Odin's Toy Factory

2020-02-23

Rounding and Painting Axel Ends For Handmade Toy Cars and Trucke

Axel Drying Rack Handmade Wooden Toy Trucks

My axel drying rack. These are not dipped they are brush painted. Each color pair fits the truck they are aligned with.

I paint the axles before mounting the wheels. I painted them with a brush for a long time. Brushing almost always needed at least to coats. Metallic paints were the worst. When applying the first coat of metallic paint, the color would soak in rapidly, leaving the metallics on the surface. Nowadays, I dip the ends of the axels in a couple of drops of paint. I touch the end of the axel to the paint and holds it there for a couple of seconds. Holding the axel in the paint for a short time lets the end grain soak up as much paint as it can. So far, this has been very successful and never requires a second coat of paint. You need to dip the axel just enough to cover the entire end with a tiny bit of overlap. It the wheels fit snug, this extra paint will get scraped off by the wheels. I usually let the paint dry overnight. I hand fit each axel to the car body.

Rounding the axel ends is a bit hard to explain. I do it by hand using a sanding block and 80 grit sandpaper. While holding the sanding block in my left hand, I grip the dowel in my right hand 90 degrees to the surface of the sanding block and moving it in a circle. The dowel will wobble in your hand as you sand and produce the rounded end. The tighter you grip the dowel, the flatter the end will be. I like to rotate the dowel in my grip a quarter turn every few loops to keep the shape uniform.

To get the axels to fit correctly, I hand fit each pair of axles. To do this, I put a wheel on the dowel followed by two nylon washers, the car body, two more washers, and another wheel. I press everything down tight on a flat surface and mark the axel length. I disassembled the toy and cut the axel to length using a 20 TPI Japanese pull saw or flush cutting saw. I then sand the axel ends to shape and paint them. When the car is assembled, I only use one washer per wheel. I use the second washer to add just enough axel length to allow for rounding the ends.

I use Tightbond II to glue the wheels on. It holds tight and gives me enough working time to position the wheels. I put the first wheel on the axel, aligning it carefully, so it is in perfect alignment. I set this assembly aside until the glue has cured. I learned the hard way not to try to position both wheels at the same time. After the glue has cured, I insert the axel in the car body with washers and glue the opposite wheel in place.

When gluing the second wheel in place, I insert a plastic spacer between the wheels and the body. I press the wheel on using a vice with leather padded jaws. The wheel is pressed on until the axel just protrudes into the leather. The spacer is there to make sure I have enough clearance for the wheels to turn smoothly. If I did everything right, the hubs will protrude just a bit past the wheel and look like a tiny hubcap. Remember baby moon hubcaps.

2020-02-05

Drilling Holes For Internal Scroll Saw Cuts

To make internal cuts with a scroll saw, you need to drill access holes to insert the blade. These holes need to be square to the top of the piece. If the internal cut is large, you can drill them without a drill press using a handheld drill. As the internal cuts get smaller, you must drill the as near to vertical as possible. For me, this means I have to use a drill press or other device.

I started with a Dremel drill press and a Craftsman rotary tool. The Dremel drill press worked great for me until I started making larger projects where I could not drill holes where I needed them.

Dremel Drill Press Stand Craftsman Rotary Tool

My next tool was a small benchtop Central Machinery drill press. I bought this drill press because the chuck would fit the smallest bit I had at the time, and it was cheaper than buying a replacement chuck for my large floor standing press. Plus I was not too fond of the idea of changing the chuck when I needed to use larger bits. After a few years, I outgrew it. I had projects that it wasn't quite large enough for, and the keyless chuck drove me nuts. I almost needed three hands to get a bit installed. If I remember right, I paid about $30 for it at Harbor Freight on sale with a coupon. I used it for several years and sold it for $35.

Harbor Freight Central Machinery Drill Press Bench Top Drill Press

I purchased a Grizzly G7943 - 14" Heavy-Duty Benchtop Drill Press used that worked but needed some TLC. I refurbished the drill press and swapped out the chuck for one that would hold my tiny wire gauge size bits. I am happy with this setup, and it will be my goto for drilling my scroll saw projects. When I got it all set up as a test loaded up my smallest bit and drilled holes in a toothpick.

