CERNITZbike

2012-02-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

I glass beaded Dougs frame yesterday and applied the etch primer. Today I just finished applying the surfacer/sealer. When it is cured, I will sand and then apply the black for the panel stripes and the white for the seat stay stripes.

2012-02-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

The tendinitis is subsiding and I found if I grip with my left hand and guide with my right, I can get some stuff done. Assuming I can rent the glass bead cabinet tomorrow, I will have Dougs frame through prime and ready to start putting on
color Tuesday. The

other frame is Tinas,

and I will paint it as

soon

as we get back from NAHBS.

I've even been able to get Ians front triangle in the fixture, really a fun project. Honest Sonny, yours is next! And OBC lives, the

Columbus chain stays

will be recycled into Ians

frame.

2012-02-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

All the brazing is complete on Dougs frame. All that's left to do is ream, hone, and slot the seat tube and finish detailing the shore lines and fillets.

A close up of the stainless dropout face. A lot of work for something that can't be seen with the wheel installed, but well worth it to avoid paint chipping.

2012-02-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

The seat stay bridge is on along with the six cable guides. Then one final alignment check prior to silver brazing on the dropout faces.

2012-01-31T17:22:00.000-08:00

While my arm is on the mend, I have the seat stay bridge just about ready the braze in. I also drilled some drain holes and cut off the excess head tube.

2012-01-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

My elbow is too sore to saw, file, and sand on Dougs frame, although I did rough in the scallops on the seat stays. So I have spent the morning finalizing the design for Ians frame set, I will also build the fork as a 357 mm axle to crown fork isn't available on the open market. These are his color preferences, by the way.

2012-01-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

At the days end, here is where we sit. The seat stays are fully brazed on along with the last remaining top tube cable guide. It weighs under 4 lbs. now and should finish up the same. As time allows, I will bend up the seat stay bridge and attach it along with the dropout faces and remaining cable guides.

2012-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I started fitting up the seat stays and hope to braze them in tomorrow. When fully fit up, there will be 5 - 7mm gap between the stays at the seat lug.

2012-01-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Both chain stays are on and aligned. The shamrock came out very nice, just needing a little detail work on the stem. I'm thinking since the down tube and bottom bracket will be metallic orange, I'll paint the shamrock black. The seat stays are bent. I put them between plates to ensure the bends stay in alignment when I cut the tab slots for the dropouts.

2012-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here you go Doug. Sorry about the lack of in-process photos. I get my head down working and forget all about it. The front triangle is brazed up along with the left chainstay. I also got the brake cable guides on the top tube, sweet stainless ones. Before the day is over, I'll try to get the right chain stay on and start bending the seat stays.

2012-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Rear point material added

A short pictorial of
Dougs seat tube lug
and shamrock start.

Front point ready to braze

Some rough shaping

Areas marked for removal

Assembled on the frame. With the exception
of the vent holes, braze-ons and Shamrock,
it's ready to braze.

The shamrock layout

Some rough shaping. I'm waiting for
a set of small needle files to finish it with.

2012-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

I got the dropouts brazed up and most of the filing/sanding done also. The lug set still hasn't shown up yet. I don't want to go any farther without them, because even though I have all the dimensions, I like to actually see it fit up.So here is where the frame will sit until they arrive. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing detail finishing on Tinas frame. But now, it's time for a beer.

2012-01-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

The seat tube is in and a test fit of the down tube is good with a 57.5 degree angle. I like the longer points on the Pacenti bottom bracket, very clean looking.

The dropouts are almost fixtured. It would be nice to have a professional jig as my method takes about an hour of measure, file, clamp, tighten, and repeat until the triangle is symmetrical and aligned on all planes.

2012-01-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

I cut a nice little window in the seat tube socket and removed the cast in bridge. The bridge is just a mud shelf in cyclo cross. I leave them in on road frames because they look good. Also, all the main tube miters are now cut. I just need the lug set show up.

2011-12-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

After yesterdays post, I went down and slotted Dougs chain stays for the dropouts. I thought I heard him mention wanting a shamrock cut out on his bottom bracket, so I free handed a quick one to see how it would look. That's a Pacenti bb, that has the tighter seat tube/down tube angle which is easier to work with when building cross frames with their longer forks. Glad he is producing them again. Happy New year!

