Welding Aluminum Bicycle Frames
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- This video shows the details of how a high-end aluminum bicycle frame is fabricated and welded.
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I am impressed the with the jig table, and the way the drawing is used for aliment! And PRAISE GOD!!! That I learned something new today 👍
I'm delighted that you enjoyed this video. You may like some of the other videos I have on my channel - ruclips.net/user/covellron
@@RonCovell will do thanks Mr. Covell.
I used to weld aluminum bike frame parts for Trek bikes when they had a plant in Chehalis WA. Was originally Kleine bikes till Trek bought them out. We used tig welding with argon gas. the parts had to be meticulously clean to get best results. All parts were given a detergent bath and rinse to remove any grease or oil followed by a dip in an acid bath and neutralizer to remove oxidation. Then, the components were tack welded in sturdy jigs, adjustable for specific frame sizes.
An aluminum part can look perfectly clean but have a thin layer of oxidation. That layer melts at 2000 degree while the base metal melts at 1200. You get blow through as well as ugly blackened welds if the oxidation layer is not removed.
Scooter, thanks for 'chiming in' - you certainly know your stuff!
I don't know, the other side of that as far as industry info is concerned is that the oxide layer forms instantly, and you get rid of it not through heat, but the HF AC of the tig welder blasts it off. Or so they say. Does have to be scrupulously clean though.
Scooter George how well does a stainless wire brush work?
All I know is, if components sat around more than a few days, they went through the acid bath again. Centralia College used big, powerful Miller machines. I found some aluminum tubing in the scrap bin, and setting up the machine as told, tried welding. Got horrible black welds. burned holes in the metal. Had argon gas flow. good tungsten tip. aluminum LOOKED CLEAN. Instructor suggested I wire brush the parts first. Made a HUGE difference.
Works great BUT as long as you reserve it just for your aluminum stuff. The welding instructor at Centralia College in Washington said stainless but out at Trek bikes, they had a bench grinder with a steel wire wheel and it worked just fine.
Ever notice that most, not all, successful operations are neat and organized?? Our Porsche Race shop was ridiculously clean most of the time...but that's how we became a championship team.
Nice job!! Made in America!!
Yes, I like to see clean and organized working spaces. (Although what's behind my camera is not as clean as what's in front)!
That milling table, wow.
And those welds, laying dimes man. Super nice!
Yes, the fixturing table used at Santa Cruz Bicycles is fabulous, and their welder, Mike Woods, is very, very good.
Amazing parts and workmanship 👍 Super impressed!🙂
Thank you! Cheers!
Thank you for showing us around....er....the little table.
You bet!
asking questions is the best way to make discovers
Yes, that's absolutely true!
Wow this is great! I dabbled a very teeny tiny bit in welding over quarantine in 2020 and am hoping to go to school soon to learn properly. I’m also getting into bicycling as well, so this video is just all around awesome 😃
I'm delighted that you enjoyed this video!
same but the school around here is partnered up with a communist tech college and they require mandatory vaccination in order to attend the school. No thanks!
Hats of to you Ron. Not only a great craftsman, but impressed that you've replied almost every comment, good, bad and ugly. Nicely done :)
Thank you so much. I have really tried to answer every serious question, but my most recent video has garnered 750 comments in 24 hours. I spent three hours this morning trying to catch up, but only made it about halfway through. I may get about as many comments every day this week, so at this rate I just won't be able to keep up. I suppose people have had worse problems!
man what skill! this type of weld is what I always look for on bike frames. In my eyes it's always the best
Glad you like it!
Thanks very much for this video presentation Ron.
It was very enjoyable and quite a pleasure to watch.
Thank you. Sincerely,
Matthew
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
lmao
excellent quality of welding, you are pro!
On my list of projects to make when I get my powertig welder.
Am Scout - That will be a great project!
Thank you 🌹👍
I am so glad you have discovered my videos, and enjoy them!
