flickr pics of a current frame assembly atmo -

[e-RICHIE]

here's a link to a gallery documenting a current build sequence atmo:
tulsa atmo - - a set on Flickr

it shows all the steps (well, many of them...) i took to get a pile of metal
into a finished main triangle for an RS road frame. thus far i have about 10
hours of work invested in the frame (and maybe 30 minutes using the
auto-correct icon on the picture program i use).

i will be away from the bench on and off until next friday so won't add to
the gallery until then. if there are any questions, please cite the image
and ask away atmo.

many thanks.

[e-RICHIE]

i managed to put off a road trip departure and got in a few hours at the bench
atmo. the gallery now has another batch of pics loaded which show the making
of the rear triangle. i managed to get the chainstays done. when i get home and
dust off, i'll attack the seatstays.

as before, if you have any questions, grab the image in question and ask away.
please - no questions about the rs corporate image atmo.

the newest pics start with number 4606 and the link is here:
tulsa atmo - - a set on Flickr

hey - many thanks atmo.

[conorb]

I really enjoy these - thanks.

I also agree with your comments on the macro on the G10. My old Sony seemed to do a better job.

I recently sold my G10, now I'm deciding what to do next.

Conor

[e-RICHIE]

okay here is the deal atmo - i loaded another 50 or so images this evening.
they begin with number 4655.
here is a recap -
the front of the frame is done, and the chainstays were done but not ready to mate.
today, i cut them to length and fitted them to the fixture.
the fixture is set to 8cm drop and about 42.8cm stay length.
today's task was to cut, braze, and fit some seatstays to connect the seat lug with the chainstays.
the pics i added show roughly 2-3 hours worth of labor.
i got the unit to the point at which all rear stays are pinned up to the main triangle.
from this point forward, the seatstays will be brazed to the chainstays and then filed up.
then the left/right stay pairs will be repinned to the seat lug and the bb shell and brazed up etcetera.

more in a few days atmo.

tulsa atmo - - a set on Flickr

[EricKeller]

thanks for sharing these. I think we should send Ken Denny a invite to comment

[e-RICHIE]

i got in 4 hours of bench time today and the task at hand was taking a pair of finished and fitted seat stays
and braze them to the chain stays, yielding right/left rear assemblies that will later be mated to the front
triangle. beginning with image 4713 you can follow the sequence in the flickr set. some of the shots are set
up just so you can see the mocked up work, but most show the fluxing, brazing, and finish work.

tomorrow i will take the pair of seat/chain stay assemblies, pin them back to the main triangle, use a surrogate
axle to set the OLD, and then finish the brazing for this order. hey - thanks for reading atmo.

here is the link -
tulsa atmo - - a set on Flickr

ps i forgot to add - last night i refilled the gasflux canister for the irst time since we moved here. i have been running
it on empty all this time. sheesh. not only did i forget how the vapors coming off the flame can quickly fog up the studio
and make it look like an opium den, i also had a real wonky time flowing the brass rod atmo. it's all good and shit, but man
what a difference a refill makes from one day to the next.

[edoz]

I'm pretty sure I know where that frame is going, and you should have built him a cx bike with the roads we have around here.

[e-RICHIE]

there's this line in the film "say anything" that goes,
"joe. she's written 65 songs... 65. they're all about you. they're all about pain."

and there's the famous scene in "the shining" when shelly duval discovers that the
jack nicholson character, while supposed to be holed up writing his novel, has typed
out 100s of pages of the same line:"all work and no play makes jack a dull boy".

i know the feeling atmo.

my picture taking of this last frame is complete. i need to tap the bb shell and ream the
seat tube. but the g10 is officially off duty for a few. i'll make a fork for this bad boy after
the weekend.

well anyway - here is the compilation situation atmo...
tulsa atmo - - a set on Flickr

any questions, please grab an image number and ask away atmo.

i may pen some text that describes what it is i did between the first and last pic.
i said "may".

later.

[Craig Ryan]

Thanks Richard, those sequence photos are great. It's my hope this represents what the Collective is truly about; helping the next generation.
Craig

[zank]

Absolutely fantastic. I learn so much from e-RICHIE's photo sets. Thank you for being so generous and positing them!

[EricKeller]

I've learned a lot from your pictures too, Zank. I'm glad there are people out there that post pictures and talk about technique, it's a good day if I can learn something about framebuilding.

