On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 5:03 PM, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Guys -
> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where > to source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and
how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or
steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most
anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e.
20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can
budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com
are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the
machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com.
With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that,
Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link
to their website:
I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small
quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding
shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about
building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody
else doing any bike hacking?
> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where to
> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
> This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link > to their website:
> I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody > else doing any bike hacking?
> --BillT
> On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz<ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Hi Guys -
>> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where to >> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
I'd definitely like to do some bike hacking, but I don't know the first place to start. I'd definitely be interesting in learning though if anyone wanted to show us noobs some stuff. I can't imagine I'm the only person interested but without the know how?
shawn
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 8:18 PM, Mark J. Koch <m...@maehem.com> wrote:
> http://www.mcmaster.com is not local but they usually ship stuff out of > los angeles area in a couple days and have pretty low shipping rates.
> Mark
> On 3/19/12 7:12 PM, BillT wrote:
>> This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and >> how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or >> steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most >> anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. >> 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can >> budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com >> are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the >> machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. >> With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, >> Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link >> to their website:
>> I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small >> quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding >> shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about >> building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody >> else doing any bike hacking?
>> --BillT
>> On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz<ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi Guys -
>>> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where >>> to >>> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
I'm just starting also. I just moved into my new house last month and finished setting up my workshop this weekend. So now I'm itching to weld something!
I bought a few plans from atomiczombie.com. I thought I'd build the cyclebully trailer as a first project:
Assuming that goes well, my summer project will likely be the Kyoto tandem trike:
Anyone that wants to come by while I flail around in the shop is welcome. :)
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:12 PM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link > to their website:
> I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody > else doing any bike hacking?
> --BillT
> On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi Guys -
> > Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where > to > > source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
If you're looking to do a "standard" bike read on.. recumbents or otherwise ignore this email. :)
<commercial break> I might be convinced to part with my extra set of Dedacciai chromoly double butted tubes. Complete for a whole set - head, top, seat, & down tubes, seat & chain stays. I don't remember if I have dropouts though. No Bottom bracket.
Strong enough for mountain bike. long enough for road bike. fillet braze or TIG weld. Will build a sub 5lb. frame.
Also have extra uncarved Pacenti lugs (including lugged bottom bracket - english thread) for a road/track bike for silver brazing.. I don't remember the geometry, might be stamped on them. </commercial break>
Now that the commercial is over, I wouldn't recommend tube stock for building bikes, too heavy. But really depends on what you're building.. A "standard" road or mountain bike can be built with less than $100 in decent tubes (think top of the line steel frame from the mid-90's).
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 8:23 PM, shawn looker <e...@curs.es> wrote: > I'd definitely like to do some bike hacking, but I don't know the first > place to start. I'd definitely be interesting in learning though if anyone > wanted to show us noobs some stuff. I can't imagine I'm the only person > interested but without the know how?
> shawn
> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 8:18 PM, Mark J. Koch <m...@maehem.com> wrote:
>> http://www.mcmaster.com is not local but they usually ship stuff out of >> los angeles area in a couple days and have pretty low shipping rates.
>> Mark
>> On 3/19/12 7:12 PM, BillT wrote:
>>> This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and >>> how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or >>> steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most >>> anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. >>> 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can >>> budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com >>> are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the >>> machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. >>> With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, >>> Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link >>> to their website:
>>> I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small >>> quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding >>> shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about >>> building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody >>> else doing any bike hacking?
>>> --BillT
>>> On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz<ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi Guys -
>>>> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on >>>> where to >>>> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay >>>> vendors?
The Kyoto Tandem looks like a sweet ride! Most of the frame looks
like thin wall square tubing. You might be able to recycle some junk
bikes for the rest of the parts. BTW, welding in our 112F summers is
not fun. I usually save my welding projects for the other 4 months of
the year. Wasn't there talk about doing a bike exchange out of the
new space when it's ready?
--BillT
On Mar 19, 8:38 pm, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com> wrote:
> I'm just starting also. I just moved into my new house last month and
> finished setting up my workshop this weekend. So now I'm itching to weld
> something!
