Remedial class

This week is double the trouble with not one but two episodes. The first normal class on Monday night and the second remedial class for special people like me. No time for frivolity lets get straight into it... wait hang on a little shenanigans. How about a Rooke demonstrating the worlds only uni-farthing

Then we had Daryl turn up with one of the stranger sights you'd see in Brisbane a p-far on the back of a ute.

But lets have a little flash back

Starting all the way back to the weekend before the class....I spent a lot of time cleaning up the front forks. You thought they were done? Well not on your nelly they still needed a lick of paint and a bit of sanding and filing and filing and sanding and then a bit more sanding.

The undercoat on..

Episode 1 the P-Far Menace.
This class I was working on getting the backbone ready for brazing and also the seat clamp. Oh yeah we had to manufacture an artisan seat clamp. You take one bit of bent metal, braze on the inside clamp off the seat then bolt on using the outside clamp.

Simple eh? Then it was on to getting the backbone ready so first cut a place for the steering yoke, insert the rocket ship I made earlier and then braze it up. It was at this point I almost had a complete melt down. I cut the first notch out for the steering yoke put it in to test its position and had to re-cut the backbone shorter and the notch again. I put it together and it looked like it was too short and going to rub on the wheel. I almost lost it I was so upset but Brett came along shifted a few things around and got it sitting fantastic I was so happy I could have kissed him but he was somewhat reluctant...

Episode 2 - Attack of the P-Fars.
Now the special class the next night had a bigger turn out that I expected. I arrived to find that Brett had brazed the steering yoke, foot peg and rear forks on all ready for final assembly.

I have been asked if I did any of the building? Well I did a lot of it and helped other people as we all did but I left almost all the brazing to Brett. The critical nature of the joints and my adversion to serious injury from poor brazing made it a simple decision. I do intend to learn though!

I was super excited and thought that I'd be all assembled in half an hour just got to put the cranks, pedals and seat on and badda-bing it'd be all done. 2.5 hours later I realised it was going to take longer than 30 minutes. The seat clamp required additional grinding and work to shape it to fit then a lot of elbow grease to get it on the bike. Then the bearings needed some circlips to hold the bearings in place these clip in and around the bearings.

 

Then it was time for my friend the cranks and cotter pin conundrum. I hadn't touched this since around May. after the mysterious disappearance of good karma frog I've been loathe to touch the cranks but I couldn't put it off any further. With great trepidation I pushed the first cotter pin in... looked good... then came the second one.... codswallop! it wasn't working. After some additional trouble shooting and 5 different cotter pins and more work with my friend the file I got it in and looking reasonably even. Hooray!

So there you have it a technically ridable p-far. Now you might be wondering how I got it home? I tried to fit it in the back but the hole was too small for the wheel as I previously alluded to that might be the case. My elegant solution....

There is still a lot of work to do including grinding and sanding the back bone and painting it and the forks. I still also want to put a brake on, I'm yet to work out how I'm going to do that. Then the little matter of learning to ride it..... but don't worry I know exactly who is best placed to deal with that.... Future Aaron. Next week is our last class but don't worry the magic will keep on coming after that..