workin' on lee's bike.

spent the day working on lee's bike and doing a fit session with matt. i got the stays on lee's bike so that it actually looks like a bike and you can begin to see what the final product will look like - cool! the first pic is the brazing/mitering fixture in the rotating work station i have set up so i can brass braze the sides of both dropouts with a 6,000* torch. the fixture holds everything straight so i can get the dropouts in parrellel to each other with the slots straight and the bends oriented the same for proper tire, chainring, and crank clearence. important stuff, any one of these variables can screw up everything if not executed properly. and, a picture of the miters still in the fixture post milling. the stays must be cut the same length or the wheel will sit crooked. after you get the stays on, you have to align them on the alignment table to the plane running through the center of the frame. and then use the dropout gauges to make sure the dropout faces are perfectly flush to each other. just some of the many steps involved in one small part of the build sequence. tomorrow, hand bending the seat stays, one of the hardest parts of a build. pics of that tomorrow. and, a shot from a sweeet ride i did with denise and the dogs up sunset on tuesday. a nice day out! steve.