> I bought a few plans from atomiczombie.com. I thought I'd build the
> cyclebully trailer as a first project:
> Assuming that goes well, my summer project will likely be the Kyoto tandem
> trike:
> Anyone that wants to come by while I flail around in the shop is welcome. :)
> Mike
> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:12 PM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and
> > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or
> > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most
> > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e.
> > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can
> > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com
> > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the
> > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com.
> > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that,
> > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link
> > to their website:
> > I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small
> > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding
> > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about
> > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody
> > else doing any bike hacking?
> > --BillT
> > On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi Guys -
> > > Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where
> > to
> > > source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 9:34 PM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > The Kyoto Tandem looks like a sweet ride! Most of the frame looks > like thin wall square tubing. You might be able to recycle some junk > bikes for the rest of the parts. BTW, welding in our 112F summers is > not fun. I usually save my welding projects for the other 4 months of > the year. Wasn't there talk about doing a bike exchange out of the > new space when it's ready?
> --BillT
> On Mar 19, 8:38 pm, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com> wrote: > > Thanks for the lead, Bill.
> > I'm just starting also. I just moved into my new house last month and > > finished setting up my workshop this weekend. So now I'm itching to weld > > something!
> > I bought a few plans from atomiczombie.com. I thought I'd build the > > cyclebully trailer as a first project:
> > Assuming that goes well, my summer project will likely be the Kyoto > tandem > > trike:
> > Anyone that wants to come by while I flail around in the shop is > welcome. :)
> > Mike
> > On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:12 PM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and > > > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or > > > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most > > > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. > > > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can > > > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com > > > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the > > > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. > > > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, > > > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link > > > to their website:
> > > I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small > > > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding > > > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about > > > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody > > > else doing any bike hacking?
> > > --BillT
> > > On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Hi Guys -
> > > > Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on > where > > > to > > > > source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay > vendors?
I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is to just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go along.
- I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
- I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to chop a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings from the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 AM, shawn looker <e...@curs.es> wrote: > If one was to want to become involved, is there a "bike building for > dummies"? ;)
> I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is > to just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go > along.
> - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, > watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says > it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this > <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF > welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
> - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just > watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to chop > a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings from > the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 7:13 AM, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com>wrote:
>> I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is >> to just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go >> along.
>> - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, >> watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says >> it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this >> <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF >> welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
>> - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just >> watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to chop >> a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings from >> the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
I'm not sure that an arc welder is the appropriate tool for thin-wall
tubing. If you have any gas welding experience, brazing or silver
brazing might be a better choice. Getting the arc welder to a low
enough setting to keep it from blowing a hole in the tubing may be
your biggest challenge (or high enough to make a solid weld without
heat distortion). Definitely practice a lot before committing to
welding your final frame and keep notes on what settings work best
with different thicknesses of steel. I have a cheat sheet taped to my
MIG welder so I don't have to re-discover the right settings every
time. Have fun playing!
--BillT
On Mar 20, 7:13 am, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com> wrote:
> I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is to
> just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go
> along.
> - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib,
> watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says
> it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this
> <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF
> welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
> - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just
> watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to chop
> a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings from
> the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
> So I'm just a noob too, but this is a pretty approachable hobby. Lots of
> good info out there; just dive in!
> Mike
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 AM, shawn looker <e...@curs.es> wrote:
> > If one was to want to become involved, is there a "bike building for
> > dummies"? ;)
On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 9:51 AM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'm not sure that an arc welder is the appropriate tool for thin-wall > tubing. If you have any gas welding experience, brazing or silver > brazing might be a better choice. Getting the arc welder to a low > enough setting to keep it from blowing a hole in the tubing may be > your biggest challenge (or high enough to make a solid weld without > heat distortion). Definitely practice a lot before committing to > welding your final frame and keep notes on what settings work best > with different thicknesses of steel. I have a cheat sheet taped to my > MIG welder so I don't have to re-discover the right settings every > time. Have fun playing!
