I dunno, she just flipped out! Fork? Yup!

[Jawon]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! Giving props and "welding"

My welding is getting better, I've practiced corners and started to get them down pretty well. Then I went back to try some tubing and it was way worse than before :x . I dunno, I suppose I'll get the hang of it. Large parts of this build are dependent on welding and I want to feel safe riding it so...

I'm with ya! If bicycle tubes were square, it'd be so much easier than those annoying curves.

You obviously have higher standards than I do. I just want to get my welding project out the door and if it fails on me, I'll chalk it up to experience! I decided against trying to make everything look nice and pretty, so that I'll have something to remind me of my beginnings. Hopefully future welding projects will be so flawless, I'll be able to see how far I've come... hopefully!

That's cool you are also building the seat and fork. You seem to have your hands full with some fun projects-within-a-project!

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Not being a professional or anything, but it looks like your trying to weld and not supporting
the hand your welder is in. I doubt that there are too many people that can weld well just
holding the gun in one hand. I kinda rest one hand on the work and then the gun in the other.
You try to make small u's from one piece to the other. Trust me nobody knows how to weld from
birth. It takes practice, and pipe welding is one of the most difficult. Keeps just anybody from jumping
out and working on the keystone pipeline. :lol:

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Thanks guys, I am having fun, even if I get whiny from time to time. Like Jawon said, projects within projects, plenty to keep me busy.

Uncle Stretch, thanks for the tips. You're right about being shaky. I've cut my rods in half too, so I don't have this foot long thing I'm trying to control. That helps a lot. I'll try supporting my working hand.

I'm using a stick welder and I think the angle of the rod to the work is a critical factor also. It's easy to get that angle right and just cruise along when the joint is straight, once it curves, blooey! I seem to blow through the tube unless I have the heat so low I just get beads on the surface. I think I will try some 1/16" rod, see how that works. I think with the 1/16" rod i'll be able to run it hot but not have so much, I dunno, oomph. :lol: I was doing the tubes at 40 and just beading up. The 1/8" flat stuff I was doing corners with I did at 55 and got good penetration. Went back to tubes at 43, to try and get away from the beading up and started blowing through. I guess I'll go cut some more joints. I just got 5 lbs of rod so that should last me a while. :lol:

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

One last thing is fitment is the key to really good welds. Someone that does it for a living will
have a perfect fit on where the two tubes join. If there is a gap you can fill it but then you
run the risk of heating up one spot too much...big globs and holes. Having fun is the best part.

 

[poverty with a view]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

wow, a stick welder makes it a bit more difficult. The prep of your welding surface is key. I grind the big stuff off and then I go back with sand paper to get all the small stuff out of the big grind scratches. I also clean my tubing farther away from my welds than you did. That is if I am using old painted bicycle tubing. you will find that useing new round stock is easier to weld than the old used bicycle tubing.
Cutting your stick is a good idea and also holding your hand against something to keep your hand steady is a great idea too. Before I weld something I always do a dry run of what I am going to weld. Its just a little security for me to know when I weld, something won't get into the way and I have to stop welding. A little muscle mind memory is good. Do a few dry runs so when you do the real thing you know how your hand should move. Try not to have to big of gaps in your butted joints.
Welding something flat is easy. Welding tubing isn't that easy. So practice on round tubing and not so much on the flat surfaces. Don't be afraid to just walk away and stop for the day. That was the hardest thing I had to learn about building bicycles. Just walk away or the mess just gets bigger. We all have been there before. It took 4 bicycles before I felt comfortable enough to not use Bondo or a grinder on my welds. I still am self conscious about my welds.
Keep it up and don't get discouraged.
Riding around on your own creation makes it all worth it. Nothing feels better than when someone asks you who made that Bicycle. Before you know it they will be asking you for a custom frame too.
Keep asking questions, that's how I learned/learning
Blue 8)

 

[poverty with a view]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! Giving props and "welding"

I think I need it back up and just be more careful on grinding the joint and not trying to get "just a little further around". Keep pausing to reposition so I don't get fetched up at an awkward angle. Anyway, so very interesting I am sure :lol:




I see paint on your tubing. I would have cleaned the tubing even better. The grind marks are too deep. Use a finer sandpaper and clean it really good. Then wipe it down with mineral spirits.
If you do a dry weld run first you will know where you have to start and stop, as you would say,"just a little further around". That's not a good motto to have.Have patients with the welding. I usually just weld about a quarter of the tube at a time, then I move to another weld, then to another weld, and then come back to the first weld. By the time I come back to it, it has cooled enough for me to weld again. You really don't want to weld one tubing/joint at a time, cause that much heat in one area will warp the frame. The holes in your frame and the splatter mean two things, ether your welder is to hot or your metal is not cleaned good enough. Good luck my friend
Blue 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Thanks guys, will do. I think I'm going to get a hole saw.If my freakin' bonus would come through I'd get a drill press too. Ha, all in good time. Thanks a lot for your help, you guys rock.

 

[poverty with a view]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Thanks guys, will do. I think I'm going to get a hole saw.If my freakin' bonus would come through I'd get a drill press too. Ha, all in good time. Thanks a lot for your help, you guys rock.

