CrowSeph

This frame hit the first spot on the cringe-list.
someone drilled two holes for bottlecage, since im restoing it i need to fix.
They drill the upper part and the bottom part of the tube too...


As now i just can't braze soldering

13ollocks

Your English is better than my Italian, but I still don't understand what you're asking. You have a frame that someone drilled holes in and you want to fill in the holes?

CrowSeph

Yes

ericoseveins

Sounds fun! If you want to fill the holes with metal, you're going to need a repaint. If it's just cosmetic then I would think body filler or a plug would be the way to go, followed by some touch up.

Trakhak

If the idea is to return the frame to its original (hole-less) state, you might want to ask the moderators to move this thread to the Framebuilders section. (To do so, click the round red "Report" button at bottom left in any of your posts in this thread.)

If you're thinking of adding appropriate bottle cage frame fittings, do a search for, e.g., bicycle water bottle metric nutserts or metric rivnuts.

Bill Kapaun

A simple picture or 2 would make things much easier to know what you are talking about!
There's really no excuse other than to drag things out, although you seem to enjoy that.
You are capable of creating videos, as in the link below, so a couple simple stills should not be beyond your capability.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...g-process.html

SurferRosa

It's almost 2024, and everyone has a smartphone. Show people some respect and post some photographs.

Chuck M 

It seems to me from the opening post, the OP is saying that whoever did the drilling, drilled through both sides of the tube. I agree with Tackhak that better answers will come from a frame builder. Filling four holes with metal is going to possibly heat the tubes in four spots and they may be better able to opine on what that heat will do to the temper of the steel.

The frame builder folks will appreciate pictures too.

wheelreason

Went back to reread, didn't get that either time.

Desert Ryder

someone drilled two holes for bottlecage,
They drill the upper part and the bottom part of the tube too: I take that as they drilled through the upper part of the tube all the way through the bottom of the same tube = 4 holes total.

Trakhak

Or drilled from the underside of the down tube upward (at least for the lower of the bolt holes), because they couldn't fit a hand drill in the cramped space near the junction of the seat tube and the down tube. ("Yeah, drilling this upper hole was no problem. Now I'll drill the bottom hole----oops.")

Iride01 

If the holes are in the proper place for a bottle cage to mount, then why not put some bottle cage bosses on it. Especially now if you are repainting it. You can get braze on threaded bosses for cheap or make them yourself.. Anyone that knows how to light a torch should be able to braze them on the bike. If it's an aluminum bike, then riv-nuts or something else will be needed.

But if you are bound and determined to fill them, then some sort of epoxy body filler or other type of filler that can be sanded. Be sure that the top hole isn't in the way of the seat post regardless of which way you decide to go.

wheelreason

So he drilled 2 holes AND 4 holes? ok then, did he use a drill bit made from a unicorn horn too?...

bboy314

It’s anyone’s guess until pics are provided. While we wait, I’ll get the healthy debate started: how many holes does a drinking straw have?

CrowSeph

holes are not even simmetrical, and the holes are not round.
probably i'm going to use a rivnut if i'am able to find the correct size. Another solution is to fill with epoxy and glass dust and make a tread for some bolts.
The normal soldering is excluded and as i said before the braze soldering is excluded too since the local guy who usually can do now seems closed for a while... damn i definitely have to buy the stuff to make those kind of soldering.

if anyone has even done this job before please share any photos.

CrowSeph

a straw has one one since it is a tube and the inside is connected, this frame has 4 because they are not even connected as a straw do.
the original owner must be very inteligent, spend lots of money for super record parts and then drill a hole instead buyng some bottlecage ties...

Chuck M 

A picture is worth a 1000 words.

CrowSeph

hopefully those words are how to fix da frame

unterhausen

The first words that come to mind are "oh ... my ... god." At least I see why they drilled all the way through the tube.

Assuming the tube isn't cracked, I would probably braze a patch over all 4 holes. The patches on top would get bottle bosses.

3alarmer 

.
...what kind of frame tubing is it ? Is it butted, and light gauge steel, or some sort of thicker straight gauge steel ?
I have repaired both sorts of drilled holes, using bottle bosses in butted steel. But I have also just left the holes alone in an older 531 frame.

My previous owners only drilled two holes, though. I wish they hadn't, but they did.

rickpaulos

OP is from Italy. My guess is the frame is a Legnano. Presumably named after the 1176 Battle of Legnano as the head badge depicts a solider in battle armor.

I run a bike coop that takes in over 500 bikes per year. I see several every year with owner drilled holes in them. Most get scrapped out or used for art projects. Some times a pair of holes is just 1 of many frame or part mods. Holes in stems or handlebars are never a good idea. One bike had some stickers (beer of course) over extra holes. Those extra holes are unlikely to affect the frame at that location. Down tube failures are typically at the bb or from the shifter mount area to the head tube. I've seen a few that cracked where the manufacturer drilled the frame for down tube lever mounts.

1970s-1980s Murray and Huffy bikes often had holes punched in the down tubes and the bottle mounts afixed with self-tapping screws. Crude for sure but at nearly no extra mfg cost.

One could put in 2 sets of rivnuts. There were plenty of touring bikes with a 3rd set of bottle mounts under the downtube. The holes should be plugged to keep water out of the frame.

Desert Ryder

Pic say's it all. 2 hole cage:4 holes. So yeah, apparently a Unicorn drill bit

WizardOfBoz

Agree that the down tube failure mode is not buckling in the middle - this part is generally in tension. Any crash sufficient to buckle that tube means you have more problems than water bottle holes. I'd remove the bottle hardware and inspect the holes, looking for cracks. If no cracks, the bike might be rideable as is.

For a more significant repair, evaluate the frame. Is it a hand-made lugged frame with high-end Columbus tubing, like a Specialissimo? Or a more unremarkable unspecified frame, like a Premio? (Assuming that the bike is indeed a Legnano).

If the frame is worth it, one could sand off paint, and silver braze small coupons of metal over each hole. But this would require a decent framebuilder and would be costly. And it would require paint touch up.

CrowSeph

It's a Legnano, but honestly does not seems a high tier. Even the model is not recognizable.
But the owner want to fix it. As now I need to find the local prices and then let him do his choice.

3alarmer 

...if it's not some sort of thin walled tubing (which apparently it is not), an acceptable fix for me would be to fill the holes you don't want to use with epoxy putty, sand, and paint over them. If you want to mount a bottle cage on the top holes, depending on tubing thickness and the size and condition of the holes now, It might make sense to just taps some threads into the tubing as it sits, and bolt to those holes.

Riv-nuts usually require making the holes even larger than they are now. That's a disadvantage. But I don't know how big they are now.