Monday, April 18, 2005

Twisted Tubes

I've been mulling over my cut apart joints, also the pictures that Suzy Jackson has shared of her cut apart bottom bracket.

Silver can fit into some tight spaces. Heat is key, but so is knowing where to put it. I'm probably going to try a tip one size down from my 153 (2.2mm), with as big a flame as possible. I want to see if the tip size can concentrate the flame, or if it only limits the size of flame possible.

The review of my lugged joint shows how much the one tube shifted, and its impact on filling the joint. Not good. Once things are fluxed up, its hard to see where the tube should sit. I think that when my pins arrive, I'll be able to better control this and get much better joints.

Apart from this, I'm not very concerned about my filling at this time. I have a problems with excess filler dripping down the tubes and cluttering the lug edges. In terms of strength and safety, this seems like a preferable problem to underfilled lugs.

The more I work, the more apparent it is that my vice needs to be moved. I like its position for filing, and its firmly supported. But, its too hard to work on both sides of a joint when brazing. One possibility is to cantilever the vice away from the work bench, but it seems likely to make the vice less steady. Another is to make a separate stand for the vice and position it in a more convenient postition. Maybe this weekend I can try making a stand.

Meanwhile, I need to miter a few more tubes and practice some more fillets on my workstand.

That's all for now.


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