When I got my Drill Press and hole saw, that's when everything came together. My frames got nicer and a lot straighter. Plus my welding got really good too. A very good investment.
I do garage sales or swap meets to find tools. I'm always on a budget. I find that when I do garage sales I find older tools that are cheap. Personally, older tools are better made.
This is a great tool to have. It's cheap too, even built cheap strait from China.
But you can modify it really easy to make it last. :lol:
http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-sho ... 42324.html
If you were to get a hole saw/Notcher I wouldn't skimp on the drill press. Go beefy. A big chunk of change, but will last a life time.
Blue 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

That notcher is the bizznizz!! The price is pretty good too. I'd like to find an old Delta drill press but... Well, I guess I should at least check CL :roll: .. I think the bonus is kaput. We supposedly were 5% under our projected margin so unless the boss is feeling particularly generous, or an error is discovered, I don't think I'll see a penny.

Let go and... :lol:

The notcher will work with a hand drill also. Not ideal but better than trying to eyeball it. Huh.

 

[Bigdaddy772]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Thanks guys, will do. I think I'm going to get a hole saw.If my freakin' bonus would come through I'd get a drill press too. Ha, all in good time. Thanks a lot for your help, you guys rock.

When I got my Drill Press and hole saw, that's when everything came together. My frames got nicer and a lot straighter. Plus my welding got really good too. A very good investment.
I do garage sales or swap meets to find tools. I'm always on a budget. I find that when I do garage sales I find older tools that are cheap. Personally, older tools are better made.
This is a great tool to have. It's cheap too, even built cheap strait from China.
But you can modify it really easy to make it last. :lol:
http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-sho ... 42324.html
If you were to get a hole saw/Notcher I wouldn't skimp on the drill press. Go beefy. A big chunk of change, but will last a life time.
Blue 8)

Wow I need that!! This is why I love this site everyone wants to help people make their project the best it can be!!! 8) 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

This is a video about modding the notcher. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... y915Z0GrJo

Thanks for the tip Poverty, looks like a great thing. I got some 1/16" rod and we'll see how that goes.

 

[poverty with a view]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

I didn't cut a big shim like that. I just used washers. I grinned them down till they were right. Plus I replace those 3 bolts with longer ones and put nuts on them too. In time the factory threads will strip out, mine did.

Then I added nuts and washers to the black handle, that too will strip out. I also welded a washer on the bottom. It makes it tighten better than the original way.
So for another 5$ this notcher will last a long time. Shoot, if it breaks in two years from now I will go spend another 45$ on a new one.

When it comes to giving info out on Bicycles, I feel the more people that know how to build bicycles the more Bicycles there will be. It really comes down to someone showed me, why shouldn't I show someone else. If you want to learn I am an open book.
Blue 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

 

[poverty with a view]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

This looks strong. The surface looks cleaner too. Good prep, two thumbs up!

You should start thinking about making your own seat pans too. It is cheap to get started. Then you move on to Tanks, so on and so on. It really never ends. That's why I really like Bicycles. There is plenty of room to do things with Bicycles that no one else has ever done. Bicycles are a fraction of the cost of a Motor Cycle or Classic Car. I have a classic truck but no garage. It snows 35 feet on the average here. So I can't weld on my truck in that, but I do have room to weld a bicycle in my shed. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Here is a bicycle that is from Germany. This bicycle just won the COTY. The COTY is the most prestigious custom Bicycle show in the world held in Amsterdam.

Blue 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

That bike is killer. Love that polycarbonate! It looks like the chainring is poly too? Wow!!

So I welded that bracket on the bottom of the seat tube because it was the same thickness as the seat tube (the BB being much thicker). Then I was going to weld the bottom bracket to it. But it has distorted from welding and I didn't get it on there real straight so... I ground it off. I am going to weld the BB directly to the seat tube which will make it much easier to get it on straight. Sideways pedals are great for a circus bike but... :lol:

I think it'll work out, I can just keep scabbing stuff on 'til it sticks!! I've practiced enough. Not enough to be good but enough that I'm tired of practicing and am willing to have my welds look scabrous.

I'd love to make my own seat pan, hammer formed from sheet steel on a sandbag. I have a anvil and could make a stake so I could get a good roll on the edge. Dang!! It never does end does it?

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Tiring of my own timidity, I just welded the freakin' thing on. Hope it stays attached. I got it on straight at least, I think it's good.

I also cut out some new dropouts,

and then I had some fun, my poor dog hates 'em though.

I'll probably weld the dropouts on tomorrow before I go to work.

 

[Jawon]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Tiring of my own timidity, I just welded the freakin' thing on. Hope it stays attached. I got it on straight at least, I think it's good.

Haha. If it's any consolation, it looks just as good (or bad) as mine, actually better. As long as you're not pedaling hard, the worst thing that can happen is the bottom bracket and crankset will fall from underneath you. I, on the other hand, have my welding job on the head tube, so if it fails I'm going for a dive! Let's see who can stay out of the hospital the longest.

Glad to see the progress. Looking fwd to all the other nice details you're working on.

 

[Bigdaddy772]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Tiring of my own timidity, I just welded the freakin' thing on. Hope it stays attached. I got it on straight at least, I think it's good.

I'll probably weld the dropouts on tomorrow before I go to work.

Looks like a solid weld I would ride on it!!! great work with the grinder as well. 8) 8)

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

I guess I wasn't done for the day

I am now.

 

[jackdaw]

Re: I dunno, she just flipped out! More props.

Roller!, sorta, the front tire is too big. A 26 x 2.125 fits, a 26 x 2.5 does not. I wonder if the seat looks too small? I think it will be ok when it is black and there is a big assembly of some sort welded on to hold it up. I'm pretty happy with how it's coming. I'm still undecided on the fork, whether to do a faux springer or a real one. Faux would be easier but... I think the stance is good, I like the bars and stem. Everything is going to be satin black except the frame which is going to be a flat red so dark it almost looks black.