Removing braze-ons

Everyone keeps telling me to get rid of the braze-ons on my top tube... Anyone have any tips on how to do this / and touch up the paint afterwards? A colleague of mine keeps offering to lend me an angle-grinder but I've never used one before so I reckon I'd end up with two half-bikes all too easily. Not too fussy about doing a good paint job, the frame was resprayed when I bought it.

if you're really careful, an angle grinder will do it. if you want absolute control (and want to develop your dominant arm), you can use a file, but it'll take a while. a dremel might also work: i'd go angle grinder for the majority of the bits and use a file to finish it off.

as for touching up paint...there's automotive enamel that you can get at halfords that works well.

why bother?

if there are braze-ons then it's not a track frame, and if you're not going to get a paint job....

my bike is covered in unused braze-ons

I spend the time I've saved not grinding them off by doing other things, like masturbation or saving up for a frame without braze-ons.

could use a piercing saw

Get a blow torch, heat up the solder that's holding them on, watch them drop off.

Clean frame, file down, send frame for repaint.

I have some bottle holder nuts on my track frame. I asked for them. It's still a track frame, but I run a headlight during winter (seriously, a headlight and not LED flicker thingy) and that requires a substantial battery. The battery is the shape of a water bottle :)

Why bother? No reason, really, other than I keep being told to take them off. That and I like to slide my crotch up and down the top-tube while waiting at traffic lights. OK, it's a personal issue, and one I'm trying to deal with...

mdja:Why bother? No reason, really, other than I keep being told to take them off. That and I like to slide my crotch up and down the top-tube while waiting at traffic lights. OK, it's a personal issue, and one I'm trying to deal with...

the perhaps you should leave the braze-ons on the bike? ribbed for your pleasure.

I used an angle grinder to modify Vegemite. But this was knowing I was going to have the whole frame blasted and powder-coated after. Oh, I also 'bought' the frame for a 6-pack so if I slipped and put the grinder through tube it was no biggie. If you like the frame, leave it alone, if it's a hack, use the grinder to take the bulk off and then file the (what's the proper term??) 'solder'?? down until it's smoooooth. Paint.

Buy a track frame.

Yeah yeah, buying a frame would be the solution to all problems. Except I already have one frame hanging on my wall which needs the rest of a bike (not fixed), I can't really justify another one right now.

Hi, long time listener first time caller...

I'm about ready to step it up and get my frankenbike re-sprayed.
Does anybody have any experience removing/filling those typical road bike bosses & holes for the cage, levers, cables?
Is it an easy job or best left to the pros?
ta

Either hacksaw or filing down I think...

Who is re-spraying? They may do it properly for you...

If the frame is/or is to be stripped you can heat them off. (best left to pros)
Or you can hacksaw/file them being careful not to damage the tube.
Dremeling is a bad idea apparantly.

Not sure I fancy waving a hacksaw (or dremel) around the frame - although a scotch or two might twist my arm!
I'm over by Armourtex so planning on there, I don't reckon they'll be keen to get involved.
What about filling the cage holes, any ideas?

http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/1697/

braze on, braze off

Summer's here, so I'm doing a wet-weather fixed conversion. I want guards and rear rack, with proper braze-on mounts for each for neatness. I'm struggling to find anything suitable on the 'bay so I'm thinking I'll get any old 531 frame and get the braze-ons added before respraying.

Anyone recommend a framebuilder/bike shop in London that could do this reliably and cheaply? And can you add braze-ons to drop-outs? If the frame is nothing special I'd get them to strip off the other unnecessary braze-ons too.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

FB

depends on the bike. i use a pair of vise grips for most of my braze ons. breks the solder
if not it breaks the brazeons and then i file them off. blow torch method woks nice also.

I thought it was BAD to subject a frame to unnecessary heat?

This does sound fairly unnecessary. I suggest you use the brazeons and mount some kid of rail, with a little pad on the top, so you can slide effortlessly on your crotch from one end of the top tube to the other.

I used a dremel. Anglegrinder will leave nice semicircular grooves in your frame when you slip.

though having done this, I realised how soft the solder was so you can also do what VB said, melt the solder. The heat required to melt solder does not approach temps that you'll do the frame damage (unless you're messing about with reynolds 753 or similar which is very thin). Note - heat the actual brazeon, and in a way so that you wont get solder on the rest of your frame / carpet / testicles. Finish with emery paper / file / dremel.

to touch up: take your forks / frame to a model shop. there'll be an enamel colour to match. primer plus 2-3 coats.

let them be

junoir hacksaw from your friendly local pound shop or go to B and Q and get the paint while your there. if you get a good one you'll be able mount the blade sideways. the cut em off nice and easy. quick file and plasti cote paint to hide it. easy.

what's with emoxfag and the year old thread restorations?

recidivist!