Spoke thread specs

[PEZBerq]

I have had a set of spokes and nipples of my 84 Husky re zinc plated.  They look great but the nipples wont screw back on correctly and I would like to run the thread through with a tap .  Zinc is probably a little too thick.  Does anyone know what thread sizes spokes use - are they a standard metric size or are they some weird spoke only thread Nothing in my tap and die set fits. Cheers

[LWC82PE]

Ok this is not ment to happen but the problem is they plated them too thick. Ive had it happen before and the plater re-did them agian at no extra cost. You wont be able to run a die over them because they are a special thread. They are not a normal metric or imperial thread because they are actually a rolled thread and not cut. The only way you could do it is to get some spoke thread rollers or get them re-plated again and get them to keep a close eye on them so the plating doesnt go so thick.

[PEZBerq]

The spokes look fine to my eye.  I think its the nipples that are the problem.  Perhaps I can try new nipples?

[LWC82PE]

I had it in my head that it was the spokes because that was the problem i had. I got some spokes done and yeah they looked fine, it didnt look like the threads where clogged and the plating didnt look thick but the nipples wouldnt screw on. I already had the nipples done ages ago and they would not go on the newly plated spokes. I even tryed NOS suzuki nipples and they didnt screw on either, so it had to have been the spokes. Sent them back and they came back fine next time and the re-zinced and NOS nipples screwed on. When ever i get spokes done now i always tell the plater to keep an eye on them and make sure the plating is not to thick. He told me there is a fine line between too much plating and not enough. Not enough plating means there is less corosion protection and the plating wears off quicker and doesnt provide as much corrosion protection but if you put too much plating on the it can clog threads and can bubble and peel. The place i have been using for many many years and they said that the plating process is a tricky process and no 2 parts are the same and there is a bit of an art to getting good plating on all old parts.

[pmc57]

This is what you need for re-rolling / cleaning your spoke threads,

http://www.hozan.co.jp/cycle_e/catalog/wheel/C-700.htm.

There's a link to an Australian distributor. I'm presumming you'll have to specify which gauge thread you need (another deep and mysterious journey into the art of spoke manufacture) so you get the correct set of rollers with the unit. The distributor may be able to help with the thread spec but from what I understand a lot of the spoke threads for the older Suzuki Rm's, PE's and Honda's (Japanese manufactured) are all 40TPI (threads per inch), just the diameters change. The head has an adjustment range to cater for different diameter threads.

I've had the same issue with re-zinced spokes for various wheels I've re-spoked, you just set the sizing to the original and it cleans all the excess plating off the threads. When doing this make sure you apply CRC or WD40 for lubrication and so the rollers don't get filled with zinc plating.

This is also a beauty of a devise if you have other longer length spokes doing nothing and you want to shorten them for other applicatins, you just cut to length and re-roll the thread.

[PEZBerq]

Thanks for the info.  Mysterious world of spoke threading for sure!  I had another go tonight and found that many of the nipples would screw on easily by hand  , others needed some WD40 to go on by hand  and the rest needed the spoke spanner to get them to go on . The few I tried last night were difficult - tonight I found that most were in fact OK.
Very strangely the 3.5mm front wheel spokes all had nipples that screwed by hand, it was the 4mm rear wheel spokes that had the problems.  Anyway hubs all painted, spokes ready and rims OK - off to see the wheel re-spoking dude tomorrow.

[LWC82PE]

http://www.hozan.co.jp/cycle_e/catalog/wheel/C-700.htm.
This is for 14/15 G bicycle spokes only and will not adjust for 9/10/8 G M'C spokes. The motorcycle rollers are no longer made. Are only available used on ebay and still big $ I recently got some new 10 and 9 G rolling heads for the Cyclo England roller from British cycle supply in Canada and they were the last ones they had left and they are also no longer made.

[pancho]

Might be a bit crude and vicious but you could try dipping the threaded end carefully in some hydrochloric acid. You could experiment with one spoke, worst that could happen is all the gal would be removed .Of course you would need to  wash it off with an alkyli [soap] after. Cheers, pancho.