Black tape lace trick

[Uncle Stretch]

This is just a quickie deal. If you dont know how to lace a wheel and don't really want to learn....although its pretty simple ....and you want to paint your rims. You get a roll of black electrical tape . Start where the air thing comes through the rim. Get close to rim. Start going around a spoke then to the next one and around it then keep going till they are all taped. then remove all the nipples and paint your rims . then just stick all the spokes ...taped back into the rim and replace the nipples. They will stay like they were. You can even look at where the nipples screwed to and get back there and they will be close to true. Here is a picture on one part way done. Dont tape across the hole in the rim and that way you will know where to start again when you put it back together...kinda cheating but it works

 

[kram]

Good idea! There is nothing worse than painting a rim with all the spokes in. I did it once and I'll never do it again. Lacing a wheel is not that hard and is easier than trying to sand and tape around all the spokes.

 

[stretch]

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Not a really big tip ,but I see people saying they are going to use the straw trick and this works really good. I did it a couple times before I broke down and learned how to spoke a wheel. Shoot now I take the spokes out just to clean the rims. I get tired of my dang fingers getting sore cleaning around all those pesky spokes.

 

[Rustinkerer]

You can also tape the spokes together where they cross each other, saves on tape! :mrgreen: ~Adam

 

[B607]

Okay Uncle Stretch, but what is your trick for not scratching your newly painted rim when you drag all those bare spoke threads over it?
Gary

 

[Uncle Stretch]

On 14 ga spokes they bend really easy and I have never scratched a rim....Try the 10 ga worksman spokes and its like trying to lace with pencils. I scratch everything in sight. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Oh I see with them all taped together...humm maybe use self etching primer ..them let them dry for a couple days and then tape the rims and then stick them all in there....maybe?

 

[stretch]

yeah let the paint fully cure..maybe even go to the local pizza shop and have them put it in the coolest oven for several hours?

 

[LIVE TO RIDE]

Being the big dummie that I am,would puttin them in a oven really harden the paint more? I mean rattle can.Ive been thinkin about that cause you put cars under heat lamps and you cook powder.But I wonder if it would make rattle can paint harder?

 

[Korporal]

Mods, can this be added to the how to sticky?