> --BillT
> On Mar 20, 7:13 am, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com> wrote: > > I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is > to > > just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go > > along.
> > - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, > > watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says > > it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this > > <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF > > welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
> > - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just > > watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to > chop > > a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings > from > > the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
> > So I'm just a noob too, but this is a pretty approachable hobby. Lots of > > good info out there; just dive in!
> > Mike
> > On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 AM, shawn looker <e...@curs.es> wrote: > > > If one was to want to become involved, is there a "bike building for > > > dummies"? ;)
> It may not be the best, but from what I've read it seems to be the > easiest...
> Where's a good place to get scrap steel to test welds on?
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 9:51 AM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com > <mailto:btomiy...@gmail.com>> wrote:
> I'm not sure that an arc welder is the appropriate tool for thin-wall > tubing. If you have any gas welding experience, brazing or silver > brazing might be a better choice. Getting the arc welder to a low > enough setting to keep it from blowing a hole in the tubing may be > your biggest challenge (or high enough to make a solid weld without > heat distortion). Definitely practice a lot before committing to > welding your final frame and keep notes on what settings work best > with different thicknesses of steel. I have a cheat sheet taped to my > MIG welder so I don't have to re-discover the right settings every > time. Have fun playing!
> --BillT
> On Mar 20, 7:13 am, Mike Osborne <mikeosbo...@techie.com > <mailto:mikeosbo...@techie.com>> wrote: > > I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of > stuff is to > > just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as > you go > > along.
> > - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, > > watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I > read says > > it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this
> > - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so > I just > > watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on > how to chop > > a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the > bearings from > > the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight > forward.
> > So I'm just a noob too, but this is a pretty approachable hobby. > Lots of > > good info out there; just dive in!
> > Mike
> > On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 AM, shawn looker <e...@curs.es > <mailto:e...@curs.es>> wrote: > > > If one was to want to become involved, is there a "bike > building for > > > dummies"? ;)
Curtis Steel sells cutoffs for $0.55/lb or you can ask around. A lot
of people have pieces of scrap or junk that can be repurposed into a
welding lab experiment. Scrounging works too. Just make sure you
clean off all the rust before you start welding or it can be very
frustrating, especially with arc welding. Also avoid anything that is
galvanized. Zinc fumes are toxic.
--BillT
On Mar 20, 11:43 am, shawn looker <e...@curs.es> wrote:
What sort of material are you planning to use Mike? The most common choices include mild steel (fairly easy to bend, fabricate and weld, but heavy), 4130 Chromoly steel (very strong and light, but more difficult to bend and fabricate) and large -diameter aluminium (6061 is a popular allow, very light, fairly easy to bend and fabricate, but can have problems with fatigue). With 6061 aluminium, I would recommend using a heat-treated stock, T4 is pretty good if bending/forming (tubing/sheet) and T6 can be used for parts that are to be machined. In my experience, T6 does not bend well, so I wouldn't recommend T6 for tubing that needs to be bent.
I've had the idea of building a tandem 3 or 4 wheeler for a few years. Before my vision got really bad I used to cycle on a daily basis. I estimate that I pedaled over 25,000 miles in the years 1980 through 1987, when I finally got off of the bike for good. I own a Santana tandem, but I have yet to find a riding partner. My girlfriend has a medical condition that affects her sense of balance, which is how I came to the idea of a 3 or 4 wheeled tandem.
Shawn
On 3/19/2012 7:12 PM, BillT wrote: > This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link > to their website: > > http://www.curtissteel.com/ > > I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody > else doing any bike hacking? > > --BillT > > On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Hi Guys - >> >> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where to >> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors? >> >> TIA - >> >> Mike
> I'm just starting also. I just moved into my new house last month and > finished setting up my workshop this weekend. So now I'm itching to > weld something!
