STRANGELOVE

Dr S":2n3iaswm said:
FIRST SPY SHOTS!

Here is frame number two.just a few teasers for now.

Its a 26' wheel hardtail. Its a large size as its going to Gil_M.

Basic details....

Reynolds 853 main triangle, True Temper rear end. S bend stays, breezer dropouts, 2.5 tyre clearance, built to run 69.5 head and 71 degree angles with a 140mm fork running 20% sag.

Frame has been constructed with TIG but will have all joints finished with nice smooth 'Faux Fillets' and the headtube area will have a Bilaminate treatment.

Bi-lam is an old english method that came about after the war when there was a real shortage of lugs. It involves cutting shapes out of flat steel, rolling it around the tube, before brazing into place to get the lugged look. Its largely decorative but also strengthens the headtube top, bottom and at the rear. Once they are on, and the rear portions are radiused into the top and down tubes with fillets it gives the impression that the headtube floats in a unitary front triangle. The added strength also negates the need for ugly gussets that production builders need to get through the CEN tests.

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Here you can see the top and bottom parts of the bi-lam or 'faux' lug taking shape. A little more tweeking and filing and they can be brazed into place. The back bone isnt in the pic, I'm still making it, but will join the two pictured parts by wrapping around the back of the headtube between the tubes and out to run down the side of the head tube.

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Heres the BB area. Now its TIG'd up it can be cleaned ready for the faux fillets. I've added a few small gussets to this area as the chainstays are bridgeless and it needs beefing up a little. I don't want any breakages!

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A few random shots of the welding. Some folk add faux fillets to hide crappy welds. I just want to show you that these welds are pretty neat. Almost a shame to cover them up actually.
Seat mast is unfinished. I'm going to carve it into a micer shape before adding the braze on bold binder.

Thats your lot for now. I'm hoping to get the brazing done at the weekend and then get it all filed and sanded prior to paint. I will pop some more pics up when the fillets are done.

Si
 
gibbleking":3vw878st said:
Could I have a shot of underneath the bb please....if possible ...thanks..ta ...danke shon...

Here you go Gibble.

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Its a Paragon Machine Works bottom bracket. I wish I had gone for an eccentric now so this frame could be run SS. With the tyre clearance it would have made a great winter bike.

Just finishing the third part of the bi-lam lugwork this morning so I can start brazing up. Its proving tricky and I've already binned 3 attempts.

Si
 
Nothing much to report I'm afraid. So super busy at work at this time of year. I've managed to put the brake hose guides on the rear stay, carved the top of the seat tube into its final shape and brazed on the seat clamp bosses. I just need to file down the braze in that area to finish off. I'm hoping to get the rest of the brazing work finished at the weekend so I can file and sand the fillets next week.

Tubeset has arrived for my 29er frame and the guys in the machine shop finally have my sliding drop outs finished. I can't wait to see them in the flesh because on paper they looked sweet.

Speaking of the 29er... Just been talking to an old boy who is a genius with wood. I plan to make a truss rod fork for the bike and want to try Hickory for the trusses. He says he can hot steam them into the required shape for me. So the fork will have a custom bi-plane crown, true temper curved blades, stainless hand made dropouts and polished hickory truss rods. That will look sub zero cool. :cool:
 
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