I am a frame builder AMA

How well sealed should a lugged joint be?

Squirted framesaver all over the inside of the stem I made with the Llewelyn lug kit and notice some oil seeping through at a few points round the steerer tube lug.

That a major issue?

I can now answer this myself...

Luckily just heard a couple loud pings as I was riding, gave the bars a good wrench once stopped and did that damage.

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Sweet jebus that was lucky!

What is the name for an adapter that allows you to use an American torch (Smith) on UK flash back arrestor/gas cylinders?

having now done a framebuilding course, im having trouble sleeping at night because all i can think about when lying in bed is "dammit i wanna do more brazing".However as any brazing I would undertake would be strictly hobbyist, I cant justify space and money needed to accomadate an oxy setup.
Having done a little bit of looking it seems that some people have success with smaller MAPP torches and silver (and brass?) for small projects (racks and such)

Has anyone here got any experience with this kind of thing? brazing/soldering with mapp?

@russmeyer did some mapp brazing with good results

If I don’t want to spend 300+ dollars on an Anvil BBG for brazing center pull/canti, what is an easy enough diy fixture?

soooo what's the story with this do you think, it's 753 and being sold for spares or repair. Big hole in the top tube. Has it rotted out from the inside, been stuck under a leaking gutter or what? Just interested. Thanks all. Ebay link here.

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Hiya frameybuilders, am I mad to be wanting a disc tourer built from 921? Like the idea of minimal or no paint, cold worked tubes mean lots of options for shaping, right? Or is this emperors new clothes territory?

Hey guys - working on a new project at the moment that may interest a local frame builder. Who on here is based in Bristol or surrounding areas?

Robin Mather? He is generally in the bath/bristol environs

the OG superted is in Stroud

This guy?
http://clandestine.cc/

Lots of people do it. I've only tried mapp with silver but apparently it'll work with brass as well as long as it's for small stuff e.g. racks

ok thats great, i dont reckon ill be doing much more than that anyway at the moment.

cool

Ted James! He is Stroud, so not exactly local local to Bristol, but close enough.

http://www.tedjamesdesign.com/

He can turn metal to just about everything! His price list is also very reasonable.

What tubing are people using for fillet stems?

That's an unusual place for general rot. 753/753R were notorious for the chain stays rusting away which look OK in the pics.

t45/4130 from aerocomm etc. Ceeways might carry the correct lenghts, not sure though...

Dear frame builders,
How do I inspect or assess the quality/state of my steel track frame?

I have a very nice Dolan built 653 frame (probably 25-30 years old) and I’m a bit concerned about it.
I took it off the road for about a year as I had to dissolve a stuck seatpost out of it (which was a successful operation).
After recently rebuilding and riding it I notice the down tube and chain stays don’t make that nice resonant ping anymore, they sound dead instead. Is this cause for concern? Is it on it’s way out?
Is it the case that a dull-sounding tube is indicative of rust on the inside?

It’s also making an inexplicable creak but this is likely mechanical I suppose, but I’m stuffed if I can find the source of the noise.
Thanks

Does anyone have a preferred brand of emery/abrasive cloth? Or ones to avoid.
This sort of thing.

Late reply but kinda relates to something I came here to ask...

I've been playing about with Mapp for a couple years now. I find it works fine with silver but I have real trouble using Sifbronze rods, just doesn't wanna melt/take to the joints I've been trying to make.

My question to @coldharbour or anyone else that cares to proffer an opinion, are oxy mapp or oxy turbo setups a worthwhile upgrade to plain mapp?

As with @Biggles567 I'm struggling to justify the expense and extra effort in sourcing bottles etc to go full oxy acet but I wanna do stuff that's out of the scope of mapp.

I've been using Norton abrasives in the form of the packs of 3 sheets you get in b&q and find them really good. Pretty resistant to tearing in use but easy enough to tear into strips when you want to, abrasive lasts a decent length of time, stuff like that.

For finer grits I use Klingspor wet n dry sheets. Easily enough found on ebay in packs of a single grit or mixed.

Ive had a similar deal with MAPP. After a bunch of heating it gets small joints hot enough to get brass to melt. But by that point the whole thing is so damn hot i don't reckon it has any structural value at all.

I did these joints with mapp, pretty small bit that i cut off an old steel frame and mitred up super quick.
There is a fillet i guess? hah its pretty dodge, definitely not gonna replace oa any time soon.

Luckily i get to play around with OA at my uni in termtime. But i cant be building any bikes there atm :(

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Is that with brass or silver?

What flux you using with brass?

its brass, using sif flux 101 part no.FO100050