2011-12-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I sweat the stainless dropout faces on Tinas frame and did some of the "machine" work, head tube and bb facing and chasing, etc. The bb facing is really more of a surface check and rarely ever removes any metal. I also got Daves faces on along with the ss derailleur hanger shim. But, enough of Dougs tubes came in that I can start on his frame. So Tinas will be on the wall next to my unfinished fillet frame.

2011-12-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

Jed was so kind to laser cut these dropout faces for me. They are .020 stainless and will be silver brazed on to the dropouts to eliminate any paint chipping from the skewer. I am going to retro-fit Major Daves commuter, that is already painted, but I will use an industrial epoxy. Santa did bring me the PF30 adapter for the fillet frame. Now I have the needed dimensions to finish it.

2011-12-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

After the flux soak on Tinas frame, it's time to start the detail finishing. Here is the rear drop outs and how I am blending the two pieces to look like one. Once the windows are fully radiused, the blend done, and the points thinned, they are going to look real nice. Right now, the frame weighs 3lbs. 11 oz. Hopefully, I can get it down to 3lbs. 9oz.

I was able to braze on the right seat stay on the fillet frame while Tinas was soaking. It's a tank at 4lbs. 1oz. and it's not complete. It'll be a hanger, too heavy to ride.

2011-12-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

The last limpet is in place and off for a couple of hours soaking.

2011-12-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

The rear triangle is completely brazed and the brake bridge is almost ready to be brazed in. I purchased a nice swoopy, light weight bridge, but it turned out the O.D. was larger than the seatstay. So I used this one after I drilled it out to save a couple of grams. Devin would appreciate it.

2011-12-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

Got a few minutes before going to the pub, so I thought I would start prepping the right seatstay on the fillet frame for something to do. Tinas frame is in the fixture ready braze tomorrow morning and will hopefully be complete by the end of the day. Then finish the fillet frame as far as I can. Most of Dougs tubing is ordered, only needing clarification on what style of cable guide he wants.

2011-12-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

There's a beautiful fillet under there. Because of all the lug and bb port manipulation to build this 44cm frame, I silver brazed it with 45%. It fills any gaps better than the 56%. I'm also trying out a flux and it seems to work OK. I got one seat stay on this A.M. and checked the dropout alignment. The large blob of silver at the dropout joint is cosmetic only. I'm going to shape and blend the joint for aesthetics.

2011-12-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

I thought I would play around with the super macro on my camera on some of the shore lines from today. The day pretty much went up in smoke as I had to take three trips to the welding supply store to finally procure a full and working
acetylene bottle.
Even with the wasted

3 hours, I was able to complete the frame through both chainstays.

2011-12-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

The lugs are "skinned" and tubes sanded and solvent cleaned. Time to put in the fixture and braze up.

2011-12-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

A pic of the ongoing fillet work. I'm going to hang this frame up again and finish Tinas while Doug and I work out the final details on his frame and order the materials.

2011-12-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

The water bottle bosses arrived yesterday and this is as far as I got. After an icy bearded ride to the Canby ferry and back, the garage was too cold to work in. But, I did get on one seat stay and the bosses on Tinas frame.

2011-12-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

I finished the interior cable routing for the rear derailleur and ran a new cable through the many times kinked housing that I used when feeding the brass tubing and the action was surprisingly smooth. The ss tubing will be for the
front derailleur.
It was too cold to take

the time to clean up the inside of the bb for a better pic. I will attempt to attach the seatstays tomorrow if I can round up enough heaters.

2011-12-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Tinas front triangle is in the tacking fixture and ready to braze. Except, due to my poor inventory controls, I'm out of water bottle boss braze-ons. So now it will sit until new stock arrives. Here is the heart I cut into her bottom bracket and the reshaped point.

Well, I couldn't let this day go to waste, so I'm back to work on the interior routing for the shift cables on the fillet brazed frame. The rear is a slam dunk, but I will still need the PF30 adapter for the front.

2011-12-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

I got the seat tube lug complete for today and re contoured the bottom head tube lug. They will look nice in pink pearl next to the metallic anthracite.

