A Father-Daughter Build Thread

[cblandford]

So remember when I wrote about brazing practice? And how I mentioned that if someone wanted to punch out a bunch of mitered stubs on their milling machine for me that I'd be hugely appreciative?

Well, Brian (aka claritycycler) just sent me a few dozen little mitered stubs. I was (mostly) kidding when I asked--but wow, how awesome is that? I know what I'll be doing the next few evenings.

Thanks again Brian!

-Chris

[Thomas Norton]

Hey Doug! If I send you tubing would you do this????😁😁😁

[cblandford]

Apologies for the lack of updates on this project. It’s been an odd month. Last I checked in, I had just dropped off Mathilda’s bike for paint.

Mathilda and I drew up the paint scheme together. We sat at our coffee table one evening, went through paint swatches, and clicked around in Illustrator/InDesign. I think I blew her mind--manipulating the look of a bicycle drawing on a computer screen. I hadn’t realized that she’d always equated creativity with paper and crayons; this was her first experience with computer-based design. Pretty fun.







Here’s what we delivered to the guys out at Black Magic Paint. I told them we were flexible on everything, but didn’t want to leave them directionless. Pink and purple giraffe--have at it. (By the way, if you’re following along, you’ll have guessed that I missed Mathilda’s birthday by a couple of weeks. She ate an extra piece of cake and couldn’t have cared less. Father-failures... Maybe next time!)

Last week, I rode back out to Black Magic and picked the little frame up. They nailed it. It's bright as hell. The opposite of my own taste. Perfect. When I got it home, Mathilda freaked out. Hysterical belly laughter. Touching every inch of it. She couldn’t wait to show it to Nellie (her little, stuffed giraffe).









Now the frame is back down in my studio, and I’m figuring out the last few parts. I think I’m about ready to assemble… I just need to strip a few more anodized bits (tiny, silver parts are tough to find!) and get the wheels built up. I’ll go over those details once the bike is finished.

Finally, while Mathilda’s bike was at paint, I managed to get the adult-sized version built as well. I’ll spare you the play-by-play this time around, but I do have some photos and a couple thoughts to share. I’ll do that in the next few days.

The completion of this project is going to come at just the right time. We’re not going too stir crazy just yet, but teaching Mathilda to ride a bike out on our (now empty) street will be a welcome bit of something-new. Hope you all are finding ways to stay sane as well.

-Chris

[mnoble485]

Chris,
This so neat on so many levels. Congratulations!

Mike

[cblandford]

Chris,
This so neat on so many levels. Congratulations!

Mike

Thanks, Mike. Glad you like it!

-Chris

[Matthew Strongin]

Amazing. What a cool paint job for an awesome little bike. Thanks for sharing the process with us!

[Colinmclelland]

The opposite of my own taste. Perfect. When I got it home, Mathilda freaked out. Hysterical belly laughter. Touching every inch of it. She couldn’t wait to show it to Nellie (her little, stuffed giraffe).
-Chris

Well done. That is such a cool bike. And it seems like not keeping her birthday present a secret was the right choice.

Hell, i'm enjoying watching via the interweb, i can only imagine how much Mathilda is enjoying being part of it!

[cblandford]

... And it seems like not keeping her birthday present a secret was the right choice...

Definitely the right choice. I think she'll enjoy/value riding/owning it more, having had a hand in it along the way.

Amazing. What a cool paint job for an awesome little bike. Thanks for sharing the process with us!

For sure - thanks for following along!


-Chris

[cblandford]

Here are the highlights from the adult-sized build:









This one came together pretty quick, while Mathilda's bike was out for paint. I used the same dropouts/track ends as on the little bike. I also tried to finish them in a similar fashion--rounded over tabs, etc. I ended up indenting the chain stays on this one, though. This bike is going to run 700c x 38mm tires--needed a bit of clearance with the straight, oval chain stays. I'd never indented chain stays before, but it went fine. Made a quick die from a wooden tubing block I had lying around. I also raked the ends of the chain stays, so that the slot in the track end would end up horizontal without having to angle anything. I'm not sure if most track ends are pitched on purpose or what (as my quick Google search seemed to indicate), but this is what made sense to me.













I again rolled the twin tubes on my new roller. I ended up rolling these in steps... First across their entire length, and then tighter in only the rear (seat stay) half. So, the bends of those tubes--essentially--have a gradually decreasing radius. You wouldn't notice unless you really studied them, but I think the lines turned out nice. In this case, I didn't have to split them in half, either. They were able to run in a straight line from head tube to dropout.

I ended up doing something different for the seat tube brace/bridge bit. It lays on top of the twin tubes, instead of nestling down in between them. I like the way this version turned out. That fillet around the seat tube is nice and even, whereas on Mathilda's bike it waves up and over the twin tubes and back down into the brace portion. (The asymmetrical curve there does, however, match Mathilda's bike. Just in the opposite direction. Together, they form a sorta semicircle.) The binders, head tube rings, fork, and stem more-or-less match those on the little bike.











About halfway through building this frame, I decided not to have it painted. I thought it'd be more fun to experiment with a few things. Namely, I left the bike lacking bridges--I'm curious as to how noodle-y it'll ride, especially given the skinny twin tubes. I may ride it a bit, add bridges, ride it some more, etc. Leave it raw. Use it as learning tool. Having a pair of pink-giraffe bikes would have been fun, but at least this decision will leave Mathilda's bike unique.

That's it! I've just about got both bikes built up. I'll share the end result of these efforts soon.

-Chris

[cblandford]

Here’s how I finished the adult-sized bike.








I’ve received quite a few emails about this finish… Keep in mind, this bike is going to see very few, sunshine-only miles per week. I’m not worried at all about durability or rust. I wanted something that looked ok and that I could remove/touch up easily down the road.