I still have an SC aluminum 26" Chameleon hardtail from 2001 when they were still made in USA. Welds are beautiful on this frame. I cracked the seatstay and sent it to Frank The Welder who repaired it and it hung in his shop for two years until I remembered he had it. Got it back and built it up deluxe, now it's my commuter. Sadly an aluminum frame is not something you want to keep beating on for years due to its relatively low fatigue life when compared to steel or Ti so in order to keep riding it I'll just have to tone it down. But the geometry is a perfect fit for my body dimensions and riding style.
Sounds like a great bike for your planned usage!
Frank is welding royalty
my machine must be messed up because my AL welds look nothing like his lol .
Yeah - it's probably the machine (smile)!
My “ Handmade in USA” Cannondale mountain bike has beautiful welds.
Cannondale is well known as an excellent brand!
How much does a made in USA frame cost?
@@RonCovell Actually, when they were made in the US they were well known for snapping at the welds, earning them the name "crack n fail". Mostly due to bad design, though others blame grinding their welds smooth. New ones (made in taiwan) are done in a more conventional process - more boring to be sure, but less failure prone. None of this has to do with country of origin, just that cannondale was not an excellent brand for quality back in those days.
Thanks for the excellent background information on Cannondale!
Otherwise known as Crackandfail
Classic example of HOW TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH A SCRIPT MEMORIZED AND REHEARSED A LOT...✌🏻️😅🤘🏻
To add a little context here, retail for these bikes start at $2k, and go up to over $15k.
Thanks for adding that information!
Have you any experience Welding British 7020 aluminum. I believe that number is correct, it was used by Spondon Engineering on their Beautiful round tube motorcycle frames. They have since been bought by Norton and you can see their frames on their v-4 bikes. From one of their old brochures they mention their material could be bent, welded and would stress relieve locally at the weld and age harden back to T6 hardness. To talk about beautiful tig welding you need to see one of their frames. The British also make a High Manganese Aerospace Steel called T6 that is basically their steel for uses we use chromoly for. More forgiving, and can also be used with Bronze welding for lower temp minimum distortion motorcycle frames
such as those still sold by Harris Engineering. From what I understand both the annealed steel and bronze welding rod have a 85,000psi tensile strength.It was also the same steel used on the jet powered Land Speed vehicle "Thrust" which I believe was Tig Welded.
Monty Crain - Thank you for giving me this information! 7000 series aluminum is extremely strong, the 7075 alloy that's most often used in the USA is not weldable. I was not aware that there was another alloy in that series which could be welded! I was also unaware of the high manganese steel used for aerospace fabrication. For the record, bronze filler rod can be used for TIG welding mild steel and chrome moly. It definitely keeps the distortion down, but it has a much lower tensile strength, so it's not suited for every application.
Wow this is great, I have never seen this before. hope to be in this business 👍
Best of luck, and let me know if I can help!
Wow, this is amazing. I'm so passionate about engineering.
Glad you liked it!
This is fabrication, not engineering.
Alhamdulillah... Very cute emporium of cycle master technology and expensive quality...
Thanks so much!
I have a question for you, I used to ride a recumbent trike, and a car hit me, as a result the main frame got fractured, and eventually broke apart, somebody told me that it can be solder together, yet where I live nobody knows how to do it, and some people even say , that it can’t be done, so if I could send you some picks so you can give your profesional opinion, and if you are up to it I could send it to you.
I hope to hear from you Carlos
You did not specify what material your bicycle frame is made from, but I presume it's aluminum. Yes, aluminum can be brazed, but bicycle frames are generally welded together, since in most cases a welded joint is stronger than a brazed one. I don't do work for customers any more, but thanks for asking!
I love to understand how it works. Thank you very much. Now I understood how my bike was made. PHANTASTIQUE 😄😯🤟👨🦳
You are welcome 😊
Soy ciclista y al entrar a este mundo que es full adrenalina mi vida cambio
Y actualmente estoy en la carrera de Soladadura Universal ya que me encantaría fabricar cuadros de bicicleta
Saludos desde Perú
Muy contento de saber de usted desde Perú, y ¡buena suerte en la construcción de su bicicleta!
nice little video. very interesting. keep those videos coming! thanks.