> I bought a few plans from atomiczombie.com <http://atomiczombie.com>. > I thought I'd build the cyclebully trailer as a first project:
> Assuming that goes well, my summer project will likely be the Kyoto > tandem trike:
> Anyone that wants to come by while I flail around in the shop is > welcome. :)
> Mike
> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:12 PM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com > <mailto:btomiy...@gmail.com>> wrote:
> This totally depends on how much stock you want to buy, what kind and > how much you are willing to pay. Are you looking for aluminum or > steel tubing? If the vendor doesn't stock it, they can order most > anything. Also, raw materials usually come in longer lengths (i.e. > 20') and there is a "cut" fee if you need it shorter. Ask so you can > budget. If you only need shorter pieces, places like OnlineMetals.com > are good and have decent shipping costs. Andrew B, who put on the > machine shop class recently, picked up his metal from Amazon.com. > With the free shipping, it was a pretty good deal. Having said that, > Curtis Steel will probably have what you need locally. Here is a link > to their website:
> I've dealt with them in the past and they are pricey on small > quantities. It may be a wash with ordering online and adding > shipping. I'd love to see what you're building. I was thinking about > building a tadpole recumbent trike sometime in the future. Is anybody > else doing any bike hacking?
> --BillT
> On Mar 19, 5:03 pm, Oz <ozpo...@gmail.com > <mailto:ozpo...@gmail.com>> wrote: > > Hi Guys -
> > Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations > on where to > > source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay > vendors?
I agree with Bill on this. Brazing requires less heat, which translates into less fatigue of the metal adjacent to the weld, while still getting a nice strong result.
> I'm not sure that an arc welder is the appropriate tool for thin-wall > tubing. If you have any gas welding experience, brazing or silver > brazing might be a better choice. Getting the arc welder to a low > enough setting to keep it from blowing a hole in the tubing may be > your biggest challenge (or high enough to make a solid weld without > heat distortion). Definitely practice a lot before committing to > welding your final frame and keep notes on what settings work best > with different thicknesses of steel. I have a cheat sheet taped to my > MIG welder so I don't have to re-discover the right settings every > time. Have fun playing!
> --BillT
> On Mar 20, 7:13 am, Mike Osborne<mikeosbo...@techie.com> wrote: >> I'm new to all this too, Shawn. My experience with this sort of stuff is to >> just dive in, accept that mistakes will be made, and improve as you go >> along.
>> - I've never welded before, so I read the welding book in /usr/lib, >> watched some videos on youtube and atomiczombie. Everything I read says >> it's simply a matter of practice. I acquired this >> <http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inverter-arc-welder-91110.html>HF >> welder last weekend on sale, so now I'm ready to practice.
>> - I never really did much in the way of bicycle maintenance, so I just >> watched some videos. atomiczombie has some good free videos on how to chop >> a donor frame up, save the usable parts, and disassemble the bearings from >> the head tube and crank tube, etc. It all seems pretty straight forward.
>> So I'm just a noob too, but this is a pretty approachable hobby. Lots of >> good info out there; just dive in!
>> Mike
>> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 12:08 AM, shawn looker<e...@curs.es> wrote: >>> If one was to want to become involved, is there a "bike building for >>> dummies"? ;) >>> shawn
On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:58 PM, Shawn Bever <shawn.be...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I agree with Bill on this. Brazing requires less heat, which translates > into less fatigue of the metal adjacent to the weld, while still getting a > nice strong result.
Hey guys, I too am really excited about building bikes. I have bought a few of the Atomic Zombie plans and have an old BMX bike I was going to chop up and build a SpinCycle [1] out of.
It seems like there is quite a few people interested in this, so I propose that we have a bike building / metal working meeting in the next few weeks. Anyone up for getting together Sunday Apr 1st at SYN Shop?
I'm totally out of practice with using any kind of welding, but I have a wire-feed and a small oxy-acetylene rig that I have been jones'n to learn how to braze with.
Krux, are you going to be around on Apr 1st? Can we use the space? If not, we can certainly make other arrangements.
> Starting to do some bike hacking. Are there any recommendations on where to
> source bar and tube stock in town? Any luck with particular ebay vendors?
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:58 PM, Shawn Bever <shawn.be...@gmail.com> > wrote:
> > I agree with Bill on this. Brazing requires less heat, which translates > > into less fatigue of the metal adjacent to the weld, while still getting > a > > nice strong result.