Grizzly G7943 Drill Press Being Refurbished

When I reach the point, if I ever do, where the 14-inch drill press will not work, I will use a router base with a Dremel. One of these:

Stewart MacDonald Precision Router Base

Veritas Plunge Base for Rotary Tools

I lean heavily toward the Lee Valley tool due to its versatility.

2020-01-28

The Best Way I Have Found To Paint Axel Pegs

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Axel Pegs In A Shop Made Drying Rack

For the cars I make, I always add a bit of color to the hubs. Through experimenting, I have discovered that when painting the axel pegs, dipping them in the paint produced the best results. Spraying even with an airbrush was too messy. When I used a brush, metallic paints would soak into the end grain and leave the metallics on the top. I would need to add a second coat after they dried to get the proper color.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Axel Pegs In A Shop Made Drying Rack

When dipping, I put a few drops of paint on a pallet and dip the end of the peg into the paint just far enough to cover the hub and hold it there long enough for the paint to soak in. The result is one coat of paint and a lot less work. The pegs do usually need to cure overnight.

This method also works for dowels when I use dowels for axels.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Axel Dowels In A Shop Made Drying Rack

2020-01-17

Etsy Listing Sold Handmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan 572756559

Handmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan, Finished Non-Toxic Amber Shellac With Grey And Black Acrylic Paint Trim

I only made one with this color scheme, but you can request I make more by making a restocking request or custom order. I have several more sedans in the shop, all with different color schemes.

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Handmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan, Finished Non-Toxic Amber Shellac With Grey And Black Acrylic Paint Trim

A handmade wooden toy car or model for kids or adults. Sturdy, durable, and made for play. A unique gift for a vintage Hot Rod lover makes excellent man cave decor or use them to decorate a kids room, nursery, home, or office space. I make these toys from solid wood that I carefully hand fit and finish for the best quality I can produce.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan, Finished Non-Toxic Amber Shellac With Grey And Black Acrylic Paint Trim

AddHandmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan, Finished Non-Toxic Amber Shellac With Grey And Black Acrylic Paint Trim caption

Handmade Wooden Toy Car, Hot Rod Classic 1932 Sedan, Finished Non-Toxic Amber Shellac With Grey And Black Acrylic Paint Trim

2020-01-08

Etsy Shop Listing - Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size 754650914

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

This toy car is part of a series of small "Play Pal" size toy vehicles I am making. The idea is to have a lot of smaller toys that will be more attractive to customers that don't have room for larger toys. There are a few of these around, but they are all the same basic design. I am trying to think outside the box and make some unique, high-quality toys that will be different and stand out in the crowd.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

I made this little wood car from a decorative design that had no wheels. I enlarged the pattern to fit the size of the 3/4-inch wheels and compatible with the commonly available Play Pal Series.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

It would be straightforward to convert this toy to a Christmas ornament. All one would need to do is find the balance point and add a hanger. I think these would look great on a Christmas Tree.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

One of the very nice things for me as a toymaker is the ease that I can resize these. I can make them in any size that is required. Another is that it lets me use up the large amount of the small wood pieces I always seem to accumulate.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

This design begs for contrasting colored wood. Maple and walnut are the first things that come to mind, but there are many other possibilities, including baking the wood to make it darker.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

Colors, kids love the colors. Almost any color you can imagine is available in acrylic paint. My local paint supplier can custom mix paint to match. Then there are dyes designed especially for dying wood.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

Personalized toys are possible on a somewhat primitive level. I am planning to get an engraver to do the personalization with in the next year. The problem with doing the personalization by hand is that there is a chance of ruining the toy. If a customer asks for customization, I will usually do it, but I'm not comfortable enough with the process to offer it as an option yet.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

Custom orders are always welcome in my Etsy shop. Some of my best sellers came from customer requests. If you have an idea for something I can make for you, please contact me.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

I handcraft all my toys from 100% childsafe materials. I sand the car smooth and round over all of the edges. I finish the car body with a finish I make from beeswax, mineral oil, and Vitamin E. The same as you would use on your cutting board or butcher block countertop. This finish will not turn rancid like many oils. If the toy needs refinishing, you can use cutting board oil, mineral oil, or even baby oil.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

Approximate Size:
Length: 3 inches/76mm
Height: 2.25 inches/57mm
Width: 1.25 inches/32mm

Handmade Wooden Toy Car Itty Bitty Mini Vintage Model-T Play Pal Pocket Car Size

Not suitable for children under three years old without adult supervision. They have small parts that could be broken off and present a choking hazard.