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when did you move to OXY and also what books do you recomend? Ive actually brazed a frame before but i'm keen to learn more!
seafish-
I moved to Oxy ace years ago, although I only use it for braze ons now as we are fully tig (ig I never file another fillet I would be a happy man). The issue with ace is that no one will just refill a bottle, you need a contract, so you're hooked into monthly rental. For me it's not an issue as it's a work expense and pales into insignificance compared to argon bill nowadays, but for hobbyists it's a bit off putting. A better and cheaper and less explosive way of doing it is Oxy propane. You can "buy" your own bottle of oxygen from various places, and then swap it out when it runs out, and propane you can get from all over the place. You need different regulators and larger tips, but it's fine for most brazing that you'd want to do, and no monthly charges.
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What walrus said. There is no need for anything except a vice, some sort of dummy axle, measuring things, mapp gas and string. That was all I used for my first frame. It was awful, but I used it for 2000 odd miles before retiring it. Frame building is one of those things that people blow smoke about, 'dark art, artisan master, etc etc, but it's really just plumbing in a straight line. Making stuff you want to sell is obviously different but making stuff that you are happy to ride is really not very hard. This project is too tasty for a beginner, and I'd stick to vertical drop outs as well, but if you want to have a go, buy some practice lugs and tubes off Ceeway, as well, As one of their beginners kits which has all you need to build a frame, the lugged bicycle construction book off amazon and then make a big mess!