Wednesday 27 June 2012

Let them eat cake

Hello long time no see. Did you find the place alright? Would you like a refreshing beverage?

There has been some progress since last time dear reader. I have made a number of important parts and am well on the way.

The hub has been brazed and is ready for final machining. Here it is before it's refreshing drink of cola.


Now after with just some light rubbing.

Makes you wonder how good that stuff is for you eh?

After a refreshing beverage it's time for cake! How else do you cut cake in a workshop? With a hacksaw blade of course. Usually the hacksaw blade is meant to be cooked into the cake but woolies were out.

After the refreshing beverage and cake with metal filings it was time to bend the chromo handlebars.As it turns out that stuff is tough, tonka tough!


Considering the monumental effort it was to bend the handlebars that are only a couple of cms across the decision to outsource the bending of the backbone to a shop was a particularly easy one. Plus it improves our chances of a nicer result!

The rear forks are essentially complete apart from cutting off the steerer tube.
I've done the step but I don't have a picture of it, just imagine a step.

So things left to do.
- Make Steering yoke insert- cranks (like last year cut off cog)
- Get backbone bent
- Join rear forks and steering yoke after cutting to size.
- Clean up and shape steering yoke
- Cut handlebars and join
- Make brake lever
- Thread and cut spokes (plus make a few more)
- Build front wheel
- Add tyre to front and rear wheel
- General clean up of joints and parts
- Paint and beautify.
These photos are for Don of the joiner piece that joins the headset and handlebars. They are not finished being machined they don't fit mine fully. The machined part fits the holes. I don't think there is an exact science just thick enough and long enough to make a nice join.