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#451
Senior Member
Well done for tackling Ti! Welds don't have to be the perfect stacks of dimes (although of course we'd all like that ngl). I'd be a bit more concerned about the places where it looks a bit like you might have some gaps or discontinuities, although it's hard to see from the photos.
Important for getting a perfect stack is good fit-up. But the skill to do a good weld with a slightly imperfect fit-up is also a useful one to have.
Important for getting a perfect stack is good fit-up. But the skill to do a good weld with a slightly imperfect fit-up is also a useful one to have.
#452
Junior Member
While things might not look super pretty, Ron Sutphin was observing/ inspecting and Mike DeSalvo was teaching and helping as well. If anything seemed like it was a structural issue, I'm sure they would have mentioned it and had me redo. This was all after a BB/Seat tube weld/break test (on scrap parts) to confirm that I was getting good penetration. So, hopefully, no failures in the coming years/miles. Some of the weird looking places were 'fixed' later in the process and some are just shadows where a lumpy area is making an OK area look like a gap. Not totally pretty, but as my dad would say, "at least people will look at it and believe you welded it." =P
Last edited by sdodd; 06-21-22 at 06:52 AM.
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#453
Senior Member
Thanks for the comments! Yes- lots of discontinuity in all of my stops and starts. And, a hole or two filled and some burned edges on the miter of some of the similarly sized tubes. Though, surprisingly, I was able to get decent welds between the top tube and down tube on my headtube with a big cup and a long stick out of the electrode. I had more of a problem continually bonking my head trying to see around the tubes.
While things might not look super pretty, Ron Sutphin was observing/ inspecting and Mike DeSalvo was teaching and helping as well. If anything seemed like it was a structural issue, I'm sure they would have mentioned it and had me redo. This was all after a BB/Seat tube weld/break test (on scrap parts) to confirm that I was getting good penetration. So, hopefully, no failures in the coming years/miles. Some of the weird looking places were 'fixed' later in the process and some are just shadows where a lumpy area is making an OK area look like a gap. Not totally pretty, but as my dad would say, "at least people will look at it and believe you welded it." =P
While things might not look super pretty, Ron Sutphin was observing/ inspecting and Mike DeSalvo was teaching and helping as well. If anything seemed like it was a structural issue, I'm sure they would have mentioned it and had me redo. This was all after a BB/Seat tube weld/break test (on scrap parts) to confirm that I was getting good penetration. So, hopefully, no failures in the coming years/miles. Some of the weird looking places were 'fixed' later in the process and some are just shadows where a lumpy area is making an OK area look like a gap. Not totally pretty, but as my dad would say, "at least people will look at it and believe you welded it." =P
I think stops and starts are actually good to do. Some people pride themselves on being able to weld 1/4 of the way round a tube or more without stopping. But you might be better just to do 1/2" or so and then move around the frame to distribute the heat and let things cool down. This is usually what I do. And wherever things are a bit sketchy, use the minimum heat you can to get a bead on there, even if it's sitting up a bit, and then just burn it in with a second pass. As soon as there is some weld there you won't get holes nearly so easily.
#454
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,874
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#455
E-bike first build
So, this is my first framebuild. Used Reynolds 631 for this and a Bafang kit G340 with Nexus 7 and Shimano roller brake to keep it simple. The frame is TIG welded. The «tank» is used to hide the battery. Logo in brass and etched. Letters in thin alu.
As a prototype i am happy with this. Handles great. Mainly used when out on trips with our RV ergo the name Carthago.
Next build will be a lady model with out the «tank» and with disc brakes.
As a prototype i am happy with this. Handles great. Mainly used when out on trips with our RV ergo the name Carthago.
Next build will be a lady model with out the «tank» and with disc brakes.
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#456
Newbie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: North Shore, BC
Posts: 17
Bikes: 2022 'Eventyr Ravn' Custom Ti Touring Bike, 2017 Norco VFR4 (Drop Bar Conversion), 2009 Specialized Crosstrail Elite
Likes: 0
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Not sure if I'll be celebrated or skinned alive for posting this here, but this is the closest I'll ever get to the wizardry that is framebuilding:
My custom touring bike, designed by yours truly and built by Titan Cycles, out of Xi'an, China.
Isn't she beautiful?
Final Design Drawing - Almost prettier than the frame...