I'm so glad you liked it, and there are more videos on the way!
Good jigs seem to be absolutely essential for welding geometrically-critical things.
Yes, stuff moves when it's tack welded, and moves more when it's finish welded, so it's hard to get precision without rigid fixturing.
Normally they cut the copes in a milling machine, so that they are pretty perfect when assembled. Then they fixture it. Then they weld all the tubes except the seat stays, then they take it out, cold set any problems, then they weld the seat stays. That is on conventional frames. This is pretty unconventional. Of course a lot of the frames sold are not straight.
καταπληκτικό!!!
@krrrruptidsoless - Watch it again. He says they jump around to minimize distortion but it always distorts so they heat it up in the oven and move it around.
avro549B yes for most welding applications the hardest part about smaller items that aren't secured is distortion. Pipelines and such it isn't as much of an issue
Its great and thank you for the detailed video,We are new to the manufacturing of Aluminium Cycle Frames.Could you please let us know whats the table name and its fixtures which you used to hold the frame rigidly
That type of table is often called a 'fixturing table' or sometimes simply a 'welding table', and there are many manufacturers worldwide. Here's one example to get you started:
www.trick-tools.com/StrongHand-Rhino-Cart-Mobile-Fixturing-Station-TDQ54830-K1-10380
@@RonCovell Thank ron :)
Ur welding seams are looking good
Thank you!
Stackin' dimes homie.
Glad you liked it!
Nice bicycle frame. I really like it.
Thanks for watching, and commenting!
Love it
I'm very glad you enjoyed this video!
1:19 How was the monocoque built? I already know how two tubes are welded together, but I'd love to know how that monocoque is made.
The monocoque in this video was probably hydroformed. You can see a more low-tech way of making a bicycle monocoque here: ruclips.net/video/d76PFjH1SJA/видео.html
It looks like it's two separate halves that were stamped then welded together probably in China.
There are companies that do hydroforming all over the world, including in the United States. That frame and the monocoque halves were definitely welded in California - I was there!
The use here of the term 'monocoque' is not really correct. A monocoque is a structure where the outer surface forms the structure - the typical modern car body is sort of a monocoque, but not a pure one. This bicycle frame is part tubular, part formed sheet metal. Monocoque it is not
I agree that the entire frame is not a monocoque design, but I believe the formed upper section can be fairly called a monocoque structure.
I know how to anneal aluminum .. I need to know how to heat treat it ..
There is a lot of science that goes into properly heat treating aluminum - it's definitely not a 'backyard' proposition. Here's a little insight into what's required:
ruclips.net/video/yB7YoTEUbPw/видео.html
Hey Ron. Great Video. These Welds are Incredible. Would this work for small steel tubing like Mini Bike Frames, etc ?
Thank You.
Yes, steel tubing can be TIG welded together very easily. You can see some larger steel tubing being welded here: ruclips.net/video/aSAwKLiBLMU/видео.html
Yes you can as it is the same principle just different material
Whats the difference in thickness between the tubing used for motorcycle frames and that of bicycle frames? Anyone know?
PK RIPPER, showed us alloy alloy stacked dimes
thank you
Thanks for watching, and commenting!
this is a bad video for me , now I'm thinking of reproducing vintage bike in aluminium lol , great work frame looks kick ass
I'd like to see a vintage-style bicycle frame made from aluminum!
+Ron Covell in the last 12 months I've gotten into restoring 60s/70s bikes for fun be interesting to see one frame in particular reproduced in aluminium with billet fittings just to blow some fan boys away lol
I'd love to see pictures of your work. Maybe you can post a RUclips video sometime?
@Ron Covell
Thank you very much friend. I appreciate your kind reply. In the case of small workshops that do not have heat treatment, what do you recommend for welding, what contribution ER 4043 or ER 5554?
