New/amateur/garage/kitchen framebuilding discussion

Don’t think you’d have any issue mixing fluxes, I used to pop a bit of sif flux powder in with my LFB to make it pink so that I could tell which brush I had used in it and which in the silver/stainless flux.

I also dip my 101 rod in boric acid powder once it’s hot, I think it keeps things cleaner. Flux coated rod might be good for that but I wouldn’t only use the flux on the rod.

Thanks a lot for the insight, really appreciate.

Armed with an old steel frame does anyone have a suggestion on how to practice brazing? Cut the tubes into small lengths and mitre them up? Is it possible to heat the lugs to pull everything apart and attempt to reassemble? I imagine if the lugs/tubes are pinned with nails it gets tricky.

Cut the tubes into small lengths and mitre them up?

Good place to start however getting used tubes clean enough to braze together can be quite time consuming and plain gauge tubing is cheap as chips.

Is it possible to heat the lugs to pull everything apart and attempt to reassemble? I imagine if the lugs/tubes are pinned with nails it gets tricky.

It is, it does, but of all the frames I’ve chopped up (quite a few), only one has been pinned.

Understood, I presumed this might be a good way to get Reynolds/Columbus tubing and lugs relatively cheap. Will keep in mind for future, thanks. Embarking on learning something new it often feels like the hardest part is actually starting, getting your head around the basics. Thanks for creating this thread initially too!

Ceeway sell cheap tubing and cheap pressed steel (rather than investment cast) lugs for practising with. Details at the bottom of this page.

I've never gotten a tube out of a lug in usable condition. I usually cut it off close to the lug and end up sort of peeling the tube off the inside of the lug. So you'd have to shorten the tubes and that might put you into the butts.

I have been able to clean lugs up to insert new tubes but again, that's a fair bit of work so I'd only bother where it's to repair a frame.

I have a note of some prices from Ceeway, a plain guage 25.4mm top tube was £4.50 +vat, that might have been a wee while ago but more recently a bb shell with 22mm round chainstay ports (no 832 on page 2 of bb shells) was £5.40 +vat.

Infact, here's the quote that Peter gave me for a load of 'practice' bits and bobs. I did actually build a frame out of some of these bits and ride it for a good while contrary to Peter's advice!

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• Quote 22-11-2018 17-06-49.PDF

Thanks a lot, this is really useful and feels like a good second step once I presumably get frustrated practicing on a used frame. Didn't think you could buy everything so cheap. Having something I can ride makes it even more exciting, who would have thought?!

In that case the used frame should be good for mitring at least if the brazing isn't too successful. Hopefully having a larger frame to cut up will mean less chance of brazing on the butts.

Again, thanks for the info on what parts are needed from the ceeway, it's not the most intuitive for a beginner so always appreciated. Sounds like they're very helpful when emailing too so will keep that in mind. Ta again.