I had already resolved that my next build was going to be well documented.

[busdriver]

Thanks, GREAT GREAT, Keep it coming, LEARN LEARN
Ted

[briordon]

Thanks e-RICHIE for posting these...these photos are really informative.

I'm trying to understand the differences between your main triangle assembly process flow and the way I've put things together. It seems to me like your approach is more streamlined. My (simplified) flow uses subassemblies:

miter downtube and seat tube
tack headtube/down tube in fixture then braze
tack seattube/BB in fixture (then inspect), then braze
tack BB/downtube in fixture and inspect HT/ST/BB parallelism
Miter toptube to fit and braze

Your process aligns and brazes the BB last. Did you always do it this way? Did you ever use my type of approach?

Thanks again,

Ben

[e-RICHIE]

Thanks e-RICHIE for posting these...these photos are really informative.

I'm trying to understand the differences between your main triangle assembly process flow and the way I've put things together. It seems to me like your approach is more streamlined. My (simplified) flow uses subassemblies:

miter downtube and seat tube
tack headtube/down tube in fixture then braze
tack seattube/BB in fixture (then inspect), then braze
tack BB/downtube in fixture and inspect HT/ST/BB parallelism
Miter toptube to fit and braze

Your process aligns and brazes the BB last. Did you always do it this way? Did you ever use my type of approach?

Thanks again,

Ben

no - i have never used your approach, but the answer to the other question is that i haven't always done it the way
i do it now. the sequence of brazing used to be 1) bb shell (seat and down tube to casting), 2) lower lug, 3) upper lug,
and 4) seat lug. note that while the direction was reversed, the main triangle was still assembled, pinned, fluxed, etc
the same way as my pictures show. also, all braze-ons are added to the tubes before the tubes are made into a frame.
that part goes back to the late '70s atmo. the basic system (sic) i use for mitering, fitting, and ultimately heating/brazing
the main triangle as a single unit goes back to '81 or '82. prior to that i would make a seat/top/head tube thingy, then cut
the bottom of the head tube to a point at which it was correct for the design, then fit a down tube between it and the bb
shell, and - lastly - braze 1) the lower head lug and then, 2) the two tubes to the shell casting.

i have tried a lot of sequences and many of them involved attacking the main triangle as a series of sub-assemblies. i believe
the way i do it now is the best for materials i use. any improvements now (or will) come with working skills and efficiencies rather
than from stumbling on yet another way to take 4 pipes and 4 castings and turning them into a main triangle.

[Jonathan]

I'd like to say thanks for these. Over the last few years I've looked at the many pics as I've decided I could do something better in my own process as I've discovered a weakness. It's also neat because the pics yield so many more clues to the how and why with every frame I complete.

I do have a question...

when you design the frame are you making calculations on a scratch pad or spreadsheet or do you just transfer the measurements the client has provided on the order sheet directly to the fixture?

[e-RICHIE]

when you design the frame are you making calculations on a scratch pad or spreadsheet or do you just transfer the measurements the client has provided on the order sheet directly to the fixture?

i work with (their) contact points and (my) knowledge of what works when they are connected.
after looking at the measurements and the anatomical stuff, i get an image in my head for what
the frame numbers will be and then set the fixture to receive pipes cut to lengths which will allow
me to execute the order. the "get an image" stuff takes about a minute or so. no sketches are made
and no calc or cad is used. according to my opinion, if i spend more than a moment translating the
client's needs into a working design, i have wasted time. some folks see dead people; i see my clients
on my frames atmo. it's just that simple. but hey - thanks for asking.

[briordon]

Cool...I have never been too attached to the sub-assembly process, but it's worked fine. Maybe I'll experiment a little more...

Have you always pinned your joints as well, or has this changed as you tweaked your approach?

Ben

[e-RICHIE]

Cool...I have never been too attached to the sub-assembly process, but it's worked fine. Maybe I'll experiment a little more...

Have you always pinned your joints as well, or has this changed as you tweaked your approach?

Ben

i have always done so, but the amount and location has evolved over the years atmo.

[e-RICHIE]

this is pretty cool atmo -
the slideshow icon turns the gallery into a, - well, into a slideshow...

tulsa atmo -

[Luke]

Great work...thanks for sharing.
"I've been schooled"
-Luke