Many greetings friend. From Mexico City.
In my work, I used 4043 filler rod mostly for welding cast material. I have never seen or used 5554, but I use 5356 for parts that need the greatest strength, or that will be heat treated.
Thank you, frellin awesome, i want to take away from this & cut away the downtube & then fit a new piece enabling me to fit an electric motor to it, obviously I will try this one a frame that i do not use, god forbid actually attempting this on my pride & joy 1st time round, lol
Sounds like an interesting project!
This guy makes welding aluminium look easy. This is not a walk in the park.
Most people find some level of challenge with welding aluminum, but the only way to get good at it is to practice - a LOT!
+Ron Covell
With good interest and steady hand, about how many inches ? or hours ?
yes, it can depend on the welder. Thnx.
I'm doing some Custom Fabrication on my bicycle that requires cutting parts of the frame off of one bicycle and Welding them onto another. I did not realize until I already start it that one frame is aluminum in one frame is steel. I'm not very experienced with welding to begin with, almost welding is mostly bed frame gauge steel. Usually modifying bed frame material to make whatever I need. The welder I have is just a 110 wire welder I inherited from my father. I do know he has used it for different kinds of welding. I don't know the difference between Mig and Tig, I don't know what gas is he used to make what kinds of whales. I've only used it for straight wire welding with steel. Can anybody tell me what I need to make this wire welder work welding aluminum to steel?
Unfortunately, your 110 wire feed (MIG) welder really can't be used to weld aluminum, and you can't weld aluminum to steel using normal shop equipment.
@@RonCovell thank you for your help. Asking questions like this is the only way I can learn.
muy bueno !!!!
Cool video, What type of aluminum did you use 👍
I didn't ask what type of aluminum they use at Santa Cruz Bicycles, but it's probably the 6000 series, since it is a high-strength alloy which is both welded and heat treated.
Just curious I dont know if someone has asked it yet but is the welding done using a foot pedal? It didn't sound like one was being used.
Yes, the TIG welding machine had a foot pedal to control the amperage 'on the fly'. That's the system preferred by many professional welders. Unless the amperage changes are large, you often can't hear them.
Do you put in a jig when you heat treat it, so it doesn't distort?
For convenience, frames are usually heat-treated off of the fixture, and straightened afterward
Dear Ron I love the shop tours , I am looking forward to the 3rd D.V.D on the roadster build ..Thank you for taking the time to make these Video's Pete M
Pete - glad you like them! I just started shooting the next video in the roadster series today. I don't know when it will be finished, and uploaded to RUclips, but I'm on the way, at least.
very nice my brother perfect
Thank you!
Where does that monocoque thing comes from? Is it made from plates in the shop itself or is it build on demand by a supplier?
I don't know where the monocoque is actually made. I didn't see any stamping equipment on my tour of the Santa Cruz facilities, so it's likely they subcontract that component.
Thank you for your answer! Must be quite costly.
I don't know where Santa Cruz gets theirs, but I know someone who used to supply more or less the entire industry when this technology came to bikes. His name is Gary Pimentel with American Monococque (San Diego area). The equipment to do it is a bit pricy, but the forms and process is rather simple. It's basically a big urethane sheet that is pressurized over the aluminum blank and the form. High pressure pushes the aluminum sheet over the form, then just some simple trimming is done in post. He has some forms made out of wood for short runs, but most are just CNC aluminum dies, which we crank out all the time. Compare this to tubular hydroforming, where very high pressure is fed into a tube, that forms into a female mold. It's way more expensive as far as tooling, and takes some very heavy machinery, but makes some really nice and relatively inexpensive parts, when the tooling can be amortized over thousands of parts.
Mark, thank you for that excellent description, and for letting us know about American Monocoque!
He sure used a low frequency for that; sounded like 40 Hz. Does that give a wider bead?
I'm nearly certain it was 60 Hz. Sometimes the sound captured by the mic on the camera can be deceptive.