2011-12-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

I ended up yesterday with the chainstays slimmed down a little more, I'm trying to make them graceful so that they won't over power the small frame size. I also continued with the modifications to the seat tube lug, getting the rear point add-on cut out.

This morning I brazed it on and shaped it.

It got too cold to work in the garage yesterday, even with both heaters blazing, so I spent the afternoon working on Dougs new cross frame design. It will be pretty standard Neilo design , but with disc brakes and maybe Di2. Again, sweet!

2011-12-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

The day ended up with Tinas front triangle in the fixture in a rough sort of way. Still some minor finessing with the lug and bottom bracket ports, but looks great.

The seat post binder is almost gone. I will add a point in the back and carve the apron into a double point like Daves frame.

2011-12-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

It doesn't like like much. But, I was able to change the port angle from 79 to 84.5 degrees with minimal metal removal and lots of cold work. Pretty darn good, the old skills are still there.

I'm still working on the dropouts. The top one has the windows hogged out and a significant amount of material removed from the back side. Still too bulky, maybe open up the windows.

Here is the head tube lugs at 103 mm. I'm not real fond of how they look at the meet. Definitely have to think on it.

2011-11-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

I got the dropouts brazed to the chainstays and seat tube to the bottom bracket. I like to leave some tube showing inside the bb. That way I can get a little fillet for additional strength even though it doesn't need it. When the frame is complete, I will dress the inside of the bb. You can see one of the dropout windows is almost done.

2011-11-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

I spent the afternoon setting the tacking fixture up and at the last minute I decided to hog out the windows on the dropouts. I might put ss faces on them also. Time for a Sucks.

2011-11-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Now that the Tryptophan has worn off, I can get back to work on Tinas frame. I identified and marked the high spot of the bow on the 3 main tubes to make sure the triangle is assembled with them in plane. I did some carving on the seat tube port just to dress it up a little. I also reconfiguredthe port angle a little with the die grinder, workingtowardsthat 55.6 degree between the down and seat tubes.

2011-11-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

I'm caught up on repairs, so back to work on Tinas frame. The bottom bracket is set for 60.5 degrees between the down and seat tubes. But, because her frame is so small, the that angle has tightened up to 55.6, you can see the difference from the protractor. Using my primitive benders, I was able to close the angle considerably. I will complete the final fitment in the tacking fixture.

2011-11-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here is an "almost" final dwg. of Tinas frame. Due to her opting for 700s and the low stand over heigth, there are some tight front triangle angles. The bb shouldn't be any problem, but the head tube lugs will probably turn into a mono-lug with re-angled ports. Her tube set is S3 and Columbus with Llewellyn lugs and bb. The drop outs are Long Shin adjustable that weigh in at 135 gms., definitely going to hog out the windows on them.

2011-11-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

I brazed the chain stays yesterday under my new heat lamp and it was quite nice. With out the bb adapter I need to determine the cable routings, I probably shouldn't have, but I was on a roll and couldn't stop. I pre drilled the exit hole for the front derailer cable so that shouldn't be an issue. But the entry hole into the chain stay for the rear derailer might cause me problems. I'm going to hang it on the wall until the adapter shows up.

2011-11-16T07:29:00.000-08:00

I went ahead and started fitting up the 410 mm chain stays last night, but had to quit early due to the poor lighting in the garage. I can put on the chain stays and still have access to the bb where I will put in the front derailer exit port. So now I'm thinking matte black with a gloss black logo.

2011-11-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Daves commuter is complete with the new head badge and two tone back color.

Here are the entry ports for the shift cables. The PF30 to external bearing adapter that I need will not be available until the first of the year. I need it to ensure there will be no cable housing/bb interference when I am fitting up the routing through the bb shell. I will probably hang this frame up and start on Tinas frame until the adapter is available.

2011-11-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

OK, this was an interesting endeavour. I wanted to put in the housing guides after the front triangle was brazed up because I want to use 56% silver to attach the brass housings. It took a couple of hours of finessing, but they are now in.

