Aluminium frame welder in Jozi, anyone?

[NeoOne]

Hi guys

 

I just bought a 2nd hand 2005-ish aluminium Scott road bike with pretty decent components, for an intern(English for underpaid slave). This kid is fit and keen to learn and has arranged a payment plan with me. Things is, we got it for a good price because it has a hairline crack on the frame where the stem goes through to the fork. It looks benign but we need to weld it to make it safe. Problem is who can I trust not to ruin the bike and turn it into an expensive parts bike.

 

Thanks

 

 

Edited March 26, 2014 by NeoOne

[chris_w_65]

I have a mate who TIG welds very well, he is in Bloubosrand (Randburg)

[NeoOne]

If he does this professionally, I'll gladly pay him for his services. Can you PM me his number, thanks

[Longbarn Killer]

It might be cheaper to buy another frame second hand.

 

The one in the picture is over 10 years old, you could pick up a much newer aluminium frame for about R500.

 

A friend of mine sold the same model frame for R350 with fork.

[G00SE]

If you weld ali, you need to have it heat treated back to its original "t" rating. If you don't you will have a weaker spot where you welded than before.

 

Looks like a hose clamp around the head tube might be a better idea

[kosmonooit]

You could also just put a stainless steel hose clamp around the outside there to relive the stress on the crack, wont look so hot but will do the job,

 

(oops: repeat idea, except the SS bit)

Edited March 27, 2014 by kosmonooit

[ren8gor]

And drill a small 0.5 mm hole at the end of the crack to stop it propagating any further....

 

Like the windscreen guys do.

 

I have seen a few cracks like this and i am of the opinion that it wont fail catastrophically. IE, the headset insert should offer some support if it fails further.

 

But that's my opinion and i would like to hear from other hubbers that have experienced such cracks.

 

Anyone fallen off yet??

[ThePubSA]

You could also just put a stainless steel hose clamp around the outside there to relive the stress on the crack, wont look so hot but will do the job,

 

(oops: repeat idea, except the SS bit)

And drill a small 0.5 mm hole at the end of the crack to stop it propagating any further....

 

Like the windscreen guys do.

 

I have seen a few cracks like this and i am of the opinion that it wont fail catastrophically. IE, the headset insert should offer some support if it fails further.

 

But that's my opinion and i would like to hear from other hubbers that have experienced such cracks.

 

Anyone fallen off yet??

Was gonna say drill hole and clamp maybe

[NeoOne]

My LBS say "catastrophic failure is imminent!" so I sent it for welding with them, seeing that the pros say it'll break. I am really liking the buy another frame idea, truthfully!

Edited March 27, 2014 by NeoOne

[Christie]

I agree with drilling a hole at the crack tip for stress relief. The problem with welding on the head tube is that the bottom bearing of the head set may not fit after welding. The bearing seat is a machined surface, and a bit if filler material here, or warping, will mess up the fit. If you want to have it welded, consider leaving the bearing in during welding.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Christie

[ThePubSA]

My LBS say "catastrophic failure is imminent!" so I sent it for welding with them, seeing that the pros say it'll break. I am really liking the buy another frame idea, truthfully!

Ye prob best to get a new bike frame... would of been a def no no on a MTB..

 

You go to a LBS with pro's ?

 

"Frames are hung on special racks in the heat treat oven to prevent distortion at

temperatures near 1100 degrees F."

[G00SE]

My LBS say "catastrophic failure is imminent!" so I sent it for welding with them, seeing that the pros say it'll break. I am really liking the buy another frame idea, truthfully!

 

Hmm, the words, LBS and Pro's rarely have any business being in the same sentence these days...

Ask them if they are going to heat treat it, if not then no matter how "pro" they are your frame will be useless, it will just crack again on the weld.

I know as I had my previous welded by a welder who welds aeroplanes, so I thought he would know what to do ... weld opened up the same day I took it for its first ride.

[HappyMartin]

I ask myself the question. Would I zip down the twisty decent at SBR at speed with a crack like?

 

Hell no!!!!

[NeoOne]

Update:

 

I managed to find a welder in Strijdom Park who does work for Linden cycles and he completed the job for me in a day. The frame was painted by a professional painter in JHB and matched the pearl white pretty closely. All I had to do was polish the surrounding paint to match the colours.

 

The bike has been used on 4 big rides already and my colleague has accumulated 40+ Strava medals already. Not bad for an old bike

[Yusran]

Update:

 

I managed to find a welder in Strijdom Park who does work for Linden cycles and he completed the job for me in a day. The frame was painted by a professional painter in JHB and matched the pearl white pretty closely. All I had to do was polish the surrounding paint to match the colours.

 

The bike has been used on 4 big rides already and my colleague has accumulated 40+ Strava medals already. Not bad for an old bike

 

Repair job looks awesome!

 

I need to find someone in CT to weld some IS tabs onto an aluminum frame for me. Hopefully I can find someone who works neatly like this.

 

Hope this bike sees many more fast and happy rides.

[nolipoli]

Repair job looks awesome!

 

I need to find someone in CT to weld some IS tabs onto an aluminum frame for me. Hopefully I can find someone who works neatly like this.

 

Hope this bike sees many more fast and happy rides.

You may be able to get a clamp-on ISCG tab setup. If not, it may be easier to have one waterjetted than to weld onto your frame. It depends a lot on what your BB looks like.