Just asking as a noob, is not necessary to have gas flow inside the tubes?
You'll find that there is a difference of opinion on this. With reactive metals like stainless steel and titanium, internal purging is quite important. With steel alloys, very few builders do internal purging. Aluminum is occasionally purged, but it's not the norm, and the frame shown in this video was not internally purged.
@@RonCovell great, thank you for the explanation 🙏
This is very irresponsible....ALWAYS wear welding goggles before watching this video to avoid a painful condition called arc-eye
Ha ha!
ROFL!
I always wear them ..just in case...safety 1st! Can be a bit tricky getting to the bathroom at night but hey..cant be too careful lol
I just pour gallons of milk into my eyes while watching, but by the looks of you... you drank all of yours.. thus will defiantly end up with the dreaded arc-eye.
Bro seriously? I started seeing black dots after watching the weld. Thanks for the warning! Next time ill know!
I assume that the monocoque is hydroformed?
I presume it was hydroformed, too. I think Santa Cruz Bicycles outsourced those parts, and I didn't ask where they came from.
I have a yuba mundo cargo bike
Problem is theres no suspension
I paid $1800 no motor
Highest speed 24
8x3
They say I can put 9x3 that’s it
The back frame is not wide enough for 12 speed biggest tire 26x2.45 not big enough for 441pound weight limit 😔
I would rather build my own custom cargo bike then shop online or in store
Not even babboe centure xl trike is not worth it that’s a tricycle with skinny tires on it smh
Sounds like you have good reasons to build your own frame.
It was a very good job of welding but not great.
As an ex welder(Arc,Gas,Mig & Tig) Aluminium is a problematic metal to weld because the oxide that forms on the surface melts at a higher temperature than the actual metal so cleanliness i.e. minimizing that oxide formation is essential and Tig(tungsten inert gas) welding is the only way to go, although i have welded Aluminium successfully with gas(oxygen/acetylene) are Aluminium frames(mass produced not custom) still hand welded or do they use robots nowadays
I hope some knowledgeable person can answer this question - it's something I've wondered about, too.
I would think they have to use some kind of machine. I mean after all there is a limit to how many people can weld that good. If you look at those frames they are all pretty perfect. They all look like Jody(from welding tips and tricks) welded them. He is one of the best I have ever seen.
That being said if you welded aluminum with oxy/acetylene I take my hat off to you. How would you keep the flame from contaminating the metal? My torch wouldn't stay stable enough for that. As it warms up it changes from carburizing to oxidising lol Seems to randomly change little bits after that even. I actually tried to weld aluminum with it at one time many years ago. took forever to heat up and when it did a big chunk just sloughed off. :( I took the next project to a shop.
Aluminum is commonly gas welded. It takes a special flux, and a special lens to cut the glare given off by the flux. Here's one of the best:
ruclips.net/video/8H45-vdnxi4/видео.html
The rods we used were hollow with flux down the middle,very slightly carbonizing flame(BOC Saffire torch) and we didn't have the lense's then so had to put up with the glare.Aluminium moves a lot so you either clamped it down or tacked it at an angle so the movement pulled it back straight.But the welds were nowhere near as pretty as TIG welds.
Может сразу варить из титана? Раз заявлен hi-end.
Эта рама из алюминия, а не титана
Safety first - I wore my welding mask for this video.
Good for you - don't forget your gloves, and hearing protection!
I still look away initially out of habit...
Good habit to have!
Is this mig welding or stick welding ?
It is TIG welding, different from either MIG or stick:
ruclips.net/video/3sp1BP29J4E/видео.html
Wait... do I cut it first or weld it first?
Well, it depends on what you are starting with! If all your parts are the perfect size, all you need to do is weld. If they aren't, then you cut first.
@@RonCovell Holy cow Mr Covell! I was just joking. But thank you for taking the time to reply to my nonsense. I love watching EVERYTHING that you put out. I'm not in the "industry". But people like YOU are what will actually keep the WORKMANSHIP going - because with out you - the decades of experience could simply fade away... like the blueprints to the pyramids and the supposedly simple devices used in construction.
