PhilDAS learns to glue (mostly) metal

#sadface

I'll see if I have it somewhere

(if anyone has a broken steel frame I'll more than happily pick it up and cut it apart to stick together)

Ive been trying to shift a decent steel frame with cracked st and bent front end for ages. Can you take it from me please? Collection N London

You can borrow my old copy.

https://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/abrasives/file-sets/20-piece-assorted-cut-engineers-file-set/p/SEN0309840K

File wise we periodically buy these sorts of generic assortments. Worn files are time you'll lever get back. Have had those Bahco ones (when I first started building acrually) and they were very good for the price.

You'll need a good flux for silver, but any brass you're doing you can save a load of money just buying bulk boric acid from ebay etc...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F182907410069

Cheap flux here, just add water.

This makes me nervous. Do you use something fancier?
Mix until an even paste or specific ratio?

Much appreciated on the Manual borrowing. Any other old bits and bobs, tools, fixtures, scraps etc that you won't use, I may be happy to buy off you if you come across anything in the future.

The boric acid? Just mix until its a paste, works as well as a 15 quid pot of cycle design. For silver the cycle design stuff is head and shoulders above the rest, but for brass imo it's wasted money.

Will I need silver or am I likely to get away with brass for bosses and stops to begin with?

Let’s see! What would you say needs repairing other than the crack? Both top and down tubes?

If it's stainless (either material) you need silver.

I think you could chop about 4/5cm off each tube and then re attach? the crimp is very near the joint? the rear end is chromed and drop outs I think are campag. Its been a while since I last looked at it as it lives outside my place

Is it gonna be a bit rusty then?
Would be interesting in seeing it anyway. May be able to do something with it one day

I bought boric acid on your suggestion, I’ve tried it once with my oxy-propane torch and I found it a bit gritty and as I’d chucked a tub of Sif flux in with my torch when I ordered it I’ve just been using that.
I want to give the boric acid another shot though. Just live with it not being as smooth a paste as Sif-flux or was I doing something wrong?

@PhilDAS You seen this, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COLUMBUS-CHROMOR-TUBSET-TUBI-SILVA-LUGS-PISTA-TRACK-RACING-BICYCLE-TUBING/322418540040?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 ?

Bout £150 plus import fees if you pay the full BIN but it's got a best offer thing...

That’s pretty good. I’m gonna build a road frame though and I think chromor is lowest tier Columbus?
Need to sift through all the lug sets and see if it’ll be doable to get a 1/18 headtube on there. Alternatively I could jump in and fillet braze it. Seems to have worked for you! Did you have any previous metal work/welding/brazing experience?

Not that bad I don't think. Ill get some photos tomo

Oh yeah sorry, don't know why I assumed you'd do a track frame!

I've been playing with mapp and silver for a while and I did a nightclass in welding a couple years ago. General metalwork I've been messing about with since I don't know when, mostly cutting bits off frames - probably killed a few puppies back in the day!

I've found the oxy-fuel pretty different to the mapp, maybe a bit more like the bit of tig welding I did at the nightclass. But to be honest, the nightclass was like 10 weeks of 3 hours and because I showed a bit of ability I was pretty much left to it while the tutor dealt with the people that couldn't tell one end of an angle grinder from the other. I think if you get some tubes to practice with you'll pick it up pretty quickly.

Not sure how much you've been in touch with Ceeway yet but I got some practice tubes (25.4, 28.6 and 31.8) for £4.50 each and despite their strong advise against it, my frame actually has some of those in it. A Thron toptube cost me just over a tenner, Thron chainstays just under a tenner each so some practice materials won't break the bank. That said, I'm always shocked at how quickly you get into triple figures when buying 2 bits of something at £3 and 4 of something at £2 and a couple bits at a tenner from Ceeway!

I think you could maybe end up with a better result if you go fully lugged but you'd maybe learn more if you fillet it? That make sense? And that's not to say that lugs are 'easy' or a 'cheat', I just think that as a learning experience, using lugs might be a bit, plug and play? I've gone for the segmented rear and a slightly lo-pro-esque downward pointing toptube that I wouldn't have had I gone with lugs.

A week from Finland, very nicely machined they are too. Need to order some extrusion

1 Attachment

this will the beginning of something awesome!!

Thanks, I hope so

I’ve asked for a quote for materials so the ball is rolling albeit slowly

Columbus Zona
Lugged
1 1/8” HT
Rim brake road frame
That’s the idea anyway

So glad to see this thread, was hoping it would pop up soon. Like a few people have already commented would love to start this adventure so will be watching with interest.

May I suggest KJN. Not Bosch, but it will do. Made mine from KJN stuff

http://www.kjnltd.co.uk/

+1 for kjn
got mine there as well, solid service etc

You may!

I've actually been looking through their site already but just by chance because I found them on google. Good to know they come recommended

Well the price from Ceeway was roughly what I expected so I’m placing the order. Should be a kick up the arse to get going. Seems strange to be actually starting this having been thinking about it for the last 2 or 3 years.