Skill level

Philphine · Jan 5, 2011

i think i'm getting better. compared to others maybe not so much, but i'm happy enough with what i'm able to pull off so far.

i'm still at the tear up and re-assemble stage, so i'm limited to bikes i find as material for what i build. like right now i've finally started a full on recumbent i've always wanted to try, but i'm looking for a particular type of bike for the boom section, where someone better might build what they want from raw tubing. it doesn't bother me though, 'cause i kinda like standing back and seeing how each piece came together to make what i wanted out of it.

anyway, do what you can, learn from it, and try to build on it for the next time...

...or check my sig

skillsthebarber · Jan 5, 2011

I knew it was going to be slow at work so I brought my new welder to try it out. One thing im working on is a laid back seatpost. So I gave it a whirl, and nothing happened. I pulled the trigger, wire came out but....nothing else happened. So I checked everything, read the instructions and couldnt figure out what I was doing wrong. Well one of my clients walked up and said "why are you grounding the welder to the fence, and not the piece of metal that your trying to weld? Ummmmmm, because i'm a dummy and diddnt think about completing the electrical circuit. So after that I was up and running. I got the seatpost welded up, its not the prettiest weld ever, but thats why I have a file. Tomorrow I have to make a support bracket and weld it up. It was fun.

Uncle Stretch · Jan 6, 2011

Skills that is funny. I use a bolt head on my vice to ground my welder. Since I use my vice for lots of things during a build I don't want that clamp on what I'm welding. It always falls off and then your ready to weld and you pull the trigger and the wire jumps out , but nothing happens. Can't for the life on me figure out why I have never welded something bigger on that bolt head where it will clamp good. I will next time I start. :roll: :roll:

stretch · Jan 6, 2011

and that is why i wish my bench was made of (preferably stainless)steel. :lol: i hate trying to ground a funky frame when its all held up by bricks, jack stands, and random nick nacks.

Tommy Atoms · Jan 6, 2011

Keep at it guys. My welds used to look like boogers and chewing gum too. Nobody ever starts out with perfect welds. In fact most of learning to weld is done by making mistakes. I took one welding class just to get the basics and make mistakes on the schools equipment. As for frame building, Im afraid I would eventually loose interest in it so I dont want to invest in specialized equipment. My interests are all over the place any more and Im always just trying to keep making stuff. Here are some trophies I just built for the Freakbike Great lakes banquet in Dec.

Chainsaw · Jan 6, 2011

Hey Tommy that looks just like the one that we got in our dining area! Oh yeah that's right! We won it for "Kicka_ _ Couple"! Really looks good on the shelf!