Weekend Update

I'm still being lazy about getting photos off my camera, so the tube cutting will have to wait another day.

I took Friday off from work, partly to wait for the appraiser to look at some damage to my car from a hit-and-run, but mostly to go to the welding supply shop.  I rode my Specialized down to the shop and the helpful folks there got me everything I needed.  As it turns out, the shop I went to supplies all the bike builders in the area (including Seven Cycles in Watertown), and the employee I dealt with knew exactly what I needed.

I have never purchased precious metals of any kind before, jewelry or otherwise, so this was my first direct experience with commodity prices.  With the recent high prices of precious metals, silver solder is extremely expensive - the roll of solder wire I purchased cost $125, which included about 4 Troy ounces of silver.  I also purchased a pound of brass brazing rod - six dollars.  If you've got the heat, it seems obvious that brazing the whole bike with brass would be the economical choice.  For the time being, I'm still planning to use my hardware store torch.

In addition to the solder wire and brazing rod, you need flux.  Flux is a chemical compound that acts as a cleaning and "wetting" agent for brazing material, and comes in a variety of types.  I purchased a paste-type for the silver solder (and brushes for the paste) and powder for the brass; the powder was the only flux the shop had available for the brass, as it seems most people now use flux-coated rods.

For the paste flux, a liberal amount is brushed onto both pieces of metal before they are joined.  The joint is then heated until the flux begins to look watery, and then the filler material is introduced.  Powder is used in different ways depending on the brand and style, so check the instructions on the tin.  For the powder that I purchased, the instructions say to heat the brass rod and then dip the rod into the powder; the powder will stick to the rod, and then it is wiped on to the (hot) joint before the filler is added to the joint.

Silver solder is generally used for tight-clearance joints - joining tubes to lugs, for examples.  The brass is used for wider tolerances because it can fill gaps and still maintain strength; here, it will be used to join the dropouts to the stays and the fork blades.

I also swung by Home Depot later in the weekend to pick up some gardening supplies.  While there, I picked up a 2x4 scrap - the Big Orange Box is apparently selling their scraps now, as they had a whole lumber trolley filled with odds and ends and priced to move.  I got a three foot section for 51 cents.  I also picked up a miter box to make a square cut and not screw around with trying to do it by eye anymore.

Once I got home, I discovered my saw is too wide to fit into the miter box.  However, since it's made out of cheap plastic I was able to widen the slots in the box and cut a straight line into the wood at the same time.  Have a flat face to measure against made it much, much easier to accurately drill a hole into the block to accept the threaded rod.  I applied wood glue to the rod, slid it into the hole, and then "sealed" the hole on either side with more glue.  The block/rod assembly was the glued on to the fork jig backboard, using the framing square to ensure everything was lined up properly. 

So, the fork jig is done after I reinforce the glued joints with some wood screws.  I believe that I'm going to purchase a conduit bender to take care of the rake; I don't think I can build a bender of the maple with any degree of accuracy, and the cost of messing up the bend is a bit steep.  There's no unbending the blades once they're bent.

I'm still wary of purchasing expensive tools ostensibly to use them once (for bending the fork blades, for example).  Someone keyed me in to the idea of purchasing tools and then reselling on craigslist once I'm finished with them, so I may try to take that route.