. Kevin.

Kevin--That is likely a good tip to know. I had to very carefully pry off the front tires on an early post war Auto Union a few months ago, and it was not real easy to do, but I was successful. What is amazing to me, is how tires from different models vary as to how they age. Some get flat spots, others not at all. Some crack considerably, others none. Some just get rock hard, others still have some flexibility. Makes me think that the raw material or compounds were changed or adjusted over the years. Best regards, Terry

Thanks very much for this welcome and practical tip, Kevin. It will make future replacing of original, vintage tyres less tricky! Kind regards, Jan

Terry You are right in saying that the compound was variable, I've even had the original tyres on the same vehicle degenerate in different ways - a loudspeaker van where one rear tyre is perfect, the other has a pronounced flat spot, whilst both fronts have kept their shape but hardened considerably. Some others, notably the ribbed grey ones from the racing cars and some lorries, seem to behave in a similar way. Kevin.