Varonha frame works repair

Have this awesome Feather cycle road frame that is a couple or years old but has picked up some serious corrosion on both the seat stays. Had Winston Vaz from Varonha frame work down in Lewisham take a look at it and fix it up for me. He reckons that when the frame was built water got trapped in the stays and have been there ever since slowly eating away at my stays :)... non the less he did a stellar job as always! Tuned me up with some 853 stays and ready to hit the road in no time. Looking to hopefully get a frame done from him in the near future.

Here are some shots of the damage and fix never see anything like it.

Eating stays

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New stays \m/

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He reckons that when the frame was built water got trapped in the stays and have been there ever since slowly eating away at my stays

What did Ricky Feather have to say about that?

Looks like a very tidy, non-intrusive repair.

Bike in it’s all glory

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Emailed me that he’s never seen anything like it and that it will cost me £150 per seat stay. Plus i’d have to send it up to him etc...

Winston smashed it but he’s such a pro so you can even tell , expect for a little paint touch up.

£150 per stay?!!! Fooking hell.

I have something I want some new chain stays on - (know is will be variable on his workload but..) what was the turnaround time out of interest?

Had it finished in 3days :) .. and much much more reasonable on the wallet!

Think Winston can get it done in a week or so..

Here’s his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varonha_frame_works

Winston is a ledge. Awesome bike and top repair job

Pretty surprised this wasn't covered by your warranty.

bit cheeky asking £150 per stay when (if) it's caused by the workmanship. he should have sorted you out out of goodwill.

Surely moisture trapped inside a tube would present itself at the bottom of the tube? Doesn't make sense that the corrosion could be pretty much bang on the middle of the stay?

Tidy repair job though alright!

Looks like Tommy rhe painters old frame, so assuming be wasnt the original owner?

It's wasn't his work to start with.

Wait, what? Feather made the frame, feather wanted mucho buckso to fix.

It was bought second hand. So didn’t expect it to be for free but £150 a stay was a eye opener.

It was at the bottom of both stays, the left one had a lot more water in it and think cause the stays are butted it makes sence as they are thinner in the mid sections ?

Yep thats the guy I got it off.

the left one had a lot more water in it

Wait, the stays had water sitting in them?

Were there no drain/vent holes? Actually, the new stays don't have any so...

Shouldn't they?

Didn't you hear the water in the frame when building it/moving the bike around? I know I picked up on it pretty quickly when the seat tube and stays on one of my bikes got some water in following a very wet ride.

That is a awesome job! Got a friend who needed their BJ frame fixed the downtube snapped ot sth, he just wouldn't listen to me go to see WInston Vaz... Maybe this thread will show what's what!

How miuch did it cost you in total if you don't mind me (us) asking?

Re: vent holes, isn't it why some frames have a hole at the bottom of the BB shell?

I would assume vent holes inside the brake bridge.

I have filled the air holes on the seat tube, then drilled small air holes in the new seat stays ,to let the pressure out while fillet brazing, then after fill the holes ,so no way that water or air can get in

Winston for Mayor of Lewisham

IANAFB but I was under the impression that it's very difficult to provide a seal 100% impermeable to moisture vapour so best practice was to have the vent hole left open so that the frame can 'breathe' as it were.

Edit: This sounds like I'm doubting the quality of workmanship from Feather/Vaz. I don't mean to, just want to pose the question.

Just need to pop some of those DO NOT EAT sachets you get with sneakers into the tubes before sealing them up.