THANK YOU for all that you do and PLEASE keep em' comming! Wishing you all the best!
Yes, many more videos are on the way!
in regards to distortion once you've tacked one side do you tack the other as well might help to have a mirror image jig and help it with a rubber mallet just to get things right might not solve the problem but might lessen the affects of the heat ?
When tacking tubing, it is good practice to alternate the locations of the tacks. It takes a minimum of 3 tack welds to really hold a joint rigidly, and more tacks is better.
With all that work what’s the cost of one bike frame to be built since bikes are usual a couple hundred dollars?
Well yes, there are many mass-produced bikes you can buy for a couple hundred dollars, but anything custom made can cost thousands.
No back purge?
Thanks for asking about back purging. The more reactive the metal, the more important back purging is. For this reason, back purging is nearly essential for stainless steel and titanium welding, but not so much for mild steel, alloy steel, and aluminum. While some builders DO back purge aluminum bicycle frames, many do not.
Support sir
Nice job
God 🙏 bless you Sir
From phillipines
Thanks!
Ron which country you are and
which tig welder you using and
How many dollar what amp ac/dc please tell me the price. how I can buy thank you regard
I live in the USA. I have several TIG welders. The least-expensive welder in my shop that would be good for bicycle frames is the Miller Diversion 180. It is a 180 amp machine, which is more than enough power for this application. They are currently selling for around $2200 here.
Someone really knows how to burn it in deep getting maximum performance out of those welds, nice. Brings back memories having my dad weld a slippery set of handlebars to the top of my gooseneck. He nailed it perfest and slippage was a thing of the past. Good Video.
I'm glad you liked it!
Mr Ron what welding michine
gys tig welder and Telwin tig welder and deca tig welder
I use the Miller line of welders exclusively, and I consider them one of the best around. I am not familiar with the Telwin and Deca brands. I'm not saying they are bad, but I have no experience with them.
Thanks for the video. I was wondering what kind of testing is done after welding to ensure there are no cracks in the welds or the aluminum tubing.
Heat treatment
One method used by DIY motorcycle racers/ fabrication, is weld a small 1/4” coupling in an area on the frame that a pressure gauge is mounted.
There is a small diameter hole in all frame tubes that allow air pressure too travel a complete path to the gauge. Pressurize the frame at low psi, and spray soapy water on all welded joints.
I understand that is normal tube as headTube but I really don't know after that how you guys are make it process for headset ...I wud like to see complete video on headTube process..can any one help me, I'm sure that tube is not suitable for headset, there is some next process...kindly help ....
Thanks for watching, and asking a question. Metal always distorts to some degree when it's welded, so in most cases, bicycle head tubes are faced and reamed after welding. You can see a video showing this here:
ruclips.net/video/-UgzDhn6C20/видео.html
The head tube is chosen to match the fork you're using, and there are many options. Here is one resource: www.bikefabsupply.com/7005-head-tube
Wow, very great MTB-Frame. I like so much aluminum frame. I don't are interested to carbon fiber frame. I thinking with the 6061-aluminum flying, we have one absolute stability, more as carbon.
I have in last time, so many bike, GT, or Cannondale, all I have buy with aluminum. I hope so much, in the next time more from this frame set see and possibility to buy one. Thanks for this great video recension. Greetings from Switzerland..
I'm very glad you liked the video! Perhaps you would like this series I made on building an aluminum bicycle frame:
ruclips.net/video/d76PFjH1SJA/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/R6-x6M2wj1A/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/wcTkQ_Y_dBA/видео.html
No purge of the I.D.? Pithy Bikes on RUclips has a good series on fixtures for bike frame welding.
Purging the inside of tubing is quite important with stainless steel, but not nearly as important with aluminum, mild steel, or alloy steel. It never hurts, though!
