UNLIMITED Duality-build thread

[OddJob]

I like where this is going. Beautiful curves!
Are those dropouts milled from one piece?

And I'm guessing you are welding in a different space?
Or else you might get holes in your shoes

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Since we are quoting song lyrics...
" Well, you say you got the blues, you got holes in both your shoes"...

 

[kingfish254]

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Finished fitting up the top tubes-head tube miters and welded it up, (mostly) This should stabilze everything for the rest of the build.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Fabbed up the two 1/16” plates that will hold the seat post insert.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Fabbed up the two 1/16” plates that will hold the seat post insert.
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I like that design a lot

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Ah, if I could just really weld....
Your build is coming along and looks good brother.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

I’ve been (hobby-level) at it for near a decade, and still goober it up rather often. But It’ll stick together.

Working with 0.049” wall this go round. Not as light, but more forgiving—and WAAY less $$ per foot than 0.035”.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Started welding up the seat tube plates.

But I started to get subtle signs I was out of Argon…

That second pic is tricky to see the signs!

Checking for square:

More progress, more gas, next week.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and remember the reason.

 

[kingfish254]

I'm really digging this design. It reminds me of the Hawthorne Twin frame that I used for starsNbars in BO9.

 

[OddJob]

John, your welding skill is moving along at an amazing rate! I'm not sure everyone realizes this is what, just the third bike frame you have built (at least in RRB-ville) ever? Your ideas, methods, jig building, and the actual welds are really top notch-ed! (welding pun intended)

 

[SkyknightJohn]

John, your welding skill is moving along at an amazing rate! I'm not sure everyone realizes this is what, just the third bike frame you have built (at least in RRB-ville) ever? Your ideas, methods, jig building, and the actual welds are really top notch-ed! (welding pun intended)

I've been working on it slowly, watching a lot of tutorial videos and reading a lot. Wasted a lot of steel just practicing, too.

First RRB was BOTEN (Build Off Ten, 2015) with The Scrapper - DNF due to distractions and, well, I welded the BB in backwards....TWICE!

Second RRBBO: Mid-Western Flyer X16 BO11, 2016. First time Finisher. Light, but twitchy due to head tube angle/trail. Maybe could'a fixed it with a different fork, but, oh well. (though that seat, handlebars, and crank keep making a comeback1!)

BO13 in 2018 saw me try a recumbent, Black Cat 13. Hey! that rear wheel and derailleur look familiar! Handed it off to somebody else who needed a recumbent. (I have another.)

2022 saw A Zombie Reborn in BO17. Hmmm... maybe I kept the cranks from the Black Cat? This seems to be when I built the jig (>insert Irish dance joke here<) Didn't keep it despite the cool factor because it was a bit heavy, steering weird, and other things. Great learning experience.

Also, reminds me of It's a Bird, a Winter BO2018 that I did not finish, but was some inspiration for the Zombie, and also details my perforated tube jig and "Shower Saver" tube cone hack. Though, seems I never got to welding that.

And then there was last year's 5-G Conspiracy - the Great Green Grocery Getter, Greyhound edition. Hmmm... those cranks again....

So, 5 is the RRB scratch count.
Zombie Resurrection raises it's hand (and the dead). er-hmmm...
OK, 6 scratch built frames documented on this forum. Resurrection was never made into a bike, but was a quick and fun project for practice.

So, yeah, started with a simple Everlast welder nearly 10 years ago, lots of tutorials, some prior exposure to welding, and TONS of failure practice. TIG can be done for not a lot of money, just be willing to learn and find the cheapest sources of steel you can to practice with. I think it's a much cleaner method than MIG with just a slightly higher learning curve. Of course, taking a course or two and having professional guidance will speed things along.

PRACTICE MAKES BETTER​

Thanks for going down memory lane with me. Now back to your regularly scheduled Build Off!

 

[kingfish254]

So cool to see your other builds again. I really liked that Fireboltish Scrapper frame back in BOTEN

 

[OddJob]

I don't remember your BO 10 and 11 entries at all, and had forgotten about the recumbent. So that's where my 3 came from.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

I was such a noob!
And some of those were from non-main buildoffs, or none at all, and I skipped years or did regular/class 1/traditional builds. Hard even for me to keep track of all of them. Was fun to pull ‘em all together though.
(and now I have a bookmared index with links for myself! Muh-ha ha ha!)

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Home again, and I have gas!

 

[SkyknightJohn]

I mean welding shielding gas. AKA Argon.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

So I ovalized the dropout ends of the tubes and fit them up.

Then of course welded them, they’ll get trimmed and capped as indicated by the red lines.

And I finish welded the seat tube plates.

 

[kingfish254]

I can smell what you're cookin' with that gas!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Are you pulsing?

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Yes, running 1.5 pps, 50% on, 5% background.