Build a frame and bike in under 6 minutes

[SirActionClive]

Hi, I just wondered how you worked out the coping angles and mitre cuts to get the butts to fit flush? I.e. how have you made the paper templates. Thanks a lot! Clive

[mchimonas]

@SirActionClive If you click on my channel, I have another video called "how to miter a tube" which probably has the answer to your question. 

[TeamHewes]

Buy a welder lol

[ParadoxDetected]

Amazing! What kind of welding are you using here, very interested to try this.

[koitorob]

@ParadoxDetected Looks like silver solder. Just make sure you get the relevant flux to go with it.

[SEBASdoELECTRICSLIDE]

your a monster! simply incredible!

[ddpaintballer]

you know russ denny?

[mudmanrv]

I just ran across this video - and I am planning a recumbent low rider build. My question is on the tubing and in particular the head tube. You don't show any machining on the parts... what size tube did you use (id/od) for the headtube and did you have to do any machining to press fit the headset? I'm wanting to be able to do a build off of stock items, like exhaust pipe or electrical conduit.

[mchimonas]

@mudmanrv I don't know much about recumbent bikes. But my guess would be you would need a 31.7mm or 36mm OD head tube depending on if you have a fork with a 1" or 1 1/8" steerer respectively. You should probably braze head tube rings onto the ends to make the metal thicker. Generally you ream the inside ends of the head tube to have an ID .1mm thinner than the OD of the head tube cups. The Paterek manual describes how to build a recumbent. Nova cycles sells bicycle tubing that is affordable.

[stephk42]

LOL I like how you decide to test your first connection by pestering your cats around the house

[Dannyches]

Nice--I forgot about fillet brazes? It looks like your soldering pipe together, but I guess it's strong?

[Zoidberg227]

Sweet build. What were you using for a jig? Looks like a couple lengths of angle iron or something to keep the top tube and head tube straight. Were you building mostly freehand?

I'm in the early planning stages of building up a roadie frame, and I'm balking at the price of even an 80/20 jig.

[mchimonas]

@Zoidberg227 The better the fixtures the better the alignment of the frame. (some of my earlier frames had poor alignment but still rode well). Angle steel or aluminum work well, the stiffer the better. Drill a hole in the angle steel and place a threaded rod through it as a dummy axle for a rear triangle fixture. Stiff 2'x2' sheet metal + tube blocks from paragon machine work = a good front triangle fixture. many of the subassemblies of lugged frames are self jigging.

[50cliber]

would it break if you took it down hill??

[gymkhanadog]

You should never have to grind/file welds unless it grinding back in to a weld to continue a new bead. If you find yourself being required to grind welds, they aren't going to be very strong and the welding isn't being done right. Water quenching should NEVER be done on a finished/production part; it makes the weld and surrounding hot metal brittle because they cool at a different rate.

I really hope that if/when this thing fell/falls apart on the trail, you weren't/aren't hurt. Good luck!

[mchimonas]

@gymkhanadog There was NO welding performed on this frame. What you think are welds are fillet brazes which are routinely filed by frame builders for aesthetic purposes. And no the subassemblies were never water quenched, rather they were soaked (after cooling) in water to remove water soluable brazing flux. Go be a pain in the backside on someone else's channel!

[truthseeker209]

Thanks for the vid., I am interested in welding a frame tube across where the rear dropouts are, o convert a bike to a trike. I guess I would then have to find some hollow-hub wheels and an axle to complete the trike? Any other ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

[mchimonas]

@truthseeker209 I really don't know much about trikes. Sorry but I can't be much help. perhaps try the atomic zombie frame building book.

[truthseeker209]

@mchimonas

Thanks just the same for your help, much appreciated!!

[truthseeker209]

@mchimonas

Thanks just the same! Thanks for the vid.

[flannelslippers]

nice video. i see you tagged reynolds 953. is that really the tubing you used and if so, where did you get it?

[mchimonas]

@flannelslippers yes, I really used reynolds 953, though right now there are cheaper stainless alternatives for frame building, namely renolds 931 and kva stainless. You can get reynolds tubing directly from reynolds in the UK or through Fairing Industrial in the US. You can get KVA stainless directly from KVA in california.

[jbb2110]

good

[groovygoolie]

i did enjoy it.

[MyIvank]

Very talented craftsman, keep up the great work and keep those informative videos coming. Great video and music.

[joshywalsh1]

its faster to buy a bike

[schumacherenator]

Ah yes, the vital "cat harassment" stage of bicycle manufacture.

[thundt]

Re music. There are many Chris Cowells, I think this is the one: Lives in Atlanta, goes by "Manifest Chris" aka "Mind Of No Mind". Music from the video is not there at the moment; too bad.