After looking into it (thanks Archives), I learned that there are a few ways to do this. As I understand it, the professional version is something like a true black oxide coating plus a wet clear coat. What I went with was:

1. Cold gun blue (for the color)
2. A hardening oil (for sealing)
3. Metal wax (for protection of the underlying oil)

I used Birchwood Casey Permablue, boiled linseed oil, and Sculpt Nouveau black metal wax. Those could be swapped out for any similar products. Followed the instructions for each--very straightforward.

(If any professional metal people out there have input, I’m sure it’d be appreciated here, given the number of inquiries I’ve received!)

Couple notes: I basically gave the whole frame a half-assed polish (down to 800 grit, more or less) before blueing. That’s where the shine comes from… The frame was shiny the whole way through the process, not just post-wax. Took two rounds of blueing to get the color where I wanted it. Steel wool during application helped get everything even.

Oil was applied immediately after the blueing was done. A couple coats of wax were applied once the oil was hard.

The finish looks nice, but we’ll have to see how it holds up. I don’t think I’d do this for a bike that would see any real use. And be warned... This finish leaves NOWHERE to hide. The blue doesn't oxidize the silver and bronze (obviously). I'm already embarrassed enough by my brazing... Doing this certainly didn't help my self-confidence. Ha!

Anyway, there you go.

Bikes are both built. Just waiting on a saddle (en route) for Mathilda’s bike. Then it’s photos and pedal bike lessons.

-Chris

[Rich Beaudoin]

I'm already embarrassed enough by my brazing...

I’ve made over a dozen fillet brazed frames and never had such nice looking welds.
This looks great to my eyes

[Andrew R Stewart]

Chris- What "bluing" agent do you use to result in the deep color of the steel? Andy

[cblandford]

...This looks great to my eyes

Thanks!

Chris- What "bluing" agent do you use to result in the deep color of the steel? Andy

Andy - This was Permablue. Took a couple applications to get it that deep. Stem in one go. Fork in two sections. Frame in four sections. In the sun, it's much more dark chocolate than charcoal/blue.

-Chris

-Chris

[Andrew R Stewart]

Thanks, I've used Navel Jelly and Loctite Rust Inhibitor but the results are more dark grey. It's too bad that clear over raw steel is so poor a "paint". I do like your frame's color. Andy

[cblandford]

Took photos of both bikes on Monday.
Here are a few of Mathilda's:



















For the curious, I'll post a parts list in a bit.
Happy Wednesday.

-Chris

[Colinmclelland]

... I'm already embarrassed enough by my brazing... Doing this certainly didn't help my self-confidence. Ha!-Chris

Seriously?

That is a damn nice bike. Maybe if people were paying you their hard earned for it you could be picky, but to be able to turn bike tubes into that is more than a little bit cool.

Any time your brazing embarrassment gets too much for you drop me a note and I'll talk you through how far ahead you are of a normal punter!

Great bikes. I have so enjoyed seeing them created. Thanks.

[Matthew Strongin]

Still my favorite thread.

Chris, Mathilda’s bike is fantastic!

[cblandford]

Seriously?

...Maybe if people were paying you their hard earned for it you could be picky...

Ha - thanks Colin. I appreciate that!

... Chris, Mathilda’s bike is fantastic!

Thanks!


-Chris

[cblandford]

Here are some photos of the father-half of this project:














And that's that! Mathilda needs another inch or two before she'll be able to flat foot her bike and give pedaling a go. It's just... a bit... too... tippy-toes at the moment. Give her a few days.

I've been riding my new bike around the neighborhood and for exercise/sanity quite a bit. It's pretty fun! Noodle-y for sure, but actually rides really nice. I think I'll keep it together as is until I grow tired of it, and then use the parts as a starting point on something new. Who knows.

It's been fun. Only one more photo to post... Whenever Mathilda and I get out for a ride together, I'll be sure to have my wife grab a snap, and we'll conclude this thread appropriately.

Until then, thanks for following along!

-Chris




PS. Oh right... Nerd Info!

Daughter:

- Chris King 1" Threadless Headset, Purple
- Paul Comp Minimoto Brakes w/ Pink Adjusters
- Milwaukee Track Hubs + Woom 16" (305 BSD) Rims
- Kenda tires
- Tektro mini levers, powder stripped and brush finished
- Spawn Cycles 102mm Crankset, anodizing stripped and brush finished
- Generic 19mm grip-area aluminum riser bars, powder stripped and brush finished
- Chromag Radar Jr pedals, decleated
- Newbaums wrap
- Thomson post
- SDG Fly Jr saddle

This bike weighs in at 13.5 lbs. Compared to the listed weights of some productions models, that's not too bad. The Cleary I purchased weighs just over 16 lbs. (And yah, I had to purchase a bike scale thing to weigh these! Ha... I've never weighed a bike or part before. I was curious, though.)


Father:

- Chris King 1" Threadless Headset, Pewter
- Paul Comp Minimoto Brake w/ Pink Adjusters
- Paul E-brake lever
- Paul Comp high flange hubs + 700C Velocity Aileron rims (Sugar Wheelworks built)
- 38mm Panaracer Gravelking Slick tires
- Paul Comp crankset
- MKS pedals/cages
- Brooks Swift saddle and Brooks wrap
- Nitto Nordeast Bar
- Leftover whiskey (I believe these came from Burnside Rye) cork end plugs.

[Colinmclelland]

That father bike is just embarrassing for everyone involved.

If I were you i'd want to send it as far away from me as I could. A quick check on google maps suggests Australia. What a co-incidence. The things I do! We'll say no more;)