Rivet holes in the Steering Wheel

[TomoHawk]

The wooden-rimmed steering wheels have rivets around the ring, but not all have the rivets flush with the surface of the wood.  It looks nicer with the holes filled with the rivet, but what if it's not filled (with a brass rivet?)

I suppose you can fill the depression with epoxy and then sand & paint it to look like brass, but what else is there that looks right?  There is a brass epoxy called Devcon brass epoxy, but it is very expensive.  You can also get brass-coloured modeling clay, but will it hold its shape when dry & not crack?

Can you get small bits of brass like a rivet head to glue in the hole, if you drill out to the right size?

Edited April 2, 2016 by TomoHawk

[Captain Obvious]

Have you got a pic of what you're talking about? This isn't a stock Z wheel, right?

[TomoHawk]

The original steering wheel was gone 15 years ago.  It was crumbling apart, and the PO had it wrapped in a faux leather wrap.

  Here are a couple photos of the front and back of the wood steering wheel.  I think you could agree that it would look better if the holes weren't so deep- at least the ones on the back.  The rivets are fine from the mechanical and manufacturing point-of-view, but not so from an aesthetic one.  what can be done? 

From the Front and Back:

        

Edited May 5, 2016 by TomoHawk

[psdenno]

Fill the rivet holes with wood putty and stain the wheel a uniform color?  Or, pop for a new steering wheel  if it bothers you a great deal.  A good looking and feeling steering wheel is a key part of any car and driving experience.

Dennis

[TomoHawk]

I agree.  I looked at some old steering wheels on eBay, and aside from the $2,000 - $16,000 cost, they looked nice and gave me some ideas:

For the front, I would polish what is showing and put a drop of epoxy on the rivet in such a way as to make it look or feel like a raised head of a rivet.

For the back, I would like to fill the hole with a brass rod  or a brass screw glued in, and grind, shape and polish it to look nice & smooth.  Maybe I can even countersink it into the wood. I will see what the hardware store has for brass fasteners with 5-10mm diameters. Apparently, they just used brass rod for the rivets and hammered them down to make the mushroom heads, then smooth the heads with filing or sanding.

Other than that, it should not be stained, but left natural, and the only coloring it will get is from your hands or the Tung oil finish.  Sorry, I lost my great-great-great grandfather's recipe for the special varnish that he got from  some guy named Stradivarius.
 

Edited May 5, 2016 by TomoHawk

[TomoHawk]

What if you drilled out the cheap rivets used to make the wheel and replaced it with screws like this:

Edited May 5, 2016 by TomoHawk

[26th-Z]

I'm having a hard time comparing what you are discussing with a $2,000 steering wheel on eBay.  The steering wheel you picture is a buck meant to be covered.  The joints in the wood are dangerous and the rivets are even worse.  Great way to keep yourself safe in an accident, eh?  No!  It doesn't look cool.  It looks dangerous.  Steering wheels on eBay are $400 or less.  Buy another steering wheel.  Yours is worn out.

[TomoHawk]

I disagree on all those points.  The wheel is almost new, is not meant to be covered with anything, and only needs to be dressed.  The expensive stuff you see on eBay is vintage stuff from an old sportscar, inappropriate for my use, or some artisan trying to get rich making replicas.

 

Edited May 5, 2016 by TomoHawk

[jwtaylor]

Knife makers use a 2 part screw together rivet to hold the scales on the knife handle.  You may want to check them out.  I've seen them in brass and silver metal.  Check out these:  http://usaknifemaker.com/knife-handle-parts/handle-hardware/corbys-rivets-loveless-others.html

 

Edited May 5, 2016 by jwtaylor

[TomoHawk]

They use Corby rivets and tubular ones.  I saw a video of a guy riveting to strips of wood together using just some brass rod.  It's odd to see the chainring bolts there, which are commonly used on bicycles, but still very useful

If I had enough time ( if I had thought of this last Christmas) I would probably have enough time to drill out the rivets and put in something better, but I'd like to finish working on the thing and enjoy the out-of-doors.

As for the finger joints of my wood steering wheel, they are strong joints, and were used on steering wheels since the earliest days of the automobile- even without the metal frame.

Edited May 5, 2016 by TomoHawk