[thundt]

@thundt (it won't let me post links so...)

myspace mindofnomindmusic

soundcloud mindofnomind

twitter ofnomind

[mchimonas]

@thundt Yes, Chris grew up across the street from me in Atlanta back in the day. I remember when he painted his BMX flat black. He always had (and still has) a good eye for the aesthetic. If you send him a message, he might email you his songs.

[electrohits4u]

i have a few questions if you dont mind. im a tig welder and work at a fab shop so i pretty much have resources to all the right tools , my question is im wanting to build a simple fixed gear road bike frame and was wondering how critical the geometry and all the tube angles and stuff are? how do you go about finding those? is there any websites with frame blueprints by chance?

[Avooful]

Dude you're really good at this.

[aljunior624]

where did u get the gears, chains, brakes, etc. ? parts other than the frame

[danielblok1994]

:O omg nice

[kvsbvh]

I orgasmed when I saw how sexy it looked after it was painted

[woodsypaul]

how long did it take exactly



[kisstheplane]

fuckin awesome



[compuslick]

don't bring that bull neither ,because I don't have a cow.

bike frame with a propane torch? and silver solder ? who gonna ride that bike ? Your Mom?

[compuslick]

don't bring that bull neither ,because I don't have a cow.

[compuslick]

don't bring that cow ,I don't have a bull.

[QsKquikscopers]

dude that is awsome

[multibrandon43]

You didn't build the bike in 6 minutes you just fast forwarded the video....

[mchimonas]

@multibrandon43 I am so busted!

[StoneageDinosaurs]

@multibrandon43 You think?

[ctorres25]

Interesting video. What size tubing do you use and is it rigid, intermediate, or EMT

[randomdude3485]

5/5 this is realy good brazing and the frame is very nice is it titanium :)

[funnyrandomtim]

its easy just need all the tools and parts

[iLikeWHEELIES12]

WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THIS MUSIC!!??!!?

[freezazoid]

the choice for the paint job was a bit weird... but awesome frame!

[puZAEdr]

Kinda cool music. What group is it?

[shqiptarfrench78]

WoW SuPer :D

[amnon760]

dope man... chasing the cat....lol

[filbone]

Hi Marc,

I have noticed that you did not use any lugs to join the TT to the HT and DT to the HT? I'm just wondering if you used a 55 or 45 prosilver to do this? I'm very much interested in this techniques.

I'm currently building my 1st lugged frame using the method n your book and this video. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

[mchimonas]

@filbone For folks new to frame building, lugged frames are the way to go hands down. Fillet brazing with silver alloys (as done in the video) is controversial, alot of builders feel the fillets are too weak. Silver alloys that form fillets are 45% silver, 45% silver with tin, 38% silver with nickel, 40% with nickel. Build at your own risk.

[mchimonas]

@filbone For folks new to frame building, lugged frames are the way to go hands down. Fillet brazing with silver alloys (as done in the video) is controversial, alot of builders feel the fillets are too weak. Silver alloys that form fillets are 45% silver, 45% silver with tin, 38% silver with nickel, 40% with nickel. Build at your own risk.

[wcx2]

Dude that's awesome

[wenfer2]

Question How do you weld the tubes together?

Using a mix of butane and oxygen or do you only use gas?????

please response to me and others'

[mchimonas]

@wenfer2 In this video I am using a cheapo ($40) MAAP-air torch--it only works for low temperature silver based brazing alloys (which are controversial for fillet brazes). For brass, you need oxy-propane or oxy-acetylene.

[h3ndryonline]

Hey, awesome work, can you tell me more about your jigging methods?

Cheers

[mchimonas]

@h3ndryonline I use a series of improvised jigs. I simply balance the head tube on the down tube while brazing using a long copper pipe as a heat sink and counter weight. For the remainder of the front triangle I align the frame relative to gravity and then jig with two pieces of angle steel and 2 C clamps. For the rear triangle I use a threaded rod as a dummy axle, 2 peices of angle iron and C clamps.

[CreativeUpload]

hi, nice video, i was just wondering, how do you get/make the special pieces for the frame, like the dropouts, bottom bracket piece etc?

[mchimonas]

@CreativeUpload

You can get frame parts at any of the following (just goggle some of the words): Nova Cycles, bikelugs.com, and ceeway

[onetotwelve1]

4:30 I thought it was a batman logo that you will put infront of the frame. LOL Nice video.

[dreamof777]

yea the vid is under 6 min but in actual time its like 5 hours

[squiresuzuki]

@dreamof777 No way. Probably way more than 5 hours...

[mchimonas]

@squiresuzuki

Actually it took me over a month, not sure about how many hours exactly. Frame building takes a lot of time, but for most people, they love every minute of it (well, it can be frustrating at times, but that's what makes it worth while).

