VERY technical history question about ti frames.

[suburbanreuben]

Raleigh built their own in the UK

the thing is, there's really no such thing as a bad Ti welder - since it's so difficult to work with, they're generally well proven as being top workers on other metals first

Have you seen Raleigh's ti frames?
Have you?
:shock:

the later ones are great frames. ok so the early ones are cack....

Go on then, show us a later one...

 

[Rich Aitch]

Raleigh jobbies were welded up by Raleigh Special Products in Nottingham. I'm guessing that Oranges' were made by A-Pro in Taiwan, as I think most of their steel and Aluminium O's were done by A-Pro.

 

[cce]

well, there's this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/r-s-p-titanium-mt ... 0958207074

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Who made the Bontrager Ti frames?

 

[cce]

It has nothing much to do with welding skills as such, rather that you need to weld in an inert atmosphere free of impurities by using shielding equipment, which only specialist facilities can achieve. However proficient the welding, if there are any impurities in a ti weld, it will be liable to crack in service.

Thing is, because the gear is so costly, they'd surely only let time-served proven "good" welders on it. If all Ti Welders are "good" welders then in theory it's only the geometry and tube thickness seperating the frames

 

[ferrus]

It has nothing much to do with welding skills as such, rather that you need to weld in an inert atmosphere free of impurities by using shielding equipment, which only specialist facilities can achieve. However proficient the welding, if there are any impurities in a ti weld, it will be liable to crack in service.

Thing is, because the gear is so costly, they'd surely only let time-served proven "good" welders on it. If all Ti Welders are "good" welders then in theory it's only the geometry and tube thickness seperating the frames

There's been a few cases of 'beautifully' welded, high quality frames cracking from inadequate purging though, -Clark Kent comes to mind?

 

[Drencrom]

Who made the Bontrager Ti frames?

Sandvik, I seem to recall - who became Titanium Sports Technology (TST).

 

[cce]

It has nothing much to do with welding skills as such, rather that you need to weld in an inert atmosphere free of impurities by using shielding equipment, which only specialist facilities can achieve. However proficient the welding, if there are any impurities in a ti weld, it will be liable to crack in service.

Thing is, because the gear is so costly, they'd surely only let time-served proven "good" welders on it. If all Ti Welders are "good" welders then in theory it's only the geometry and tube thickness seperating the frames

There's been a few cases of 'beautifully' welded, high quality frames cracking from inadequate purging though, -Clark Kent comes to mind?

theory often falls down in practice.....

 

[FMJ]

My Xizang was built in GT's Tech Shop in California. Earlier frames were built somewhere in Canada, and possibly also by Sandvik, but never by Litespeed.

Maurice Lavioe in Whistler, BC. The lack of markings/numbers on my Xizang suggests it was one of his, as Sandvik usually stamped theirs.

 

[Benandemu]

I seem to recall something about the early welded Raleigh frames being the first to be produced entirely by robots in Birmingham, by a contractor. The tubing came from Russia though, I think. The costs were kept low as there was minimal labour involved. Sadly these frames were inferior in quality and the tubing was known to crack.

Their Dyna Tech range was bonded by the special products division, and again the tubes were Russian sourced. 3-2.5 ti to start and then a commercially pure titanium after 1991 ish.