Metal Working! Fitting, Machining, Welding, Sheet and General Metal Fab

ausdb

Being who he is
No. You flip the whole helmet up and then a quick nod of the head has it back down again. Hands-free darkening:)
I grew up as a kid in around my fathers engineering workshop in the 70's, non flip shields were de riguer and it was big news when he bought a mig. I learn't a lot of new words the day I played with the adjustment knobs on one of his guys fixed helmets....

All of the above is great food for thought, the unimig I posted I can get for $250 locally vs cheapest speedglas but it has the specs of the $600 Speedglas helmets (true colour and grinding) but honestly I'm kidding myself if I really need grinding mode. For the time being I think I should just get a shade 9 & 10 filter for my old hiderock letterbox and see how it goes, for shade 11 I've got an Aldi special that still works. If I'm happy with fixed shade I've also got the dead blue weldskill that I could try and get a large fixed shade filter for like the one @SummitFever mentioned. I'm amazed typing this that I'm talking my self out of spending money on new toys :eek:

If anyone has welded aluminium bike frame sized tubing I'm also after suggestions on tungsten size type as all of my current tigging consumables are 1/16" thoriated from playing with stainless homebrew gear. The new second hand AC/DC tig has a WP17 torch with 3/32" collets, should I go up to 1/8" and which tungsten type? Also 1/16" or 3/32" filler rod, I know I should be using 5356 . I'm going to go past the tip shop today and pick up an old frame to cut up and practice on.
 

ashes_mtb

Has preferences
I’m looking to reuse an old rigid fork on a 29er I bought recently and am wondering if anyone might have the gear and skills to make an alloy crown spacer for me (having no idea of the skills and effort required).

There are retail options out there that offer a 10mm increase in a/c, but I need around 25mm ideally.

Here’s the retail option to give an idea of what I’m going on about:

C93043AE-C523-4FCD-994F-5CBF11981DC4.jpeg


It’s for a straight 1.1/8 steerer though.
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
I’m looking to reuse an old rigid fork on a 29er I bought recently and am wondering if anyone might have the gear and skills to make an alloy crown spacer for me (having no idea of the skills and effort required).

There are retail options out there that offer a 10mm increase in a/c, but I need around 25mm ideally.

Here’s the retail option to give an idea of what I’m going on about:

View attachment 396970

It’s for a straight 1.1/8 steerer though.
Easy job to turn, wait for link to have a look, he will know if there is some reason not to do it.

It will look a bit Alfa/Renault though.
 

ausdb

Being who he is
I’m looking to reuse an old rigid fork on a 29er I bought recently and am wondering if anyone might have the gear and skills to make an alloy crown spacer for me (having no idea of the skills and effort required).

There are retail options out there that offer a 10mm increase in a/c, but I need around 25mm ideally.

Here’s the retail option to give an idea of what I’m going on about:

View attachment 396970

It’s for a straight 1.1/8 steerer though.
@ashes_mtb if you can find a chunk of ali I can make chips/swarf for you. I don't have a bearing press to get the old steerer out or new one in tho. What material is your steerer?
 

ashes_mtb

Has preferences
@ashes_mtb if you can find a chunk of ali I can make chips/swarf for you. I don't have a bearing press to get the old steerer out or new one in tho. What material is your steerer?
Steerer doesn’t need to come out. It’s a sleeve that slides over the steerer so the crown race seats further up the steerer. Basically a thick round tube.

Swarf and chips is lost on me - but the sound of it is making me hungry.
 

ausdb

Being who he is
Steerer doesn’t need to come out. It’s a sleeve that slides over the steerer so the crown race seats further up the steerer. Basically a thick round tube.

Swarf and chips is lost on me - but the sound of it is making me hungry.
Swarf and Chips, the names of the cuttings that come off and you don't want when you machine something.

Sorry I misread your original message, what size / type headset is on the crackandfail at the moment, what are you doing at the top as well?

Can you post up some pics of the frame / headset and fork?
 
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ashes_mtb

Has preferences
Swarf and Chips, the names of the cuttings that come off and you don't want when you machine something.

Sorry I misread your original message, what size / type headset is on the crackandfail at the moment, what are you doing at the top as well?

Can you post up some pics of the frame / headset and fork?
Here’s the fork:

DBA8EE97-C152-4520-AD05-95D0655892C0.jpeg


And the frame:

37763B11-2FEB-4D5E-9BD3-A98A142F2CEC.jpeg


Basically you just take the crown race off the fork, slide the new thing down the steerer to the bottom, put the crown race back in at the top of the new thing, and that’s it.

I’d need to measure properly but it’s a 28.6mm hole to slide down the steerer (would want to be reasonably tight I’d say, around 31mm dia at the bottom to match fork, and then 46mm dia at the top to match head tube. Then just shaped for aesthetics in between.
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
The bottom of the head tube tapers in. Measure the triangle of od at the top and bottom of the taper and the length. If you continue that shape it will probably look OK.

Need proper measurements with venereals.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
The spacer, I would incorporate the crown race into it, and make it a friction fit to the steerer, with a big relief for a screw driver to remove it, or it might never budge again. If you look closely, while we refer to them as straight steerers, they actually aren’t, and are swaged at the crown.

The Cane Creek S H I S page has gone to shit, it was once the best online reference. https://canecreek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/canecreek-shis-poster.pdf

1 1/8th steerer is 28.45-28.60mm at the top where the stem clamps.

1 1/8th steerer is 30.015-30.075 where the crown race mates. This 30mm diameter section extended up the stem somewhat, not always 25mm. Wouldn’t matter.

Going to look fugly, even Alfa Romeo fugly. I snorted beer out my nose reading that, thanks Dales.
 

ausdb

Being who he is
Here’s the fork:

View attachment 396975

And the frame:

View attachment 396976

Basically you just take the crown race off the fork, slide the new thing down the steerer to the bottom, put the crown race back in at the top of the new thing, and that’s it.

I’d need to measure properly but it’s a 28.6mm hole to slide down the steerer (would want to be reasonably tight I’d say, around 31mm dia at the bottom to match fork, and then 46mm dia at the top to match head tube. Then just shaped for aesthetics in between.
Pretty much ditto on what @link1896 has said below your post, no guarantees on how fugly it will or won't look! a black paint pen will make it look slightly better.

I think it would be best to have the target fork and the Dale and its headset to work from. What sort of headset is on the Dale at the moment loose ball or cartridge? I'm willing to have a go but have lots of sh!t on for the next week or so with family and work, if you can handle that time frame.

Is this going to be a #roadburn #gravelburn project?
 

ashes_mtb

Has preferences
Is this a 29 or 26” frame? I’ve a set of 29” straight, qr, rockshox Reba that I’m about to list.
29er. It has a reasonable suspension fork (2017 Recon single air), just was tempted to make use of the Surly fork from a previous bike. Thanks for the advice on ‘what would be needed.

Pretty much ditto on what @link1896 has said below your post, no guarantees on how fugly it will or won't look! a black paint pen will make it look slightly better.

I think it would be best to have the target fork and the Dale and its headset to work from. What sort of headset is on the Dale at the moment loose ball or cartridge? I'm willing to have a go but have lots of sh!t on for the next week or so with family and work, if you can handle that time frame.

Is this going to be a #roadburn #gravelburn project?
Thanks mate, definitely isn’t any urgency with it at all. The current fork on it is in good condition, just wouldn’t mind reusing the rigid fork if I can (again, with no understanding of the work required).

Headset is loose balls rather than cartridge.

And wash your mouth out. My ugly road bike is gone and I’m 100% mtb again. Even if it ends up with skinny slicks and rigid forks.
 
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