Quality to Price ration is Outstanding
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, I am not sure there was much on this video, no cleaning steps, prep, specs, etc. just a little bit of welding, but the best I got was to use the breadboard flat to set the position of the parts to start. That was a good tip.
Glad you enjoyed it! I do have other videos that go into more depth on the welding processes:
ruclips.net/video/3sp1BP29J4E/видео.html
I would like to see the alignment process. And see how much the tempering re-distorts it. Or see how they combat the heat treatment from re-distorting it.
There are several RUclips videos that touch on these subjects.
what type of welding machine did you use? Im used to seeing those types with sparks flying
TIG welding was used on this bicycle frame. MIG and stick welding both are accompanied by a shower of sparks, but sparks of any kind are quite rare with TIG welding, and usually only happen if there are impurities on or in the metal.
sir, how much it will cost (manufacturing cost[labor, machine, etc])
Here's a page showing the current pricing for the Santa Cruz Bicycles V-10:
www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/v10
Is it my imagination or does the welding look a mess?
Well, most people think it looks quite good.
Is this brazing or welding?
The bicycle frame is being joined by TIG welding.
Ron Covell this sort of welding is something I haven't done. The bar is heated like a brazing bar . Aluminium can be brazed. Just seems you are heating the brazing bar differently
When welding, the base metal is heated above its melting point, and flows together, often with the addition of a compatible filler rod. Brazing (and soldering) is done at a temperature BELOW the melting point of the base metal.
I have a linclon mig welder that also does flux core and a shitty campbell hausefeld 115 70 amp stick welder. I want to build a small bicycle cargo trailer for a mou tain bike. Well i happend to come across 4 bicycle frames that are a youth size and are deffinently peices and parts . A magnet sticks to them . Do i have to tig weld these or will one of the welders i have mentioned work?
Welding thin-wall steel tubing is challenging with a MIG welder, but it should be possible. If you can use solid MIG wire,with a gas shield, that would be preferable to flux-core wire.
I wanna know what brand of bikes this guy working for or brands that making frames like this one
I have lost track of Mike Woods. He worked for Santa Cruz bicycles when I shot this video, but he had his own frame-building business on the side.
Ever thought of drilling holes in some of the tubing and sending gas purge up the bikes internals bit like the way process pipe welds are done.... there by creating a strong internal bead and by that process seriously strengthening the whole frame... Great welding ... Five Stars...
There are many cases where purging the inside of a tube while welding is very beneficial. Food-quality stainless tubing is one very common example.My understanding is that In the world of aluminum bicycle frames, purging is not generally used.
1st you didn't brush before welding, 2nd you are not using a gas lens, 3rd you keep taking the rod out of the gas zone after dabbing, 4th even on material of that thickness a little pre-heat is good and 5th you need a lot more practice.
The first three things you mention are in fact 'best practices'. On thin aluminum alloys, pre-heat is not generally required. Mike Woods, the welder in this demonstration, is an excellent welder in my opinion - and I have been welding for over 50 years!
Ron Covell
No it’s not required but it does make for the highest quality.
I was a welder fabricator and working with aluminum for over 24 years.
I am a CWI And have worked on some of the biggest projects in the USA. So yeah I’m no backyard welder.
I can tell you are very experienced, and I agree with your suggestions for 'best practices'.
Polygon bike from Indonesia is amazing
Jokam🙌
Lifting the filler out of the argon ... that's not fantastic work, that's terrible.
You are correct that it is 'best practice' to keep the hot tip of the welding rod in the argon shield.
Hi. I have a question is there an easy way to use a blowtorch and some kind of stainless steel rod and bond to stainless steel pieces together or is this impossible. I have a video I can send to show my question in video form. Thanks
Stainless steel can be soldered, and most blowtorches (or propane torches) are hot enough to do this. blog.sra-solder.com/knowledge-base/can-you-solder-stainless-steel
After seeing this, seeing some of the complexities, I don't think I will learn to make bike frames after all - especially when he says the frames warp and need to be heated, straightened and then reheated. wow
While bicycle frame building is not for everyone, I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning the processes.