2011-11-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the first revised head badge, ready for Daves commuter as soon as we can find the time. I used Craigs new Papillon TT frame that I cut the integrated seat mast on for the back drop.

I'm actually finished with the fillet brazing and the frame will be soaking for a few hours. I weighed all the pieces before soaking and it came out to 4lbs. 4oz. Even with all 3 cables internally routed, .9mm top tube wall thickness, and the heavier Columbus seat tube, it will come in under 4lbs.

The Paragon dropouts are in the chain stays and I've started the finish work on them.

2011-11-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

The head badges are going to look great. I got as far as a brush finish on this one, but will take it to a full polish tomorrow, I hope. I got completely wrapped around the axle on the tubing diameter size for the internal shift cable routing. Spent way too much time fussing over .32 mm difference between tubes that I bought and one I found on-line. Couple of brews and a good nights sleep and I'll have my answer in the morning. I started setting up the rear triangle by bending the tabs 7 degrees and slotting the chainstays.

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

I went shopping yesterday for the proper brass and ss tube diameters for the internal routing of the shift cables and got them all but one. I'll look some more today when I go to the weld shop. I spent the morning drilling various holes and attaching the water bottle bosses. I also managed to find a way to shape the larger head badge. Major Dave might fab one for me or I think I can get one from Paragon. It's amazing the detail the laser cutters can accomplish.

2011-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have started fitting up the down tube, the front will still need to drop 6 or 7 mm. It's looking good so far. While I was in Mexico, I decided to also run the gear cables internally, but in a very minimalist way aesthetically. The cables will not exit out of the bottom of the down tube, but rather continue into the 51mm bottom bracket and gracefully exit in the rear lower quadrant of the shell.

The redesigned head badges showed up today! Thanks again Jed! Now to shape and polish a couple to see how they look.

2011-10-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a fish taco eating and beer drinking marathon in Mexico. I did manage to cut the first finger nail on the 38.1 mm down tube, but that's about all. The tube weighs 292 gms., not the advertized 304 gms. That's a fair amount for an S3 tube. I also recieved the drop outs from Paragon while I was away. They weighed in at 94 gms. a pair.

2011-10-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I "frenched" the brake cable openings and they just didn't go with the minimalist concept I have for this frame. So I filed them off. Definitely wasted some silver, but it was still a worthwhile exercise.

We will be taking off for Mexico soon, so I hope my down tube will show up while we are gone along with the complete tube sets for Tinas road and my new rain bike. I know Jimbo, I'm just gonna build her a bike no matter what.

2011-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

I am not a fan of internal cable routing. But, aesthetically, it's the only option on a curved top tube. It is a pretty straight forward procedure and I left large fillets to shape nice "frenched" openings. Those are the Columbus chain stays.

2011-10-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

The rear Di2 wiring harness arrived late yesterday, so I was finally able to finish the assembly on Dans beautiful Cadenzia lugged frame! I'd build one for me if I was tall enough to ride a traditional geometry frame.

I left 15 mm extra on the steerer tube until Dan rides it for a bit, then I'll take it off if there are no changes in the fit. By the way, it only weighs 17lbs. 4oz.

2011-10-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

I was the miter king this afternoon, no daylight on the top tube miters. I like the curve in the top tube, the frame is going to be sweet. I ordered Columbus s-bend chain and seat stays today, I decided they would look better than a wishbone. It's going to look nice in Frozen White Pearl. Thanks again Jake for the top tube.

2011-10-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Dans beautiful bike is still held for a replacement front harness from Shimano. I had to send the original back due to an open circuit in it.

I spent the morning drawing out the new frame full size on my drafting table so I could verify the interior angles for the curved top tube. I also had to modify the head tube cones on the tacking fixture to accept the larger diameter head tube. Now it is brazed up and in the fixture. When I'm brazing up the front triangle, I will finish the fillets on the head tube.

2011-10-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Major Daves commuter is finished and on the road. With out fenders, it can run 32 mm tires and the cable guides will accept hydraulic brake lines for when that day comes. Dave spec'ed out a beautiful bike and it shows. I wonder where he got his paint livery.

2011-10-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

A quick pic of Dans bike with the Di2 wiring hanging out the bottom bracket.

