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Not sure what the original was made from but
<div>I use MARINETEX for fixing, gluing etc. it is a 2 part epoxy ? Or similar it hardens well and sands easily.<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature">
<div dir="ltr">Regards,
<div>Richard C</div>
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<blockquote type="cite">On Apr 8, 2026, at 17:26, Michael Salter <michaelsalter@gmail.com> wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">
Many years ago, I repaired the large cracks in the original steering wheel of my Phase 1 BJ8 by grinding them out with a Dremel and filling the cracks with JB weld. After sanding and repainting with epoxy gloss black it looked great however, after a few years,
more cracks appeared at the interface of the JB Weld and the original plastic from which the rim was molded. Back then I replaced the original wheel with a shiny new Motolita wood-rim wheel, with which I was never completely happy, and all was good, sort of.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">
I am now faced with having to do the same type of repair on the original wheel from the BN2 which I am currently restoring.<span></span></p>
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Before starting with the JB Weld process again I thought I should do a little research to see if I could find a filler material which would form a stronger bond with the plastic rim material.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">
Gemini told me that the rim was made of Bakelite but I was not convinced. Bakelite is a “thermoset” plastic which, when heated, does not melt. A simple experiment quickly proved that the rim plastic was a thermo-plastic material because it easily melted and
could be deformed when heated and again unlike Bakelite it dissolved in acetone.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">
I have done some Googling and it seems that it’s very likely that the plastic used for molding the rims was Tenite™ cellulose acetate.
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Does anyone know for sure what the original steering wheel rims were made from?<span></span></p>
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