Rusty nasty wheels

Ok, one more place to spend a few bucks. Look at this rim, it looks like the surface of Mars even after trying to clean it up. To be precise it looks like it may be useful but the problem is this - the surface is so rough that I'm afraid that when I will try to get a new tyre on it, it'll take more force and pressure than the tyre can take to get to slip on it's place. And that is a bad deal - the rear tyre costs more than three times what a new rim would. So, it makes no sense to risk the rubber in trying to avoid purchasing new parts.

But the center bore seems fine. Of course all the moving parts need to be changed, or it makes sense to change them, especially the bearings. I do not know the history of the blank I'm working with - for all I know someone may have ridden hundred thousand miles with the bearings in there so now that it is in parts anyway there is no excuse for not changing the parts susceptible to wear.

But who cares about that. What is interesting is that now I can blast the center piece and paint it in what ever colour I wish to. Yeah, that is right - there is no law saying this little bugger needs to be black if I don't want it to be black. Who knows what it'll turn into, this one here:

Also I wanted to mention the fact that I had no idea how to get the plastic and rubber seal of the axle tunnel away. The bottom picture has the actual axle tunnel and the disposable bearings and seals on the table and the remaining central piece. The upper picture represents the installation my invaluable friend used to actually do the job. The seal can be fitted in place by freezing it over when it shrinks and then using a suitable sized socket as a punch. So, to reverse this some considerable amount of brute force is needed - and it needs to be applied from the opposing side. Using a hammer and a steel rod ( on the table behind the part ) it can be banged out. Put the rod in through the opposing side, find the small shoulder of the seal inside, on the side facing the table, and hit. Remember to hit from all the sides because the seal comes the easiest off when kept in level position. It really needs to be hit hard, so don't be shy, but be sure you know what you are hitting.