Building a recumbent tricycle frame part 2

Second of two parts showing the cutting out, notching, jigging, brazing and TIG welding vs MIG welding processes involved in the construction of a recumbent tricycle frame. For the sake of brevity only key examples are shown. The music is from "My Favourite Guitar" by George Golla.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• TIG
• MIG
• welding
• brazing
• trike
• tricycle
• frame
• building
• cromo
• cromoly
• bike
• ride
• bicycle
• biking

[rongpockle]

TIG is standard. MIG adds more material therefore weight and is generally less attractive

[dodden1]

How do they bent the tubing for the seat?

[rongpockle]

@dodden1 For small numbers a mandrel bender is used. Cromo will tend to kink if not constrained in a former while being bent. For large numbers a press is used (Outsourced from Taiwan)

[rongpockle]

Also I have never had a weld failure using stitched MIG (have done probably over a thousand frames this way) but I still prefer to TIG thin walled cromo.

[rongpockle]

It depends how non continuos. The critical thing is not to overheat the cro mo. With thin walled tube and constant arc the weld is too cold at the start and too hot at the end if you get it just right in the middle. This technique gives a high degree of control over temperature and penetration by manual variation of stitch and gap time but you must always be careful to blend one stitch into the next. Use a hotter setting than you would for a continuous weld on the same material.

[moto9ll]

@wranga88 no it does not...what you do is weld until you see the puddle start to fall through then you let off...its just as strong...

[getayfe]

BUEN TRABAJO POR TU ENSEÑANZA Y DIFUSION, EN CONVIVENCIA, GRACIAS MAESTRO.

casildo madrid saiz. APRENDIZ

[TheEmmausRoad]

Is TIG welding the standard for bike building? I would have thought that MIG would have been more common... but I'm certainly low on the expertise on MIG/TIG.

TIG sure gets some nice results tho.

[inagod]

I see some aluminum trike frames being hyro formed,i'm guessing its safer,less chance of damage.

[wranga88]

welding a non continuous arc with the mig, doesnt this make for a weaker weld?