1st Frame Build. A progress log/"build thread"

[mmoore]

Hi all,
I decided to post my frame build in a seperate thread from my question thread (http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...ame-40448.html).

I have come up with an autocad frame plan in hopes to build an aluminum bike as a warm up for a tandem bike build for my wife and I. The wife is getting on my case about getting the tandem done, so I anticipate this moving pretty quickly.


Basic design appearance:
frame3.jpg

Some design elements:
7005 alu TIG frame
steep front end- 73 degrees.
Discs
tapered steerer
Press fit bottom bracket
Laminated seat tube (35mm bottom with a 31.8 tube swaged to a light friction fit; inserted and welded/smoothed)
Oversized front triangle and chain stays with normal/smaller sized seat stays.
Clearance on the frame for a larger tire. tight 35c clearance should I change the fork out with a taller one and slacken the more agressive head tube angle.

I have all of the tubes in and some aluminum to build some tube blocks/frame jig bits with. I can post pictures of that, but its just a massive box of tubes.... enough for this bike and a tandem.

Use of the bike
As i would anticipate most people build their first frame- this should be a good all-rounder. It should be quick on asphalt with the proper tires, be able to handle some gravel if i decide i want to and "comfy" to be able to ride to work.... in jeans and a T.


Tube selection:

Nova tubes:
50.8 head tube for 44mm ZS/EC type headset.
35mm top tube. 1.3/0.8/1.3wall
42mm down tube 1.8/0.9/1.2wall
35mm seat tube: Part of this for the bottom bracket weld up to the 31.8 seat tube.

Fairing tubes:
31/19mm oval chain stays
31.8 single butted seat tube to use for insert into 35mm nova tube
12.7mm seat stays with 1.2mm wall



I will grab some pictures when I get some progress, but the thread can be posted since the design and tubes are locked and in stock.

Matt

[mmoore]

image.jpg


Wife pressing me to build the big bike took me to this today.

Fit up is pretty good, using a combo of hand and machine mitres.


The diagonal could fit better, but I will double pass it like I would my heavy wall. No problems yet, with all of the advice I have gathered I have everything straight as an arrow this far.

[mmoore]

Coming along

Having fun too.

20150502_132118.jpg

Single bike will come shortly after.

M

[werksmini]

How are you keeping everything in line?

[mmoore]

I welded the bottom brackets to the seat tubes in a fixture off of this. And spaced them off the plywood at the same spacing.

It's a lot of work keeping it straight this way, but out of this jig as is its only a few mm out over the whole length pre-weldment. I should be able to pull it back properly with final weldments.

This frame is off to powder in 3 weeks. I hope to have the single bike done then too. The tandem is getting a dormant purple powder from a local guy I have seen some of his work from. He uses emerald coatings products. https://emeraldcoatings.com/product/dormant-purple-2/

Can't wait to see how it looks.

M

[mmoore]

The major part of my frame is complete. (for those of you who didn't see it on the framebuilders facebook)


Just need to prep for powder and add my cable stops.


20150524_152057.jpg

It's pretty straight too. The captain seatpost is about 2mm to the left side but oddly the whole bike is straight. So it will ride fine.

[zank]

The dormant colors are beautiful. Here is the purple with a chrome basecoat.


Matt A by Mike Zanconato, on Flickr

[mmoore]

Amazing. The purple is the color I am doing. Im not sure about the base coat yet though.... I havent asked.

Is the dormant a semi-transparent?

[zank]

Yes, exactly. I really like the dormants with a bassboat gold or silver flame underneath. I've done the copper and green apples with gold flake. Looked awesome. A silver flake might look sweet under the purple

[mmoore]

so, pros... I have to ask the question although I know its debated all over.

Should I put a seat stay and chain stay bridge in? the seat stays in particular, there is almost no room to weld inside what would be a stay... it would almost become a solid part.

The chainstays could be long enough for a bridge, but only barely.





I should draft up some "as-built" drawings, becasue I know i didnt build it like anticipated... but im not going to tell you that i messed up :P the chainstays are actually closer to 410mm than the 420mm I planned.

[zank]

Yes on aluminum.

[progetto]

A bridge plate can also work, but not in the centre line of the stays, on top or bottom is safer structurally.

[mmoore]

i have lots of stock in 7005 tubing. I have a standard seat stay with brake mount i will likely put in so im able to add a dragger brake should the need arise.... like adding a tag-along to make this a 20 foot long bike lol.

[mmoore]

I was prepping the frame for powder last night and I noticed that my welds were pretty heavy in spots. I will need to ream quite a bit out of the seat tubes and as expected i will need to ream the head tube/bottom bracket and chase the threads on the rear bottom bracket.


I dont have and didnt use a heat sync when welding, but i did use an old mtb bottom bracket in the rear shell to keep the edge stability and threads... but the penetration of the welds went into the thread on the bottom bracket. Total penetration on all welds.

I contacted Emerald Coatings about their Dormant Purple. They said that a base coat is not needed or suggested because their dormant purple shade is a solid coverage (which jives with what my powder guy was suggesting). So i think I will forego the additional expense of a base coat of chrome/black chrome below the purple. The dormant purple powder does require a clear coat though, since it goes on a totally different shade (I had to youtube it to see that the base cures like a chalky grey without the clear on)


Q1:At what stage should I have the LBS with the proper reamers do this? before, or after powder?

--->My thought is I should have it prepped before powder and faced after powder (if needed).

Q2: Do you guys doing TIG frames weld it hot enough to get deep into the thicker parts like the bottom bracket, or was I running too hot?
--->Im thinking as long as i didnt totally mess up the bottom bracket there is no harm with the aluminum to smash the weld right in there. With a steel/stainless frame it might not be desireable because of increased HAZ and the weld will be much thicker than the thickness of the BB if your getting full pen on the BB and full pen on the DT/ST/CS.



Cheers,
Matt

[zank]

Ream, tap, and face after forced aging. Otherwise, you can easily seize and break a cutter.

[mmoore]

powder dude is doing that for me and hes a solid hour round trip drive.

Do i let him age/powder it and then i have the lbs finish that process?




Thanks for all of your wisdom Mr. Zank.

[Andrew R Stewart]

My choice (with steel frames) is to do all the finishing work prior to painting. This way there is less chance to have an expensive boo boo after paint. While often there will be a need to do some thread/face paint clean up the less one has to work on a fresh paint job the better. Andy.

[mmoore]

that's fair.
makes a lot of sense.

Now I just need to find some reamers to get the bb/head tube and seat tubes finished. none of the LBS' have reaming tools to finish the PF30/44mm HT or the seat tubes (27.2).

I have some history with some machine shops, so I will contact them. they likely have something to work.

[mmoore]

Anyone have an idea on where or who supplies pf30 under bb cable guides?

[mmoore]

Color close to the Zank...
Coater sent me this picture when he just saw the color turn with the clear.... I presume with full curing time it is a little bit darker, but if its not im happy with the color.

tandem2.jpg

Picking up the frame I hope tonight, will have it down to the LBS for English BB thread chasing and then I need to get it to a machine shop for reaming of the PF30, head tube and seat tubes.