Pigeon poo

[Iain Westland]

Hello everybody how the hell are you bit of an odd one this and couldn't work out which for him to put it in so please don't shoot me too badly....

I'm doing some welding on a motorcycle frame and I am really happy with how it's going except for one thing.... The welds look like I know what I'm doing!!!

The bike is going to be a rat bike so aesthetics are the least desirable aspect...

So here's the question, how do I make the welds look like the title suggests without affecting their strength and integrity?

Iain

 

[Phil_D]

Hello everybody how the hell are you bit of an odd one this and couldn't work out which for him to put it in so please don't shoot me too badly....

I'm doing some welding on a motorcycle frame and I am really happy with how it's going except for one thing.... The welds look like I know what I'm doing!!!

The bike is going to be a rat bike so aesthetics are the least desirable aspect...

So here's the question, how do I make the welds look like the title suggests without affecting their strength and integrity?

Iain

Hah strange goal. Id just weld them up properly and then whack the wire speed up all the way to lay down a load of cold spatter?

 

[Paul.]

I'm sure there are some here that could achieve that that look without even trying,

Thread title altered slightly.

 

[pedrobedro]

If it doesn't look structurally sound it will raise questions at MOT time. I've seen Chinese bike frames that you could try to copy, one in particular had the footpegs held on with jubilee clips and it was not old enough to need MOT.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Weld it correctly, take photos as proof then turn off the gas and run a very fast bead on the top, it will look rubbish.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Weld properly then smear filler on top that you can sculpture

 

[Phil_D]

Have you got any pictures of the desired effect on a rat bike? I just can’t imagine it looking any good, and I’m a fan of rusty heaps

I’d be more inclined to do a proper job then wire wheel the frame and allow a bit of surface rust before coating with linseed oil to get a more ratty look

 

[cumbriasteve]

Have you got any pictures of the desired effect on a rat bike? I just can’t imagine it looking any good, and I’m a fan of rusty heaps

I’d be more inclined to do a proper job then wire wheel the frame and allow a bit of surface rust before coating with linseed oil to get a more ratty look

The finish of a true rat bike is that it looks like something that has been badly cobbled together with a weld that has the appearance it will never hold.

I was asked to make an oil tank for one and spent 4x longer making it look crap than it would have took to look good

The ones that win shows look like mad max rejects.

 

[130]

I'd say rough weld is going too far. Something like 85% of bikers find them selves looking up at the shy unexpectedly. You don't need rough weld ripping into you as it happens

 

[bigegg]

weld solid, the stick weld over the top with -30% heat, and long arc.
don't clean off the slag

 

[pedrobedro]

The ones that win shows look like mad max rejects.

My friend Otto won best ratter with his NTV and he didn't even enter it. Mind you it was the worst kept bike you ever saw.

 

[Iain Westland]

If it doesn't look structurally sound it will raise questions at MOT time. I've seen Chinese bike frames that you could try to copy, one in particular had the footpegs held on with jubilee clips and it was not old enough to need MOT.

The guy doing the mot is sound, but yeah, if I didn't know him it would be awkward

 

[130]

The guy doing the mot is sound, but yeah, if I didn't know him it would be awkward

It shouldn't matter who you know.

 

[500e]

Send it down no problem

 

[Iain Westland]

It shouldn't matter who you know.

It's a rat bike, you don't take them to the "pocket rocket" and "power rangers" garages. You'll be there all day as they try to find something to fail it so the shiny bikes don't feel too dirty.

That's all.

The guy knows my welding from the past, he knows it's my ass on the seat and he knows that I'm not going to increase the odds of me not getting home to the wife and kids.

Like I said, I'm looking to take perfectly sound welds and make them ugly, and he'll know that's what's happened.

But... I agree that it shouldn't matter. Unfortunately, you do have to take your car/bike to the most appropriate station as each inspector has a preference and their own "crowd".

Peace

 

[130]

He should judge what he sees. Not who he knows.

Yep I've had a car fail one place with 8 items and 17 advisories and I did every item. The retest came with a pass and 7 completely new advisories. Add a couple of things on two other cars / tests I never went back. They had been fine previously and now they are out of business.

Hmmmmmmm………..

 

[Iain Westland]

If it's sound it's sound, the difference is between knowing that the guy presenting isn't going to put your license at risk and a stranger. I'm not going to be bothered if the ministry pops in, I'll just go and buy some bacon butties while they spend too long deciding it's ugly but sound.

Worse I've seen was an old lady who's car had 12 welding failures and a £500 quote...

Two rear outer sills (£25 patches), two on the cross member (£20 each) and a seat mount (£20)... But they had used every descriptive way (30cm from this..30cm from that.. etc)

That's why I find an MOT guy I can trust and leave him to work out he can trust me.

If I'm building for selling, I pay to have a pre mot done, just so l can be certain he's happy happy as I tell him it's getting flogged.

 

[130]

^ There's a reason money saving expert favours council MOT stations. They don't do repairs so no axe to grind

 

[Iain Westland]

Aye.... Sound logic and fair advice.

 

[pedrobedro]

But if the DVSA turns up your mate will be on the line not you. I help out at a bike shop and have been there when they turn up to do spot checks and go through a test while they watch.