Beat up, clapped out and moving slow...

Sorry folks for the lack of posting, it was a tough week.

I logged a ton of hours at the fire department (96 hours), working two overtime shifts as well as spending a day in class becoming a GEMS instructor (emergency management of geriatric patients... 8 hours of really depressing information, don't get old if you can help it!), so life was a bit abbreviated for me. Got a grand total of 12 hours in at the shop this week...less time than I usually spend in a day.

So here's a quick tour of what I did get accomplished.

I've been trying to get Mike W's Yo painted up in a Team Lavender paint but keep hitting road blocks. The latest issue, Fat's "fabled" sealed construction. The idea here was that by keeping all the tubes sealed up, no rust or deterioration can occur from within. Based on years of experience fixing these frames up, let me just say that this is by far, one of the most stupid fabrication techniques ever used.

Moisture is present everywhere, except maybe Tucson :), and will find it's way out eventually. I can't begin to count how many Fat City frame tubes I've seen with hole eating cancer. Without the ability to exchange gases freely through vent holes or the ability to treat the interior with prolonging chemicals, the steel will succumb to the elements.

The latest issue, after soaking in the strip tank for a few days, the "sealed" tubes took on a bunch of fluid inside. Fluid that is now weeping out, SLOWLY. You see, to seal up a welded tube, employees would drill a small hole in each piece, finish welding, then close the hole with a touch of brazed silver. Ironically, most of these small silver filled holes are not quite "filled" all the way; ughh!

Here is Mikes frame, draining yet another day from the downtube...

We've got fluid in the top tube and one seat stay as well. I may get impatient and drill out the silver, flush everything out, and fill the holes all back up again, we'll see.

I also spun up a quill adaptor for Kevin's Bullmoose bar. We designed the bar using a 1.125 steerer clamp so that he could have the greatest diversity with what bike he could use the bar on. To use it on his old school Ibis, I needed to make a piece that would allow him to clamp the bar to and have it slide into the old 1.0" threaded steerer tube as an old quill stem would.

Here's the 1.25 AL stock getting turned down for the two differing O.D.'s

The lathe turned piece, ready for center drilling, tapping, and eventual diagonal slitting for the wedge.

and here is how she all fits together... it should be quite clean and functional when done.

Christi and Kalten came down to the shop today, I think to see me as much as to help as I've not been home all week.

Kalten and I worked on Luv Handles and Christi shipped items out...I think she sent out 4 Ti bars and 5 steelies, bearings and collars for some folks, decals, shirts, and a few other odds and ends. Keep your eyes on the mail boxes folks, some goodies should be showing up for a few of you.

Tomorrow I'm going to assemble the fillet brazed tandem and do my taxes, yuck. Sunday will bring paint a flying, ready or not.

Definitely felt overwhelmed this week...I quit early at the shop and I'm actually going to get some sleep.

cheers,

rody