While racing down the track, the inside of the wheel hubs rub against the axles.  This creates a huge amount of friction that even the best lubrication cannot eliminate.  So, it is crucial that you polish the axels and the inner wheel hub bores extremely well.

Axles

The purpose of this step is to create a shiny finish on the axle shaft and the inside of the axle head.  Anywhere the wheel rubs on the axle must be highly polished in order to reduce friction.

Most folks will tell you to polish you axles with sand paper up to about 2500 grit.  That’s fine for those who want to finish in second place.  The axles need to have a near mirror finish in order to eliminate as much friction as possible.  To achieve this, you must polish your axles with the use of sandpaper all the way up to 12,000 grit and then finish them off with an ultra fine polishing compound and polishing cloth.

For best results, the Derby Monkey highly recommends the use of the Ultimate Axle Polishing Kit order to get your axles where they need to be to increase your chances of victory.

Another option is to purchase a set of official BSA axles that have been professionally modified by an experienced machine shop like Derby Worx.  These prefinished Derby Worx Axles are finished up to 3200 grit.  Then you can just finish up the polishing process with the finer grit sandpaper.  First make sure that your race rules will permit this.

Complete BSA Axle Preparation

1. Straighten axle with the Pro Axle Press.

2. Chuck the axle in a drill press or any electric drill.

3. While the axle is spinning, use a thin flat file to grind off the crimp marks near the axle head.

4. The polishing process will begin with a ¼” a strip of 400 grit wet/dry paper. Dip the paper in water and sand the nail and the inside of the nail head while the axle is spinning.

5. Allow the sandpaper to make firm contact with the axle shaft for 10 to 15 seconds.

6. Switch to the next grit strip of dampened wet/dry sandpaper.

7. Continue this process until all grits of sandpaper are used ending with the 12,000 grit paper.

8. Finally, apply the special axle polishing compound with a ¼” section of polishing cloth. Polish the axle shaft for about 30 seconds. Make sure to polish the inside portion of the axle head.

9. Remove all polishing compound using a clean, soft cloth.

10. Place the axles in denatured alcohol for about one hour in order make sure all polish residue is removed.

Wheel Hubs

Now, you must polish the inside of the wheel hubs.  The only good way to do this is with the Derby Worx Pro Bore Polisher.  Most folks will tell you to simple use the Micro-Surface Micro-Gloss for this.  However, most do not mention that you must take it to the next step and finish this process by applying the Micro-Surface Micro-Finish compound.  Polish with equal outcomes would be the Monkey Spit Wheel Bore Polish.

Preparation

1.   Clamp the hand drill to a work surface using the clamp. Do not use a Dremel-type tool as the RPM is too high.

2.   Insert the solid shaft of the Pro Bore Polisher into the chuck of the drill.

3.   Cut a piece of pipe cleaner 1-1/4” long.

4.   Slide the pipe cleaner between the two prongs of the tool. Make sure that the pipe cleaner is centered between the prongs.

Caution – Some polish may be thrown when the drill is running, so wear eye protection, old clothes, and cover any sensitive equipment on either side of the pipe cleaner.

 Polishing

1.   Apply a small amount of Monkey Spit 1 Wheel Bore Polish to the pipe cleaner. Spread the polish onto the entire pipe cleaner surface. 2.   Slide a wheel onto the pipe cleaner and over the tool.

3.   Hold the wheel and start the drill on a slow to medium speed.

4.   Move the wheel back and forth on the tool for 5 to 10 seconds.

5.   Slide the wheel off the tool onto the pipe cleaner and polish for an additional 5 seconds.

6.   Remove the wheel and stop the drill.

7.   Repeat steps 5 to 10 for the other wheels.

8.   Use a new pipe cleaner and repeat the above steps using Monkey Snot 2 Wheel Bore Polish.

Important – Do not slide the wheel onto the Pro-Bore Polisher while the drill is running.

Clean-Up

1.   Wash the wheels in water, using a clean portion of the pipe cleaner to scrub inside the bore.

2.   Dry the wheels. A dry portion of pipe cleaner can be used to dry inside the wheel bore

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