I laid out tubes I do have for the fillet brazed road frame on top of the full dwg. It's gonna be fun and nice.

2011-10-01T17:31:00.001-07:00

Dans frame is out of the paint shop and I am doing some minor assembly while I apply the frame saver.

2011-10-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is where Major Daves bike stood last night. He will finish up the cables, fenders, etc. at his leisure. I took many outdoor pics trying to capture the the paint work, but to no avail.

So, onward and upward. Next is this fillet brazed, BB30, Integrated headset. curved top tube road bike for me. This week while I was "frame saving" Daves frame, I spent hours making a mandrel to bend the top tube. It didn't work. Fortunately, Jake Rosenfeld of Huckleberry Cycles is bending me up one and might have it at Alpenrose on Sunday. Very cool and I'm stoked!

2011-09-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished the first clear coat. Considering it is a garage job, it's pretty darn good. After it cures for a bit, I will take it out in the sun and take some pics so the pearl and metallic will show up better.

2011-09-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple of hours this morning masking for the red. Many small pieces of tape. The pearl white looks very good, it tightened up nicely. We need to determine the head badge style soon.

2011-09-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Applied the White Pearl and unmasked. I find that demasking as soon as possible leaves a cleaner paint edge and doesn't leave tape marks in the substrate paint. The spec said I could mask after 20 minutes, but playing with a cowbell that I also painted left finger prints. So the red logo will have to wait until the A.M.

A shot of Cougars econo cross tubular wheelset. 1360 gms. and with the strength of 32 spoke 3X. Not bad, especially since I have figured out how to initially dish to the drive side a few mm and then pull it back with the NDS spokes to reach the 100kgf tension I wanted.

2011-09-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

Masked and ready for the Winter White Pearl.

2011-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

The transition stripes are masked and the metallic gray applied. It went quite swimmingly, two good wet coats and a dry drop coat.

2011-09-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

Here you go Dave. The Swift Red for the transition stripes between the Gray Metallic and Winter White Pearl. I haven't sprayed a metallic or pearl in over 40 years. Gonna be exciting.

Update on the carbon rims for Craig. Same problem on the rear that I had with Devos. Approaching 100kgf., the heads started shearing off the alloy nipples, even with lubricating the nipples seats and threads. However, I was finally
able to bring them up to a fairly consistant tension and true.

2011-09-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

While the prime is curing, I am building up a set of Half Fast Velo themed wheels for Craig. The quality of these Xpace rims is far better than the set I built for Devo. The Circus Monkey hubs look good also.

2011-09-15T14:24:00.001-07:00

Time to prime.

2011-09-15T11:08:00.001-07:00

Off to be glass beaded prior to epoxy prime.

2011-09-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

The cables guides arrived last evening as I was enjoying a cool one on the front porch. The radius is a little too tight, so I will open them up to conform to the top tube better.
Now to braze on the seat stay guides.

2011-09-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Beginning to ream the seat tube to 30.6 mm.

Finish it up with the ball hone

And here is what you get.

End of the day and still no braze ons. It's in the 90's, I'm going to ride down to the pub and fill my growler.

2011-09-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

A simple yet effective fixture for brazing the eyelets. It's hard to see, but I relieved the dropouts about 1.5 - 2 mm for the eyelets to sit in. It looks better and increases the contact area. Now just to determine where to put the other two. The rest of the braze-ons haven't shown up yet, so I'm starting the frame prep.

2011-09-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Daves alignment after brazing on the right seatstay. It all looks good.

He has decided on using a Llewellyn Limpet for his rear derailleur cable stop. Very clean looking and you don't use a ferrel. The fender mount is brazed on in the back ground. The rest of the cable mounts should arrive from Paragon tomorrow. So maybe all the brazing will be complete if it doesn't get too hot in the garage.

2011-09-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Although Major Daves frame is progressing with the stay bridges, etc., It doesn't make for very interesting pics. And since he lives a couple of houses down the alley, he can see it when ever he desires. But, Danny stopped by the paint shop and took some phone shots of his frame mid paint. It is going to be a striking looking frame! I believe all that's left is the black lug lining, reshoot the Edge logo on the fork, and clear coat. Looking forward to the Di2 assembly.

