The ESP Guitar Company

You will need to do a mag wheel repair if your mag wheel cracks. But first, before you repair, it is important to judge the damage and ensure it is a logical repair. Otherwise, you will need to replace the wheel.

Judging the damage

When a mag wheel is forged or cast, it is machine finished and surface treated. The internal structure of the wheel is stressed but when forged, it becomes uniform. During die-casting, precipitation can happen due to the alloying agents that rise to the surface.

So, if the wheel has several cracks on the inside, you should throw it away. If it has a crack that has more than one-inch travel, you should throw it away. You should also throw the wheel away if it has bent. If you had previously repaired the wheel and it has gotten cracks again, there is no need to take it to a mag wheel repair specialist.

Tools

If your wheel has a small crack less than one inch then you should go ahead and repair it. Some of the most essential tools you will need include a flat-file, oval file, rasp file, large round file, small round file, drill and drill bits, hammer, small belt sander, and more.

Welding with tig

Once you have a hot alloy, you can start welding. You should start welding at the inside where you drilled your first hole and sand by the filler rod. Do this in a circular motion to create a weld pool and use existing base metal to ensure the gap is fused.

During the mag wheel repair process, you will create two valleys with an undercut. You will have to fill them and be careful not to leave too much surface weld or undercut. You can then reform the radius on the inside edge once the profile has been rebuilt.