Very rough sketch in BikeCAD - more importantly, this sketch helped me decide on my geo numbers
Bad photo, I know. Fully loaded/fitted for testing - not final parts spec
I'll mostly be riding on-road with this bike, but have futureproofed this bike with the ability to run 29x2.0" tires (or even 27.5x3.0" if I wanted to), adding sliding dropouts (for an IGH someday?), and relaxing the geometry slightly to increase the capability offroad. Going with a 70.5 degree head tube angle and a 60mm BB drop was probably not the smartest idea for a solely on-road touring bike (and I definitely notice it, especially the BB Drop), but the extra clearance and stability that provides is worth it to me.
I based the bike's geometry on a combination of bikes: think of this as a Kona Sutra mixed with a Moots Routt, with elements of Trek 520 and Surly LRT thrown in. I was also chasing an MTB-esque sloped top tube - partially for the additional exposed seatpost (more flex), and partially because I think it looks really cool. I'm still figuring things out fit-wise, but I really love the geometry - it fits me like a glove.
Due to Shimano's parts shortage (and the difficulty in finding legit parts in Canada), I've just thrown on a bunch of old/knockoff parts I had lying around. They fit on okay, and allowed me to stress-test the frame on a fully loaded 120km ride on Vancouver Island. I put a total of 115lb of gear on the frame, sat my 260lb rear-end on the saddle, and towed my 130lb sister and her 55lb bike up the hills - I'm proud to say that the only thing limiting my bike was my quadriceps and my lung capacity. Lateral stiffness was amazing!
Let me know what you guys think - I can't really alter the geometry (duh), but if you have any tips/noticed some glaring issue I missed, please let me know! As I said - I'm not a true framebuilder, but I'm proud of the job nonetheless.
Cheers
My custom touring bike, designed by yours truly and built by Titan Cycles, out of Xi'an, China.
Isn't she beautiful?
Final Design Drawing - Almost prettier than the frame...
Very rough sketch in BikeCAD - more importantly, this sketch helped me decide on my geo numbers
Bad photo, I know. Fully loaded/fitted for testing - not final parts spec
I'll mostly be riding on-road with this bike, but have futureproofed this bike with the ability to run 29x2.0" tires (or even 27.5x3.0" if I wanted to), adding sliding dropouts (for an IGH someday?), and relaxing the geometry slightly to increase the capability offroad. Going with a 70.5 degree head tube angle and a 60mm BB drop was probably not the smartest idea for a solely on-road touring bike (and I definitely notice it, especially the BB Drop), but the extra clearance and stability that provides is worth it to me.
I based the bike's geometry on a combination of bikes: think of this as a Kona Sutra mixed with a Moots Routt, with elements of Trek 520 and Surly LRT thrown in. I was also chasing an MTB-esque sloped top tube - partially for the additional exposed seatpost (more flex), and partially because I think it looks really cool. I'm still figuring things out fit-wise, but I really love the geometry - it fits me like a glove.
Due to Shimano's parts shortage (and the difficulty in finding legit parts in Canada), I've just thrown on a bunch of old/knockoff parts I had lying around. They fit on okay, and allowed me to stress-test the frame on a fully loaded 120km ride on Vancouver Island. I put a total of 115lb of gear on the frame, sat my 260lb rear-end on the saddle, and towed my 130lb sister and her 55lb bike up the hills - I'm proud to say that the only thing limiting my bike was my quadriceps and my lung capacity. Lateral stiffness was amazing!
Let me know what you guys think - I can't really alter the geometry (duh), but if you have any tips/noticed some glaring issue I missed, please let me know! As I said - I'm not a true framebuilder, but I'm proud of the job nonetheless.
Cheers
#457
Newbie
Bike number 2 is in the books. This is a bit gravel and a bit commuter with a little bike packing thrown in. It is all my friend said that he wanted. It was a fun project as I didn't have a clue how I was going to pull it off, but I'm really happy with how it came out!
Before paint. Doing a little testing!
Custom bike gets a custom rack...
Before paint. Doing a little testing!
Custom bike gets a custom rack...
#458
Junior Wingnut
Got my gravel frame to where I could finally ride it! It's ugly, but I kind of like it that way. Waiting on a better set of wheels to get built that will accommodate larger tires and then it will just need finishing touches!
#459
Steel is real
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Not far from Paris
Posts: 2,433
Bikes: 1992Giant Tourer,1992MeridaAlbon,1996Scapin,1998KonaKilaueua,1993Peugeot Prestige,1991RaleighTeamZ(to be upgraded),1998 Jamis Dragon,1992CTWallis(to be built),1998VettaTeam,1995Coppi(to be built),1993Grandis(to be built)
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835 Posts
#460
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 776
Bikes: Trek 970, Bianchi Volpe,Casati
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87 Posts
wow
I like the Curbdestroyer bike too.