[redghost105]

@mchimonas what do i use to put boith peices together and what do i need to do it?

[mchimonas]

@redghost105 Which two pieces are you referring to?

[redghost105]

@mchimonas that soldering type of stuff that connects all the peices together

[mchimonas]

@mchimonas It's actually called brazing alloy, which is similar to soldering alloy but requires a higher temperature and is much stronger. For mild steel, CROMO and other low alloy steels, brass and/or nickel silver (which has no silver in it) work best. In this video, because the tubes are stainless, I use 45% silver, which is a controversial practice, though it is gradually gaining acceptance. I am doing so with informed consent at my own risk.

[redghost105]

@mchimonas at 2:40 the blow torch thing your using and the stuff your melting on to the bike...whats the metal stuff your melting onto your bike?

[mchimonas]

@redghost105 It's actually called brazing alloy, which is similar to soldering alloy but requires a higher temperature and is much stronger. For mild steel, CROMO and other low alloy steels, brass and/or nickel silver (which has no silver in it) work best. In this video, because the tubes are stainless, I use 45% silver, which is a controversial practice, though it is gradually gaining acceptance. I am doing so with informed consent at my own risk.

[redghost105]

@mchimonas do you know where i can buy some?

and just making sure...you said CROMO is the best for iron/steel pipes?

[mchimonas]

@redghost105 CROMO is best for the DIY frame builder. SOme of your questions are answered in my other frame building videos.

[redghost105]

@mchimonas and also what should i use to melt the metal?

can i use a normal hand held blow torch?or do i need something that can get hotter

[mchimonas]

@redghost105 Your first frame should either be a lugged frame using silver alloy or a fillet brazed frame (no lugs) using brass. Silver fillets are controversial and you would never want to build a silver fillet frame as your first frame.

[redghost105]

@mchimonas and also another Q.i just thought about

do i need much experience when welding this stuff?

or does it take special skills to do it

and what are the dangers if im unprepared for it?

[mchimonas]

@redghost105 You are asking all the apropriate questions. I can tell you are serious about frame building. On my chanel, there is a video about frame building books. All the questions you have are answered in either the Paterak Manual or in "Lugged Frame Constuction." Paterek Manual is comprehensive and necessary for pros. "Lugged Frame Construction" is for new builders who want to build a frame on the cheap.

[squiresuzuki]

@redghost105 I don't understand what you're trying to prove, obviously it's a 6 minute video. I was just pointing out to someone that the project probably took a lot more than 5 hours for him to complete, which it did.

[A2RYA]

wow thats really good



[vilemega]

so cool, I can see your evolution from the older videos, any chance on uploading a complete parts list?

[filbone]

hi there this might be a silly question, but is it possible to  braze aluminum tubes rather than tig welding it?

[mchimonas]

@filbone You can braze 6061 series aluminum but not 7005 series. You never hear of anyone actually brazing aluminum bicycle frames though (the exception may be the Vitus frames of the 1980s). I imagine aluminum would be hard to braze as it would distort. If weight is your issue, some of the heat treated air hardened steels (like the one in the video) are just as light as aluminum.

[junglejay77]

Great job! This is a lot of fun to watch and I loved the soundtrack. Can you tell us more about the musical selection? Thanks!

[mchimonas]

@junglejay77 both songs were written and composed by a friend of mine named Chris Crowell. I think he has some tracks on his myspace account.

[junglejay77]

@mchimonas

Thanks for the prompt reply. I can't seem to find him (I am not good with myspace, mind you). Can you please send me a link and otherwise put me in touch with him, however you see fit. I would love to hear more of his stuff! Cheers.

[charliefoxusa]

wow cool, especially like the track. Is that oxy-Ace that your brazing with? I'm just tring to finnish rebuilding a bike from an old carrera kraken 2005 frame but in needing to replace the back disc brake with a calipers I found no bosses to mount them too. The frame is aluminium. I can arc weld but have never brazed and would like to give it ago, do you know what I'd have to do to baze some bosses on? i.e. what materials and what gas?

[mchimonas]

@charliefoxusa I have never worked with aluminum so I don't know if I can be of much help. 6061 series aluminum can be brazed but not 7005. Aluminum tends to disort when heated. Disc bosses are tricky to mount. If you have bosses for cantlever brakes, you can get a disc brake adaptor at "brake therapy."  Google "brake therapy". His device requires no brazing or machining.

[ignatiusnorman]

bravo ! 953 tubings!!

[jimmybahn]

Cool, was that speed up or something or do you just drink a lot of coffee?

[ratrodschwinnmesa]

That was great.

[flippy0450]

sweet!

[werf4]

excellent stuff, well done.

[HigHChieF602]

how'd you learn how to do all that?