Almost Ready for paint

Well there's been lots of fiddling on the frame since the last post. Mostly its been cleanup, getting off flux, filing to regain shorelines on some lug edges, trimming the headtube and cutting the slot in the seat cluster.

I still don't have my bottom bracket tapping tool. I suspect I won't be getting it. Cecil's site on eBay indicates that he's now set up in the US and shipping product, but he doesn't respond to my emails. So, I appear to be SOL. And, I'd really like to clean out my BB which has a bit of brass in it.

I have a little bit of filing and sanding left on the dropouts and the seat cluster. They won't be perfect, but they should be sound. I'm counting on the next frame looking going together with less mess so there's less cleanup. There's also a matter of installing a chainstay bridge of some kind. The key purpose here is to provide a mount for a fender, as the BB shell has a bridge. So, I'm thinking about non-tubular alternatives. Some neat ideas come to mind, but some of them go beyond the combination of tools and skills in my shop - and so will have to wait for another frame.

AJ over at Victory Graphics got my decals to me today. Boy, he does some nice work! I can't wait to pick a color and the appropriate set of stickers - it might keep folks from looking at my joints so closely. :) Anyhow, Victory Graphics is definitely on my recommended list!!!

I may have mentioned that Troy Courtney is painting this frame. Originally, I contacted Doug Fattic, but as I learned about the quality of his work, it seemed like a waste to put his paint on this frame. There will be another better opportunity to work with him. Meanwhile, I don't think that Troy is a slouch at painting. What I've seen indicates that he's seriously good. Plus he's only about an hour away from my house, which is cool. I'm glad he's back to working in the shop again. Depending on his schedule (he has a vacation coming up), I should have a complete bike in a week or three. And, he has the tools to handle the BB, Headtube and fork milling, and reaming the seat-tube. So.... it's getting close enough to taste.

That's it for now. Pictures soon.

Cheers