2011-09-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Before and after shots of the drive side seatstay braze on. Even though I use an alignment fixture to set the stays relative to the front triangle, I like to use a true and centered wheel to tack the ds stay. paranoia, I guess. I set the stays as wide as possible on the seat tube lug and still be considered fastback. Dave wants lots of room for wheel and fender clearance. Also, you will see a fat silver edge at the seat post port. I like to put a radius or a chamfer there, just think it looks good.

2011-08-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

One seatstay is just about ready to braze.

2011-08-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Another perfectly aligned set of chainstays.

One seatstay is slotted by hand and the dropout tab is set at 7 degrees.

2011-08-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of pics before I get started today. I wanted to show the actual rear wheel gap, check disc clearance, and determine the chainstay placement before I put the wheel back on my 29'r. We are going to Sisters for the week end. I also want to show off the new logo font that Dave came up with, I really like it.

2011-08-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

I brazed in Daves nds chainstay at 63.3' and loose fit the drive side to visually check the wheel gap at the seat tube with a 32 mm tire. It matches the drawing perfectly and he could run a fender with minimal clearance if the need arose. I also spent some time shaping my 31.8 mm tube bending mandrel, but that's a story for down the road.

2011-08-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Devin was finally able to pick up his bike this A.M. The chain ring spacers had too large of a diameter to use. But I found some old FSA aluminum bolts that did the trick.
So moving on to Daves frame, I completed brazing the front triangle and had a good test fit of the completed chain stays. Now the decision needs to be made on cable stop style. He wants to initially build with mechanical disc brakes, but wants the option to convert to hydraulics later. So we need to come up with a stop that will do both and still look good. Gotta look good. Here is a look at the schweet logo he worked out. He is going to print it out in various heigths so he can decide what looks best.

2011-08-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

With the exception of a chain ring bolt issue, Devins crosser is ready to ride. Next time I go in the garage, I'll weigh it. Daves randonneur is moving along nicely. He has reworked the logo and it is quite stunning in my mind. I started carving his seat lug tonight to form two points out of the single point rear apron. Pics to come.

2011-08-09T19:50:00.001-07:00

Very rough, but very close. I repositioned the tabs so the battery can be removed easier. I will finish it up and Dev should be riding it Thursday

2011-08-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

Low and behold, the cable stop was in the mail box.

2011-08-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is as far as I could get today on the bike itself. No cables, housing, or ferrels. Also the front brake cable stop hasn't shown up. I trimmed and put a couple of lightening holes in the battery mount. Honest, when it is done, it will look good. Both tabs will be the same size.

Here's the first cut on Major Daves rear dropouts.

2011-08-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

The frame is done. Some pics of the beginning assembly also.

2011-08-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Devins esm with the battery and mount "in position" with the saddle in a neutral position. This is as far as I can tuck the battery in and it will look good and be protected. Tomorrow, I will start full assembly if Dannys frame is not out of the paint shop. When done, the battery mount might have two more rail brackets. It will have 15 mm lightening holes down the spine and be painted either black or I will try to match the battery color.

2011-07-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a rough idea of what i have in mind for Devs battery mount. His saddle is wrapped so I don't spoil its whiteness.

I did assemble his head tube today and did the first coat of Frame Saver.

Major Daves front triangle all mitered up prior to fitting the lugs.

2011-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Before I got going on Daves front triangle, I wanted to work on the seat rail clamps for Devins battery mount. Using some ss308 bar stock, I drilled a 7mm hole with them sandwiched together for the rail contact. I then drilled and tapped 4mm holes for the anchor screws. After cutting them into the individual clamps, I tried to use an end mill in my drill press to face them. The cheesy drill press and vise wasn't going to let that happen. I'll think about how to face them while I'm fitting up Daves frame.

2011-07-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

The final clearcoat is on Devins frame. A couple of fat edges, but very good for a garage paint job. I will let it cure a few days before beginning the assembly process and Frame Saver treatment. Dannys frame painter said no Frame Saver for 6 months. I really don't want to spray inside the tubes when they are wired, I would rather keep the wires as clean as possible. Going to go convert my garage from paint to fab and try and get major Daves front triangle fitted up.

