Profile Forming - aka project gilco homebrew...

[Blacklabbikes]

Anyone tried making their own gilco style tubing?

I've a few ideas (rollers, or press, die and mandrel) but as ever, if I can stand on the shoulders of giants...

[halekai]

All that stuff is a black box for me. Disclaimer...I have never even held a Glico tube... I have done basic dimpling, some advanced bending and some ovalizing (at the ends of tubes to decrease profile for a good fit-up) I would have to say that Gilco-izing a tube in even an advanced shop would be an impossibility.

I don't know but I am guessing that they form the tubing prior to heat treatment and putting that much stress on a modern tube or even standard 4130 would add some serious stress.

I have visited Rob English's shop and I have seen his heavy press and forms he uses to ovalize tubes. Not as straight forward as you might imagine as just padding a tube will give you flat spots and inversions. Belinky has a setup that will swage the end of a tube down to a point. That is pretty cool.

I too am interested in all things steel forming. Lets hope someone with more knowledge than me can chime in.

[steve garro]

More importantly, why?

I'm saying DOM

I have allot more experience with Tange Ultra-strong which had ribs for strength (and pleasure) as nature has shown that corrugation in
an object is the lightest way to make it stiffer.........like cockle shells..........or metal roofing in the industrial...........but I think this is at the expense of long-term durability, I think the ribs made it too stiff, cracking the tubes - you had to orientate the ribs at 12:00 and 6:00 or it would bust right away - basically, there's a reason why all tubes aren't made this way now even though it was tried out.


- Garro.

[Blacklabbikes]

Thanks Steve and Hale

I loved the Tange Ultra-strong stuff.

As to why - Tricky question. Mostly because I think that I can do it. I have the great luxury of framebuilding without having to make it pay the bills at the moment so I might as well think big :)