Thought of a way to do tubes like that in carbon, ( sorry, if it works it'll be a "secret", if not I'll tell you.
Ultraman; tubes are all mold/ mandrel or bladder molded. Sorry no shortcuts I know of. I did build the main triangle tubes in 6.5 hrs though. 2lbs structural foam was left in the chain and seatstays. 11g's each.
Latest builds and a finished Hammerhead;
JM
Thought of a way to do tubes like that in carbon, ( sorry, if it works it'll be a "secret", if not I'll tell you.
Ultraman; tubes are all mold/ mandrel or bladder molded. Sorry no shortcuts I know of. I did build the main triangle tubes in 6.5 hrs though. 2lbs structural foam was left in the chain and seatstays. 11g's each.
Latest builds and a finished Hammerhead;
JM
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#461
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#462
Senior Member
Frame #11, seen here about to emerge from the garage in which it was created. My first build, 6y ago now, was a fixie, and to be fair it was fine. I put enough miles on it to wear out two chains with no issues. But it had enough imperfections to bother me: the TT sloped down slightly because I hadn't accounted for lower stack; the dropouts had to be slightly filed to get the right alignment; and one of welds was a bit lumpy after I made a hole and had to fill it in.
So this is a rebuild with the same components, and basically the same geometry (after correcting the lower stack mistake). The TT is horizontal this time, the head angle quite slack at 72, because toe-overlap on a fixie is something you do want to avoid. The seat tube angle is 73, and chain-stay length a reasonable and moderate 415mm. BB drop is 70mm, and I never get any pedal strike (165mm cranks).
I have made a few forks since frame #1 but making the fork is not advisable on the first build. So this is a cromoly one from Brick Lane Bikes.
Tubing is Reynolds 631 in .8/.5/.8 for the main triangle (although the head-tube is Columbus Zona-- left over from the tubes for the first frame, since the HT they supplied was about 3 feet long!) and Reynolds 525 for the rear triangle. No bridge tubes or cable stops because this is a custom fixie and only needs a front brake. It's all TIG welded apart from some TIG brazing where the seat-stays are attached. The frame weighs 1.65kg. Alignment is absolutely bob-on and the dropouts have not been filed.
Paint is Montana Gold acrylic, Magenta and Shock Cream rattle cans, plus Spray Max 2K clear, and whatever flies decided to embalm themselves in it while it was drying. Colour scheme inspired by Henry Wildeberry's Colnago on his YouTube channel.
The car works too, and has also received some treatment from the TIG welder.
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#463
Newbie
I finished my first frame this summer, so I thought I'd post some pictures of it. I had initially received some helpful advice here on the forum, so thanks to Andrew Stewart, Doug Fattic, Unterhausen, and everyone else for their help. One of the surprising things was how I ended up solving certain fixturing problems with CAD and 3D prints. Use the skills you have I guess. The lug close up shot shows some blackened flux and (what I think is called) copper separation, which I believe are indicators of too much/too long heat, at least on the outer surface of the lug, but the fact that I was able to pull bronze through the whole joint makes me feel reasonably confident about the joints. Practice makes better.
Stamped lugs
Pacenti BB
28.6/31.8, 1" HT
Scavenged a fork with the right crown->axle
Straight gauge + butted ST
Stamped lugs
Pacenti BB
28.6/31.8, 1" HT
Scavenged a fork with the right crown->axle
Straight gauge + butted ST
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#464
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,874
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Looks good. If you manage to spill brass onto the outside of a lug, it's really difficult to keep from overheating it and getting copper precipitation. The shorelines look good to me, unless I'm missing something
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#465
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 18,341
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
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Looks nice. I, too, often use bronze for lugs and agree that it's hard to not get some flux burn. Are the rear dropouts your own? Is their slot long enough to handle gearing changes?
I was just on the phone with Doug F this morning. He's helping me with painting. A really nice guy. Andy
I was just on the phone with Doug F this morning. He's helping me with painting. A really nice guy. Andy
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AndrewRStewart
AndrewRStewart
#466
Newbie
Thanks. The dropouts are just some plates I made, with fender/rack mounts fillet brazed onto them. I probably could have cut the chain a link shorter to get the wheel more in the middle of the dropout, but it's working ok as-is. Gearing changes would be infrequent