> Hey guys, I too am really excited about building bikes. I have bought > a few of the Atomic Zombie plans and have an old BMX bike I was going > to chop up and build a SpinCycle [1] out of.
> It seems like there is quite a few people interested in this, so I > propose that we have a bike building / metal working meeting in the > next few weeks. Anyone up for getting together Sunday Apr 1st at SYN > Shop?
> I'm totally out of practice with using any kind of welding, but I have > a wire-feed and a small oxy-acetylene rig that I have been jones'n to > learn how to braze with.
> Krux, are you going to be around on Apr 1st? Can we use the space? > If not, we can certainly make other arrangements.
Brian Munroe <brian.e.mun...@gmail.com> wrote: On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:58 PM, Shawn Bever <shawn.be...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I agree with Bill on this. Brazing requires less heat, which translates > into less fatigue of the metal adjacent to the weld, while still getting a > nice strong result.
Hey guys, I too am really excited about building bikes. I have bought a few of the Atomic Zombie plans and have an old BMX bike I was going to chop up and build a SpinCycle [1] out of.
It seems like there is quite a few people interested in this, so I propose that we have a bike building / metal working meeting in the next few weeks. Anyone up for getting together Sunday Apr 1st at SYN Shop?
I'm totally out of practice with using any kind of welding, but I have a wire-feed and a small oxy-acetylene rig that I have been jones'n to learn how to braze with.
Krux, are you going to be around on Apr 1st? Can we use the space? If not, we can certainly make other arrangements.
A class sounds like fun. I'd be willing to teach what I know about
welding (mostly trial and error stuff, being a backyard engineer). I
can bring my MIG welder. It's set up for arc welding right now. Does
anyone have a gas rig they can bring or extra goggles, arc welding
helmets and arc welding gloves? I can bring some steel scrap to play
with too. My schedule is fairly open for the next few weekends.
--BillT
On Mar 20, 11:10 pm, Brian Munroe <brian.e.mun...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 10:58 PM, Shawn Bever <shawn.be...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It seems like there is quite a few people interested in this, so I
> propose that we have a bike building / metal working meeting in the
> next few weeks. Anyone up for getting together Sunday Apr 1st at SYN
> Shop?
> I'm totally out of practice with using any kind of welding, but I have
> a wire-feed and a small oxy-acetylene rig that I have been jones'n to
> learn how to braze with.
> Krux, are you going to be around on Apr 1st? Can we use the space?
> If not, we can certainly make other arrangements.
On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 8:26 AM, BillT <btomiy...@gmail.com> wrote: > A class sounds like fun. I'd be willing to teach what I know about > welding (mostly trial and error stuff, being a backyard engineer). I > can bring my MIG welder. It's set up for arc welding right now. Does > anyone have a gas rig they can bring or extra goggles, arc welding > helmets and arc welding gloves? I can bring some steel scrap to play > with too. My schedule is fairly open for the next few weekends.
So I really want to do this!
Since Krux won't be around for my proposed Apr 1st date (and I doubt he wants us in there welding while he isn't home, I know I wouldn't), then we can do a few things:
1) Reschedule for a date that works for Krux.
2) Host the workshop elsewhere. I'd be willing to host it but I don't have 220v, only 110v. My garage and side yard is pretty good size.
3) Still plan on getting together elsewhere, but just talk about the direction of group and what projects we all want to work on (Gross! I sound like a manager or something!)
I too have a small oxy/acetylene rig, a 110v MIG welder (not sure how well it works)
As far as safety equipment, Krux and I believe that people should own their own equipment. Unfortunately, SYN Shop doesn't have a budget for safety equipment (that sounds bad! Don't worry, we will once we move downtown) - so it is really up to the individual to go hit up Harbor Freight and get a welding helmet / gloves.
Also, if you get auto-darkening kind, you can adjust the darkness to work with acetylene welding / brazing ( http://goo.gl/ygdoB )
So, in closing, I'd be ok with 2, 3 and 1 in that order. What does everyone else think?
