Action stations

Well gentle reader it's time again to put down your quill, stop beating your slaves and kick back and read this blog. Since the last post we've had a couple of classes and it's been all go.

Class before Easter
- Obtained replacement washer for the one I gumbily lost for the spoke header machine
- Headed a whole bunch of spokes.

In my spare time
I decided that I wanted a brass brake on this bike. I went to George Weston and Sons and got some 1 inch thick brass to turn into a brake shoe.

As it turns out when a bloke tells you that brass is soft and can be machined easily generally has BIIIIG machines to do this. This new shoe has gone onto Betty (there is more work to do on it making it prettier but it's getting closer) the old one will go onto Racing Rose as it's lighter.

I found a set of front forks that will be used for the rear wheel at Bicycle Revolution (the Aladdin's cave for old parts in Brisbane there are yet to be discovered tribes of bearded cyclists wandering around there I'm sure) that I stripped down and cleaned up ready for shortening and attaching to the backbone. I'm still working on what hub I'll use I need a 24 spoke hub.....

I then cut out the hub ready for Brett to machine into a perfect circle.

I also turned some grips but I'll talk about that later.

This weeks class
- I bent a whole bunch of spokes
- I made some cuts into the axle to make it easier for the mill machine to make a perfect cotter pin connection.

This for me is the biggest advance in this years class not having to do that fricken cotter pin thing I mentioned previously here and also here. I'm still having problems with Betty's cotter pin connection I've shimmed it (inserted small bits of metal to sit between the cotter pin and axle) to stop the movement (mostly). Even with the worlds most expensive and difficult to get British style cotter pin (slightly wider and shallower angle) it still moves.

- I outsourced setting up cutting, marking and drilling the handlebar ends that hold the wooden grip. (thanks Jonathan)
- I cut out the rough shape for the steering yoke
- I ate some mint chocolate biscuits

Here are some gratuitous working shots.  

Cutting the fork blades.

Good King Brett holding court with his loyal subjects.

Believe it or not things are coming together rather quickly. I'm trying to get as much of this bike done before our first child is due on 2 July.