2nd Frame finishing

[mattihill]

I have just finished welding my second ever frame. I used some .065" wall 1.375" tubing for the seat tube and in that I stuck a paragon collar. Do I want to ream the seat tube before or after I cut the slot? The tube does measure to be be more ovalized longitudinally. Would the collar open up a bit with the slot cut? My guess is no, but the collars do have a little more diameter to them in their raw state with the seat post I want to use.
When I was welding the chainstays to the BB I feel I did not leave enough space for the facing of the BB. There is about two mm left on one side and about a mm on the other. How much is not enough in this situation? Would facing into the weld even any little bit be a write off on this frame?
Feel free to tear apart anything else about the frame as well
Thank you,
Matti Hill

[Andrew R Stewart]

Ream before the slotting. This insures a clean and more to size/shape result as well as is easier of straight bladed reamers (as in adjustable ones).

One hopes you don't need to remove more then about .5mm per face on the BB. There are many AL frames with their welds slightly cut with a facer out there, with steel there's even less concern. Andy

[jaybeeboston]

Your second frame welds look better than mine did. Good work!

To keep the chain stays centered (or rather, to keep my attention on centering them centered), I'll usually put a small Sharpie or setup fluid mark at each outer edge of the BB shell and scribe a line on it with the caliper. My eyes don't see the scribed lines without the ink spot clearly enough.