Frames Builders, which of the metals is the most difficult to work with?

[bobswire]

Seeing that beautiful Anderson SS frame in the custom bike forum (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=117069) got me wondering which of the metals,steel, ss steel, titanium or aluminum is the
most difficult to work with?
I dulled more bits and blades just cutting or drilling a stainless sheet for kitchen stove back splash in my 30 years installing kitchens than I care to
remember.
How is it to work with compared to the other metals?
http://i45.tinypic.com/1o13c2.jpg

[David Kirk]

They all have their own 'charms'.

Regular steel - simple to cut, bend, braze and weld.

Hardened steel - less simple but still not bad

Stainless - much less simple to do everything with except weld. Welding can be nice and clean as long as the material is well prepped. The material likes to break teeth off saws and files and requires different techniques to properly drill and machine. Some alloys work harden in a big way and can be a real bitch to drill and cut. if you are cutting/drilling and it gets hot you are in for some extra fun.

Titanium - when it first came on the scene all we heard about was how hard it was to deal with and frankly it's not that bad. It can feel like you are filing glass but as long as the tools are sharp things go well.......and as long as it's clean it welds very nicely. But it needs to really be clean and be properly purged.

Aluminum - varies a lot depending on the alloy. In most cases it's easy to cut and machine. Welding requires a different skill set. has the nickname of 'weldable wood'.

Magnesium - I've worked very little with mag. The little I have reminds me of cutting aluminum. It can start on fire with a near invisible flame that can ruin your day.

Like I said - all have their charms.

dave

[christian]

Of all the metals, plutonium is probably the worst.

[William]

From a builders point of view....Is stainless worth the extra effort if it doesn't necessarily bring anything more functional to the table? I think Drew mentioned shifting to titanium because of this.

Thoughts?





William

[MattTuck]

Of all the metals, plutonium is probably the worst.

Well played, Sir.

P.O.T.D. as far as I'm concerned.

[mvrider]

At NAHBS, Dave Wages told me that 953 is a b!tch to work with, suffering from lots of heat-induced distortion. He has since switched to KVA, which is more tolerant. 931 appears to be a compromise that's more similar to KVA.

Not sure how XCr fits in, but it may be telling that IF switched from 953 to XCr.

[MadRocketSci]

Of all the metals, plutonium is probably the worst.

Beryllium

[schwa86]

Heavy metal. Your big hair catches on fire periodically, the studs on your pants keep heating up, and you leave work every day with a pounding headache.

[pdmtong]

reynolds 953...

[bobswire]

Heavy metal. Your big hair catches on fire periodically, the studs on your pants keep heating up, and you leave work every day with a pounding headache.

Wear a hat,the studs stay, what's work?

Oh and case you are wondering, it's not what you think,that's just a Turkey.

http://i46.tinypic.com/oruro8.jpg

[Louis]

that's just a Turkey.

Wearing a hat ?

[bobswire]

Wearing a hat ?

Yeah, the Turkey who refunded you a payment for a crank set because you neglected to check out the length. This is not the first time you made a disparaging remark to me. What's up?

[cnighbor1]

In the field of architecture when we have a difficult problem in what material to use in a given project when are in the planning stage and trying to solve a difficult structural problem the material of choice is FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER
Perhaps it could be used in bicycle frames.
Charles Nighbor Architect

[Louis]

Yeah, the Turkey who refunded you a payment for a crank set because you neglected to check out the length. This is not the first time you made a disparaging remark to me. What's up?

Bob, it's just a joke.

You put up a joke picture with a joke comment and I replied in kind, nothing more, nothing less. Sorry.

[pdmtong]

At NAHBS, Dave Wages told me that 953 is a b!tch to work with, suffering from lots of heat-induced distortion. He has since switched to KVA, which is more tolerant. 931 appears to be a compromise that's more similar to KVA.

Not sure how XCr fits in, but it may be telling that IF switched from 953 to XCr.

IF moved away from 953 because reynolds started having supply challenges. Thye switched to XcR becasue Columbus offered a few more tubing choices, and was a more dependable supply. reynolds will claim higher strength numbers, but whether these are practically manifested is somethimg I am unqualified to comment on. KVA also offers more tubeset choices, and is also a more dependable supplier. interesting that you and I would have the same conversation with dave but not surprising, since we both share similar curiosities...

I dont think any of the stainless are a walk in the park, but certainly more than a handful now profess expertise and are delivering frames.

there was a timr when the 953 SSR was really the predominant stainless offering. not anymore.

at NAHBS sacramento the managing director told me their supply issues have been addressed, but I think most builders have made the switch and the reynolds train has left the station.

does a XcR frame ride better than a 953 frame? than a KVA frame?
hmmm. thats another thread.