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Might not be a good idea getting the alloy bodied version for 8spd. I've got one and the splines are really too shallow for the steel sprockets which bite into the body a bit too much. They dropped it not long after. New cones aren't massively expensive, perhaps your old hub can be refurbed
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the seat lug and stays are really lovely
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Nice looking frame and paint - reminds me a bit of my old marin mountain bike. I'd lose the wheel reflectors though
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the bearing cover doesn't look pressed in far enough. It should push in so that it's pretty much flush with the hub
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According to the old campag spares catalogues you've got the lower race off a 1" record hiddenset http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/d/118870-2/2001+Campagnolo+Spare+Parts+Catalog.pdf
If what was on was tight, perhaps campag crown races are a bit tighter too
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http://www.use1.com/use-hardware/accessories/250mm-i/d-shims
One of these should work.
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dibs and pm'd the rear mech
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not necessarily bin. At Deeside cycles we used to replace or repair quite a few vitus dropouts when they'd either snapped or had come apart. With the right glue and prep I should imagine it's fixable (stuff used on the vitus frames was a two part adhesive made by 3M but can't remember much else about it)
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have you tried giving the derailleur cage a squeeze? It's worked on a few campag ones for me in the past when the cage plates have been a little too bowed out
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With a different freehub it should.
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When you get to practice a good thing to have a go at would be back purged welds.
One of the problems with welding is that the back of the weld is not protected by the gas so can end up looking burnt/porous/contaminated, something you really wouldn't want on something as safety critical as a frame.
If you attach an extra hose from your gas bottle and seal up the ends of the tubes to be welded so that the gas won't escape from them too quickly, the joint will be shielded on both sides, effectively welded inside and outside and much stronger as a result. It's not really a change in technique as far as welding goes (you might need to up the amps a touch) but will make a much better weld -
I've never built a frame (it's one of those projects I've yet to get around to), but what I can say is that whatever jig you use needs to be sturdy. The one in your link looks pretty good.
One of the big problems with welding is the tendency of the area around the weld to contract which can throw out your angles. For example, if you set up two pieces at 90 degrees (imagine an L) and weld the inside of the corner, the angle will spring in to something less than your original 90.
When I was welding tubing (1mm or thinner wall stainless) it was possible to get around the movement by tacking in various points around the tube and then checking it was where it should be. Any movement could be pushed/pulled out before final welding which would be done in short runs, as quickly as possible, so as not to put too much heat into the tube which both weakens and distorts things.
A simple jig would definitely be helpful and a relatively open one would make tacking tubes together easier as you could work around the back of tubes etc. -
You don't need anything fancy for sharpening tungsten's. A cheapo bench grinder is perfect for the job, just remember to grind the points lengthways as the striations won't interrupt your gas flow.
Maybe with a bit of welding practice you can make your own trueing stand. A nice little project -
for tig I wouldn't worry about special footwear as it's not like mig - there aren't any sparks.
Go for the thinner tungsten's as you can get a tighter arc with them and they're slightly less sensitive to touch downs (thick tungsten's are "blunter" anyway, all tungsten's need sharpening to a point so the thinner they are to start with the less of a problem it is when they're blunted by touching down).
For thin metal thin rods are better. A cheap alternative to tig rods is a spool of mig wire that you can cut lengths off.
Oh, one more thing. Don't wear anything v necked or you'll have a wedge of sunburn -
Safety equipment you need is a decent mask, welding gloves (I always go for the thinner more flexible ones as it makes everything easier) and long sleeves. You can get a very nasty 'sunburn' from welding so cover exposed skin.
When you get a mask look at getting a cheap reactive one. They cost a bit more than the non reactive ones but make welding much easier as you don't have to start your welding blind - it automatically dims when the arc starts. Another plus is that your less likely to do anything silly that might cause arc eye, which is horrible, basically sunburn on your eyes.
The best way to learn is to get a mask and watch someone weld - how close the torch is to the work, how they feed the filler rod, how they position themselves and how they move the torch. Then get yourself a load of scrap and practice.
Ask if you've any questions as I spent a year tig welding thin wall tubing so can hopefully point you in the right direction
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I'd really recommend tig welding. You can get a decent set off ebay fairly cheaply and with the right gas and rods you can weld pretty much anything - steel (mild or stainless) is really easy with tig and it's good on thin stuff. You only need a big setup for welding thick metals or if you're going to be doing it all day.
For brazing I'm not sure a MAPP torch will be hot enough to be of much use though it should manage silver soldering.
If you just want to have a go at sticking metal together and pretty results aren't too important a mig set is a good to start with. They aren't much new so used should be very reasonable and mig welding is good practice for tig so far as controlling weld pools etc -
http://www.lfgss.com/thread109339.html
a useful thread
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All ergo levers are pretty simple to repair and the old 8spd ones are the easiest (especially pre 97- they've got fewer springs). G springs are simple to replace and can be bent open a little as a bodge. If it's just springs it'll be worth fixing the old levers.
There are two types of 9spd lever (later ones have the rounded hoods) and two types of 9spd rear mech as they changed the cable pull. The earlier 9spd mechs work fine with 8spd levers if you have an 8spd cassette. 9spd ergo will need 9spd cassette if you want it to index properly -
It only sounds slightly bent so it shouldn't be more than a five minute job to straighten with the right tool. Don't even need to take the wheel off
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I think the syncro levers had different ratchet inserts available though they never were that great and I'm not sure they were for anything more than seven speed.
Might be best finding a later mech or using seven speed with the appropriate lever -
spinergy sounds a bit knackered. Not really anything you can do about the wobble as the spokes were glued and riveted. If there are no cracks and it doesn't feel too bad when you ride it then leave it as it is but remember to check it often for any cracking as they can collapse quite spectacularly
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They aren't much lighter as the innards are still steel. The lightest hub of that shape was the 96? titanium axle one but they're rare and use an odd cassette (8spd with deeper splines). New races aren't hard to fit if the old ones are worn.