Workshop Wed: Repairing a Damaged KV-1S Idler Wheel 🛠️

This week on Workshop Wednesday, Beau takes on one of the most damaged components on our KV-1S — a destroyed idler wheel. Rather than searching for a replacement, he's rebuilding it from the ground up: cutting and pressing a new inner radius, fitting a new tire, adding gussets and spokes, and bending back the original tire. The KV-1S was a Soviet heavy tank produced from 1942 as a lighter, faster variant of the original KV-1, and our example is undergoing one of the most ambitious restorations we've ever attempted.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro
00:32 – Cutting out the inner radius
02:40 – Pressing the inner radius
06:11 – Fitting the inner radius
07:47 – New tire
13:20 – Gussets
16:49 – Spokes
17:56 – Bending back the original tire

The Australian Armour & Artillery Museum is home to the largest collection of armoured vehicles and artillery in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Cairns, North Queensland. We are dedicated to the collection, preservation, restoration and display of military vehicles from the 1800s to present day. Our collection includes over 220 armoured vehicles and artillery pieces from 15 countries.

🔧 Visit us: https://www.ausarmour.com
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