2011-07-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Finally got the first clear coat on after two Cayenne repaints. After the first successful repaint, the paint incurred a large cosmetic gash across the seat tube and stays. I spent the morn and after noon repairing that and then discovered my clear hardener had hardened. So after a dash to the paint store through the rush hour traffic, I finally got it cleared. Tomorrow, I plan on applying the decal, knocking down the clear, and applying the final clear coat. I do have a larger Butter Cup that just fits inside the band if Dev desires.

2011-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here it is with the Cayenne applied. But I pushed it too hard and with the poor lighting conditions, I have some holidays. So I will do a repaint this week and hopefully get it clear coated before Thursday. Major Dave just let me know he wants the same livery on his frame as his platinum pearl Ducati. Gonna be fun.

2011-07-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Here's where I am this morning. A couple of hours of cure, then on to the Cayenne.

2011-07-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Devins frame with a fresh coat of epoxy prime. Even though, in my opinion, the paint was holding up quite well under cross conditions, I decided to no longer use etch prime. The epoxy will provide an improved primer/base coat bond. I have finished sanding the fork and will mask and spray a coat of sealer next. Maybe cayenne and white today.

2011-07-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

While I have been waiting for Devs frame to come back from glass bead and Dans frame from the paint shop, I've spent some time on Major Daves frame. Here is the rear bb lug. Clean, simple, and purposeful. By the way, he won his class at short track this week. Way to go! I just ordered drills, taps, end mills, etc. to fab the attachment pieces for Devs battery mount and am off to the paint shop for his paint supplies.

2011-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Devins frame off to the glass bead shop. It will be ready for pick up this coming Thursday morning. This will give me the window to assemble Dans Di2 bike and finish Bobs Colnago.

2011-07-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Devins new saddle arrived and it has very little room for the battery between the rails. This is about as good as it is going to get due to the logo badge and lengthwise stiffeners on the saddle base. Final placement will be determined after the bike is assembled with the correct set back.

Here is the seat tube lug at about 90%. Next time, it will be easier to fab a custom lug. It's time to finalize the color scheme. The frame weighs 4lbs. 2 oz.

2011-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to work on the frame today, but I got side tracked. I went ahead and cut, faced, and reamed the head tube. I wonder what it weighs?

2011-07-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the front lug point and the rear brake cable entrance. I tapered both of the upper points down to .028" to help reduce any potential stress riser conditions due to seat tube flex.

The rear lug points and brake cable exit. I spaced the seat stays a little wider than normal to give the lower point more visibility. A very good day, but sore hands. Time for a Spring Reign.

2011-07-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

All the brazing is complete. Now for a long soak while I go find a good rust remover to clean the laundry room sink. After lunch I will start cleaning the frame up for glass bead.

2011-07-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have come up with so far. The clamping method hasn't been determined yet. I'm not going to spend any more time on it until I have some hard measurements on the saddle and set back that Devin is going to use.

2011-07-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to braze up the brake posts on Devins frame due to being too busy with last minute tune ups for the STP and the Hague Lake Tri this week end. I have been able to get some preliminary work done on Daves front triangle and have started the custom battery mount for Devin. I needed a u-channel exactly 1&1/16" I.D., so I made one. Pretty ugly at this stage.

2011-06-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

The seat stays are fully brazed in. I checked and reset the dropouts as needed and am fitting the brake posts. I probably won't braze them in until Saturday.

2011-06-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

The seat stays are bent. Now to align the dropouts and cut the miters.

2011-06-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

We have finally amassed all the materials for Major Daves frame and made the last tweeks to the drawing. Although Devs frame takes precedence, I should be able to star initial blocking in the fixture this week end.

Both chain stays are in. Next is bending and fitting the seat stays and continued work on the under saddle battery mount. Dans frame might be back from the painter this week end and the rest of his components have arrived. Hopefully, the assembly will also take place this week end.

2011-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

The left chain stay is in at 425mm.

A couple of pics to give Devin something to think about. The bolt heads on the seat post force the battery too far down the esm for me. I'm almost thinking a stepped bracket to put the battery farther up under the saddle.