[coreyaugustus]

I appreciate the replies. I'm waiting on the cable stop screws to arrive Monday, so completed build pics and ride review will come soon.

Originally Posted by cinema

i don't know jack about framebuilding but i have oxy cut and welded before; are you torching w/oxy without shades?

I'm sure there's an element of potential retina damage, but I wasn't blowing tons of heat like in a cutting application and the light intensity isn't as extreme as with TIG. Also, the flame isn't your focal point; you're looking at the tubing for very slight changes in color to know when the heat is right. That's how it was explained to me. YMMV.

Originally Posted by Zoomie80

I’ve always wanted to build my own frame...did not know I could do it just down the road in Richmond (I’m in Fairfax Station)!

Well, mine was the last project done in his Richmond shop. He was in the process of moving out of Richmond and into a new house near Kilmarnock, VA while I was taking the class. Not sure when his new shop will be up and running, but he's not quitting the business. There are a couple active builders in Richmond, I learned, but I don't know if they also offer classes.

Originally Posted by schwa86

I am curious whether you think this was a “one off” or you think you learned enough that you will continue to build frames (either as hobby or otherwise?)

Interesting question. I've got a long-ish answer, but I'll try to keep it brief. Yes, I learned enough to try it again on my own. But--and it's a big but--space is very expensive where I live and I don't have access to controlled and dedicated shop space where I can keep tools and materials. It will be some time before I do it again, time in which much of what I recently learned will evaporate. I have no intent of turning this skill into anything but a hobby. I may make a frame for myself or friends, but won't try to turn it into a business. If that were my intent, I'd do the UBI courses and probably a course or two elsewhere, like Doug's or Aaron's (AR Cycles) just to see how others like to work.

Originally Posted by Doug Fattic

It is one thing to have just seen and heard instructions and repeat it and quite another to remember it all to do later. [... ] Writing everything down was the beginning of my manual.

This is why I like to have 2 students in a class if possible. It is easier for them to see and understand beginner mistakes and not feel bad if they can’t catch on right away.

To more directly answer Schwa86’s question, when I do one week classes it is necessary for me to do more of the work so a student can end up with a decent frame.

Doug, you hit on some solid points that were true of my experience:
- Sure, I could do another one soon and get the job done on my own. However, in 5 yrs and I haven't been torching, a refresher would be good.
- I took a journal with me to take notes on the overall process as well as record mistakes and how I corrected them, a lessons learned notebook. I'll add to it with future builds.
- The course was one-on-one instruction, very hands on. Rob would either explain the next step in detail or demonstrate, depending on how confident I was based on the explanation. I did most all the work myself. However, because I messed up the fork blade length (twice), Rob finished up the fork while I finished the brazing on the frame. For what it's worth, I did weld the fork twice and my silver penetration was killer.

As for the torching skill, I was surprised how easily that came to me. We all struggle with different skills, but keeping the flame in motion, applying heat evenly, playing pied piper with silver, and so forth all just sort of clicked after a few tries. I did have some messy shorelines and there were some air bubbles in my rear dropouts that I had to clean up a couple times, but I was pretty clean with most of it. No stalactites of silver or waste on the shop floor.
I found the measuring, remeasuring, and cutting to be the most difficult part. I didn't have spares for the main tubes, so I was nervous about making cuts and being sure they were done right, especially since I was using a handheld Dremel to do it. I'd make a cut that left some extra, then use a grinding bit to get the joint to meet just right. If I were to do this again, I'd spend more time laying out the drawing, measuring twice and drawing everything as close to perfect as I can manage. (Probably just use BikeCad or similar.) And when I do get some space, I'll spend the money and get the most precise tools I can for this application.