[CR]Re: martano washers, and now sewup corks (whaaat??)

Even better: I found some brass washers at the hardware store, probably #6 also, that fit perfectly. They won't rust and make it easier to turn the spoke nipples. They also conform to the shape of the rim and nipples better.

And here is a neat tip if you've never heard it for sewup wheels. Get some small corks (#0 or #1 depending on your rims). Real corks not rubber. Here is one source for them: http://mantoncork.com/index.htm. You may have to trim off the small end to get them to fit into the ferrules in your sewup rims. Tap them down in snugly. Take a razor blade and carve them off flush with the curved surface of the rim. Now when you glue your tires on you have a continuous smooth surface, plus you won't get glue in the ferrules, and as an added bonus, the corks load the nipples, preventing them from turning on their own and allowing the wheel to go out of true. You can still true the wheel of course. Tedious, but fun, and what else are you going to do with your time on the rainy days to come. When you have a flat and pull off the tire, the corks will come with it but you just have to pull them off and tap back into the rim.

Bob Freeman, a real corker Seattle
> I went to the hardware store with a MTB rim in hand last week looking
> for washers that would fit over the nipple shank and be small enough o/d
> to fit inside the drilling in the inner rim section. Long story, but
> often I wish to reinforce non-eyeletted MTB rims a little, or simply
> re-use spokes in a hub-rim combo that the spokes are a mm or so too long
> for.
>
> Anyway, standard plated steel washers, think they are #6, are the
> correct i/d, but are too large o/d..........but the exact same #6
> washers in stainless were much smaller o/d and fit perfectly ;-) I was a
> happy camper.
>
> Neill Currie
> Hillsborough, Nh.