Easy to use and hold weight up to 300 lb
Is it true when you weld aluminium you weaken the metal around because of the heat?
A lot of aluminum is heat-treated to give it extra strength, and when you weld it, the heat treatment is lost. If you weld on aluminum that has NOT been heat-treated, no strength is lost. Further, if both the base metal and the welding rod are the proper alloys, the entire welded assembly can be heat-treated, which is pretty much the standard procedure when making aluminum bicycle frames.
You could bet the farm that This Old Tony has watched this and had an opinion on the welding. Hopefully a positive one.
I hope so too!
Dont understand why you call the centre piece monocoque, the whole main frame of a bike is monocoque in theory....
Well, you bring up a good point. One definition of 'Monocoque' is 'One Thin Shell' When bicycle frame structures are made from formed sheet metal, that is usually called a monocoque. I suppose that you could say that the round tubes that a standard bicycle frame are made from are 'monocoque' structures, too, but that's not the usual way of naming them.
I love the look of Aluminium welds and the look of bare aluminium, it used to seem like the perfect metal to me, but didn't know then how much it can be prone to salt attack, discovered that from riding motorbike in winter and dishwashing aluminium food trays...
Well, one option is to anodize the aluminum. Anodizing is quite good at protecting aluminum from salt water and many acids. The anodizing can be clear, so it looks a lot like bare aluminum, or it can be colored, which can offer an interesting 'candy' like finish. Many aluminum bicycle parts are anodized - like crank arms and stems.
@@RonCovell ah okay yeah, I've seen anodized aluminium parts before but don't know the process of getting I supposed probably through some sort of electrolysis in a solution bath, I'll have to look it, thanks! 👍
Почему его всегда сваривают? Его же можно пожарить, закоптить, да и холодный он ничего.
Некоторые велосипедные рамы склеены эпоксидной смолой, но большинство - сваркой. Он сильный и простой.
I'm guessing this comment won't be seen since it's an old video. That's a beautifully fabricated and welded frame, but it bothers me that it was apparently not fully welded where the copes overlap at the head tube. The top part of the down tube was only tacked before being covered by the monocoque. Maybe part of the process was edited out. When building racecar chassis, that's a big no no and requires some thinking ahead. It can cause more pull/distortion when you have to weld part of a fit when the rest of the chassis isn't tacked yet, but it creates a stress riser and leaves a lot of critical strength on the table. If you or anyone that's actually in the know has some more insight I'd be curious to hear it. Bike frames are built in the margins where weight and strength are critical and there's really no room for compromise just to save a little time, so I was surprised to see this.
Thanks for watching, and commenting!
I have been around a lot of race car chassis construction, and in my experience, not all builders will completely finish weld a joint if it is covered by another welded structure. I'm not a structural engineer, so I can't 'run the numbers' to see how much strength is 'left on the table' with this style of construction. If an incompletely welded joint can't move because it is trapped by something encircling it, I don't know that can be considered a stress riser.
In the aircraft world, many structures have holes placed near their centers to reduce weight. This reduces the strength very little, since the majority of the loads are carried near the edges of the part.
Maybe someone with more experience can share their experience with this important issue!
Nice work...can you give me little info on base material and filler material of TIG welding... Thanks......
I only spent one day at Santa Cruz Bicycles, and I didn't ask what alloy of aluminum they used. It may be 6061, but I'm not sure. The filler rod is most likely 5356.
Nice looking welds. 👍
Thanks 👍
Wow what kind of welding rod that? Reply ASAP pls...
I'm not the one who did the welding on this video, but I believe Mike was using 3/32" 5356 rod.
What a beefy chunk of ally
What rods are you using and will this be the same as a specialized frame
This is 5356. I don't know what alloy Specialized uses.
I feel like I need an eye shield to watch the video :)
Don't worry - RUclips has made these videos perfectly safe!
Chet Juall jjdkd