Maybe one more

[bean]

Its my fault. I thought that you could bend two tubes alike and then weld them a little at the front and when you bend them apart they would bend the same. It dosent seem to work like that. If anybody has worked with curved tubes before ...they dont stay the same when you try to put them together. One is bad enough and it will be hard to line it up straight...two is a nightmare.

Uncle Stretch, the only way to get the tubes to bend evenly and exactly where you want is to use heat (Oxy Acetylene). Even pieces of tube/pipe cut from the one length will bend differently when cold....it has to do with the manufacturing process - slightly different wall thickness, differing levels of hardness due to cooling process etc.
There are a lot of variables in tube/pipe manufacture, especially the Chinese manufactured stuff, and unfortunately here in Australia, that is what we mostly get, and any Aussie made stuff that is available is suffering in quality due to having to compete with the Chinese stuff.....built to a price, not quality .

 

[Bettleguise]

open letter to the Uncle......
This makes me sad, that twin tube design was the essence of this build. Could you somehow include the rear triangle of a cantilever frame, flip it upside down and get the thing aligned right?

On another note, I like those videos you have. You should really video document an entire build and put it on you tube. I would edit it down from 8 hours to 10 minutes for you, throw a little background music and some FX, and bam it would be a hit.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Yeah this stuff is made in Mexico so there is no telling of the quality. I have use quiet a bit of it and is all differant sizes. I guess they just make whatever they can and my steel place buys it. I have gotten to where I measure several before I let them load it. I really didnt spread it apart much . I was sure thinking it would spread 4'' in 4 feet and stay somewhere near the same. I know better now. Sure wasted alot of work. But I will get a frame out of it one way or the other. I'm just glad the top did ok or I would have to be changing it too.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

open letter to the Uncle......
This makes me sad, that twin tube design was the essence of this build. Could you somehow include the rear triangle of a cantilever frame, flip it upside down and get the thing aligned right?

Yeah I'm not real happy about it either. When you have everything with a curved tube and its wider in the back , there is nothing to measure too. I would clamp one side in my vice to hold it and it would want to straighten out the tubing. With no straight anything to go by, there would be no way to square up the bottom bracket. Its one of those things like a hurricane...you hate to see it happen ,but there isn't a dang thing you can do about it. I have tried to make everybody understand. I'm not a fabricator or anybody with any great metal skills. I can get into something design wise that is over my head. This is an example. I know you could probably build some kind of a wooden form that is the shape your building and clamp the tubes to it and get it right...wont happen here. I build simple and when it gets complex it usually winds up in pieces on my floor. Like Dirty Harry said ...A man has to know his limitations.

Those little videos take about 20 minutes to download onto photobucket. If I did a video on building a frame it would take a week to download and probably use up what space I have left on Photobucket. :shock: :shock:

 

[bikeriderx]

Hey! Good on 'ya, U.S.!! You're still an inspiration to ME! That frame looks sick! I'd ride that bike anywhere...Way to "push the envelope"! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Hey thanks Bikeriderx , glad you like it. I'm sure whatever I build out of it , that I can make it look pretty good. Gives everybody something to watch while their weather is bad. :wink:

 

[ej599]

Looks good. How do you 'roll' your tubing?

 

[Uncle Stretch]

With that 5/8 pipe I used my Harbor Freight tubing roller bender. I left the 1 1/2'' dies in and just rolled it a few times. It bends it really quick. Alot faster than it does the 1 1/2'' tubing. Tried it with some of the same stuff ,but 1'' . it wouldnt touch it. Way too thick.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Well most of the day was spent measuring and changing things to make it right. Its really close on every measurement ...straight and looking good. I built the dropouts and the chainstays. Tomorrow will be welding the rest of it up and then grinding the welds. Its looking alot better than it was. :lol: :shock: :lol:

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Well a whole day spent welding everything up,and sanding down all the welds smooth. It's looking pretty good. Gotta few more things to do and then its on to the bondo shop.

 

[user 135]

Looking good. I like the changes and the twin top tubes looks awesome.

 

[Bettleguise]

So how does the seat post go in there? Slowly with a lot of back and forth with the pipe bender.

 

[Rat Rod]

Wow...the twin top tubes are AWESOME!!! :shock: :mrgreen: :shock: :mrgreen:

 

[bikeriderx]

Wow...the twin top tubes are AWESOME!!! :shock: :mrgreen: :shock: :mrgreen:

Fer' shizzle!! :mrgreen: Real nice touch!

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Looking good. I like the changes and the twin top tubes looks awesome.

It was changed by lack of ability Clancy. The other design got me.

So how does the seat post go in there? Slowly with a lot of back and forth with the pipe bender.

Its pretty simple. You stick a piece of Schwinn heavy duti top tubing in first. Then a piece of Western Flyer seatpost in next and the a western flyer seatpost tube fits perfect. You plug weld the first two and it works good. :lol: :wink:

Wow...the twin top tubes are AWESOME!!! :shock: :mrgreen: :shock: :mrgreen:

Thanks Steve Its been a struggle , but I'm thinking its going to look nice when I'm done.

Wow...the twin top tubes are AWESOME!!! :shock: :mrgreen: :shock: :mrgreen:

Fer' shizzle!! :mrgreen: Real nice touch!

Thanks glad you like it. Its alot more work than single tubes, not sure if it will be worth the effort.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Somehow I'm going to get these Schwalbs on this bike. Mark assures me that they will go with red paint. I'm dying to try out that duplicolor red metal specks , So we will see. Also I'm cutting a radius in those dropouts. They will look like gussets instead of that monstrosity point sticking forward.

 

[udallcustombikes]

I used the Burnt Copper Metal Specks on by Flatliner and it looks awesome. Only problem I had was the nozzle getting clogged up alot. I found two extra nozzles and kept them soaking in acetone until the one in use clogged, then I would swap them out and add the clogged one to the acetone. Pretty good coverage in one or two coats.

 

[Rat Rod]

The candy red color should look really nice on this bike.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

I used the Burnt Copper Metal Specks on by Flatliner and it looks awesome. Only problem I had was the nozzle getting clogged up alot. I found two extra nozzles and kept them soaking in acetone until the one in use clogged, then I would swap them out and add the clogged one to the acetone. Pretty good coverage in one or two coats.

I talked to some young guys once and they said they used some special nozzles that taggers used and the paint was suppose to come out better on any can. I have tried a differant brand of flake paint and it got darker with each coat , so if you didnt put even total coats on it came out splotchy.

Yeah Steve with it red and the tan schwalbes on it ....should be a nice combo....I hope.

 

[Rat Rod]

You need to use a white primer too. :wink: