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Ahh, they ain’t that pretty.
Here’s the main triangle tacked and partially welded. Also took off the mill scale before tacking it up. Don’t look to close at tose welds! 🧐
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Here are a few more to look at:
(finished welding up the front triangle)
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A few spots almost look like some gnarly dimes. 😄 Funny I can run beautiful test beads, and the lap joint of the seat tube buffer went well enough, but once putting the tubes together the end of incoming tube really wants to just melt away. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Still learning. And it’s securely together and in-plane. The pulse helps a lot with reducing the heat-affected zone, too.
 
Here are a few more to look at:
(finished welding up the front triangle)
View attachment 231801View attachment 231802View attachment 231803View attachment 231804View attachment 231805View attachment 231806

A few spots almost look like some gnarly dimes. 😄 Funny I can run beautiful test beads, and the lap joint of the seat tube buffer went well enough, but once putting the tubes together the end of incoming tube really wants to just melt away. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Still learning. And it’s securely together and in-plane. The pulse helps a lot with reducing the heat-affected zone, too.
It looks like you're pulling down a really good HAZ and keeping it very consistent. What filler rod are you using
 
It looks like you're pulling down a really good HAZ and keeping it very consistent. What filler rod are you using
ER70S-2. A general purpose steel filler rod.
I’ve seen that Weldmold 880 is sometimes recommended by bike specific tubing manufacturers.

I’ve see that here:
Welding Tips and Tricks

And there I’ve seen welds that make mine want to turn to rust and return to the Earth for recycling! 😬
 
ER70S-2. A general purpose steel filler rod.
I’ve seen that Weldmold 880 is sometimes recommended by bike specific tubing manufacturers.

I’ve see that here:
Welding Tips and Tricks

And there I’ve seen welds that make mine want to turn to rust and return to the Earth for recycling! 😬
You should definitely try 880. Very forgiving for varying carbon content between tubes
 
Spent this morning mitering the downtube. I’m doing it all by hand files this time around. The thin wall tubes don’t take that much more time than the HF tube notcher, with its now worn out bearing sleeve and the required post-cut cleanup. It’s easier to keep the adjustments small and sneak up on a good fit.

FWIW, I found out that in half round files, a 10” has a radius of about 1”, 12” file 1-1/4 R, 14” file 1-1/2”R. Each is a little over, so finishing up with the next size down is needed, but gets really close.
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Sharing this kind of info that is useful to people years down the track is part of what makes you builders such an inspiration.
 
John, you might be ready to 'clip your wings' and quit your day job. :D

You are on your, what, second frame build ever?!? :13:Looking gooooood! :heart:
The Scrapper 2015
Mid-Western Flyer X-16 2016
Black Cat 13 BO13, 2017
A Zombie Reborn 2022

Well... 5th in Build Offs, two before I discovered RRB, and some less that stellar ones on the side.
Also, my day job is paying a ridiculous amount right now, so, I'll keep bikes in the Hobby category for the time being.

But, I'm getting better. Lots of University of Youtube. (Welding Tips and Tricks, Pithy Bikes, Cobra Framebuilding, So many RRB members..., others not coming to mind right now...)

Sharing because that is how I've learned. Tools can be hacked, but sometimes the right tool makes the job so much easier and better (i.e. frame jigs & headset presses for alignment,) and I've built the tools up one by one over the years.

Welding with Pulse can help with the welding, but won't make you a better welder. I'm still learning that. I should take a proper welding class, but, time... I learned the basics when I worked manufacturing years ago, most of the rest via internet and trial/error.

Sharing this kind of info that is useful to people years down the track is part of what makes you builders such an inspiration.
Trying to give back to the community what I've learned from those who came before.

For mitering specifically, the best setup is a quality mill for steady cuts and the proper tooling/jigs for the angles. (i.e. Cobra Framebuilding) A less expensive, (and smaller) mini-mill can do the job (i.e. Pithy Bikes) but most require some mods to make reliable, and also a quality stable work bench. (mine is cheap and wobbly.) The HF notcher worked for me for some time, but is an admittedly inexpensive tool with a brass busing/bearing instead of needle bearings like some more expensive versions, and has become wobbly over the years. My HF drill press spindle is also a little wobbly.

My first adventures were with thicker walled tubing and were more forgiving. Thin-walls allow lighter weight (my first build was 1.5"x0.083 wall and weighed 80lbs bare frame! Thank goodness it was electric!) and thin walls are easier to work by hand, but harder to bend, and harder to weld.

And... I still don't have a tubing roller or proper bender. All my bends have been with EMT conduit benders, which don't work on thinner than 0.049", and not even well then. I'm too lazy to do the fill-with-sand-and-cap method.
 
So, while looking at my Jetflow frame, I noticed how they have a ring around the seat tube where to top tube and the seatstays come together.
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I’m sure this has something to do with brazing or electro-welding or whatever process they used, but as this is a problem spot for me when I try to weld 0.9mm TTs to 0.6mm STs, I got to thinking…

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As it turns out, my head tube material I.D. is juuuust barely bigger than the seat tube O.D.

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Until I cut a slot, then clamped and welded it on. (the slot is still open to allow air to escape from beneath when welding the TT & SS.) Adds 1.1mm extra to help prevent burn-through and will be a unique “feature” of this custom. 😁
That is brilliant! A great way to prevent burn through and shrinking at the seat tube too.
 
Some other of my learned from others tips and tricks resources:

A simple program for creating a .pdf to wrap around your tube and draw out the miters for where X size tube meets Y size tube at Z angle...
tubemiter

And I would be remiss to forget AtomicZombie whose plans are pretty inexpensive and offer some great insight to bike building techniques for the less-than-professional.
 
Not much to update… tomorrow’s my birthday so an early gift came by way of our pickup:
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… just a little bigger than the old one! 🤣

Spent the afternoon with minor assembling and transferring tools. Not all done, so much room to spare! … where should things go?

The old stack will become a bike-tool specific box to replace the various tubs and shoe boxes serving that purpose now.

Holefully a little actual bike work Tues & Weds.
 
Great work on a classic body style. Cycle trucks are so cool functional.

And the Jiggity Jiggity is awesome!!!!

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Got the second chainstay fitted:

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Got them tacked up.
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Threw down some pretty decent looking welds…
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… and then ran out of gas!
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But enough to do a clearance and alignment check. Clearance looks good.
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Alignment needs some post-weld love. Now where’s that 2x4?
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Getting Gas tomorrow to finish up the welds and work on some seat stays.
 
Not as much done today as I’d hoped since life had other plans today… so it goes.

Finished out the chainstays and got things aligned. The wheel is about 2mm off center to the left, but in plane. Not sure if that’s the wheel’s dishing or frame’s alignment. I’ll work more on that once I have seatstays on.

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