I am a frame builder AMA

clear coat is not that bad - not as durable as powdercoat but reasonably servicable

Phosphorate coating is what they use on Bromptons. Looks to be holding up

Good info, cheers all. Going to probably oil it, will get it powder coated at some point when life has calmed down. Maybe clear or coloured.

I'm using oxy propane for brazing and would like a smaller torch and lighter hoses. Any recommendations?

I've heard of people using jewellers torches. I want to be able to Fillet braze as well as smaller bosses so still need a decent flame size

Victor j28 and braided hoses is a fucking amazing combo.
A combo I've not been able to afford but used at Stayer Cycles a bit.

Sweet. Googling those, it seems like they're very popular with framebuilders.
I'll keep an eye out for decent prices

Not really framebuilding related, but making related.

I have 1/8th straight fork that i want to use on an upcoming build, I also have a nice ck inset 8 that i want to use. However the inset 8 is 1/8th to 1/4, crown race on the fork is 1/8th.

Is there anything wrong with just machining a little collar that steps the 1/8th up to 1/4 so that i can use the nice headset?

actually scratch that, i dont think i will, the crown race will hang over the edge of the fork crown and looks stupid

You just need a crown race that fits on 1 1/8 with bearing contact surfaces for 1 1/4

Like this but not 1.5"
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nukeproof-reducer-crown-race/rp-prod92344

Edit: Yeah it depends on how wide the fork crown is

ah yeah thats a good bet, the only problem is that i was lining up the headset on the fork and it really hangs over the edge, which is a bummer. Looks really weird. The fork crown is quite small and is dwarfed by a 44mm headtube and big ec headset.

Ill just sell the fork and find a tapered one. Its a shame because its a really nice fork. would look great on a smaller headtube/headset.

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I've (actually my housemate's) got a 1 1/4" straight leg fork off of a spesh Tarmac that could be had cheap

That sounds cool, got any pics? is it direct mount or bolt?

Regular centre bolt. I'll grab it in a sec

How do you calculate the correct position for the seatstay bridge if you want the under side of the bridge to mount the fender to it?

Is there some sort of rule of thumb for adding X mm one you know the diameter of the largest wheel and tire you'd like to fit in there?

Minimum +17mm for slicks +19mm for tread to the underside/mounting point of the bridge

Thanks!

Small table top milling machine. Would one of these be sufficient for some careful mitring cuts with hole saws. I think it takes 3/8” bits. It’s obviously only occasional use and I don’t have space in the kitchen for a Bridgeport.
Thinking it could do some occasional machining of parts too

Wouldn't a tube notcher and a hand drill be cheaper?

I don’t think so. The machine would be second hand so not a huge outlay

People do it, theres that pithy bikes guy on yt who uses one of those small benchtop chinese mills. AFAIK they work ok, just with a bit of fettling. However because they are small,and small machines aren't rigid, you are forced to run the hole saw much faster than is best.This means that you wear the cutting tool faster.

Depends what mill you use as well, If you can find an older benchtop machine from 60s70s80s, then you are in a much better place (imo) than buying one of the chinese ones which are quite shite tbh. My lathe is from 1955, and runs amazing, way better than a chinese machine and half the price.

If you can find one, an older machine is a good bet, coincidentally theres someone looking for something similar on the lathes.co.uk classifieds at the moment.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/page3.html/

I hear ya. Not looking to get a cheap Chinese machine because of the lack of precision and reliability as you say but I know rigidity is always going to be a big compromise on these things compared to a full size, free standing vertical mill. The one I’m looking at specifically is this one
Which gets decent reviews from the small model makers, clock makers etc and is the best part of £700 new.
Reviews say it’s fairly precise out of the box with minimal slop and fairly good at repeatability.
I’m not doing anything heavy duty, hole saw cuts, real simple milling jobs like V blocks and the likes.
I think it would be fine. It comes with the bench vice and parts are readily available from what I can see.
Made in the US with a decent reputation

Yes and a lot easier to use in the kitchen

Thats a really cool machine! I couldnt say for sure if itll mitre tubing amazingly who knows, but even if it doesnt, you still get an awesome tiny mill :).

I'll keep an eye on it. The price is creeping up

Keep a search notification on for 'jig borer' - Like a mill really but geared more towards plunging instead of x/y - I think that's right anyway. They usually have a small table which is enough for positioning a tube mitre. They also tend to be rigid things for repetitive acurate work.
Some are massive, but most are small.
Also, most people are not searching for jig borers so you may get one under the radar with less bidding competition (apart from me) :)