ok, I need to do some very extensive motorcycle restoration, very very extensive, so I need to make some patterns and get some castings made, I would need to pin and braze them, having the forge will be a great help, I hope, rather than two map gas torches and an oxy propane torch going, last castings I got from a guy were SG iron, said to be hard to braze?, were easy to machine though, so what material should I be looking for, as I said motorcycle frame, not for land speed records but will be ridden, what iron or steel, easyish to machine, malleable, braze able by a bodger, is SG ok? anyone know of a friendly foundry, preferably south of Yorkshire as I do like to visit a place before trusting them with my badly made patterns,
Not sure if this helps: http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=427634&page=1 Can look out my motorcycle engineering books tomorrow.
Sounds like you are short of heat, get a good brazing setup you are comfortable with that has an excess of heat for your needs as it is better to be looking at it rather than for it when heat is concerned for brazing. Good fit up and jigging, clean material with decent flux, rods and an abundance of heat that capillary action is a joy.
This is not set up yet but will replace the map gas torches, should do the job, has an electric blower, water cooled blast tube, fire bricks, will be under a roof with one end but open along the side, you can see the lecky cable and air line to the left, need to get some hardcore down,
I am in north west Essex, just on top of North London, don't mind travelling if I can combine different things within one trip, i.e. ebay purchase collection, bike jumble, museum visit, Tranny only does 23mpg...….. and I am a tight bugger.
http://www.ccd-briz.com/work_in_progress.htm This guy I remember fabricating some look a likeee castings.....
Not sure if this is applicable to your motorcycle frame restoration but some bicycle frame builders will TIG or braze up what looks like a frame lug then pin and braze or silver in the tubes. Often done when a cast frame lug isn't available in the angles required and the lugged look is desired.
I may have done that now and again but for the headstock I would prefer a casting, it will be a fire breathing 1000cc monster, might manage 60 mph, IOE V twin, cast iron pistons,
For our locomotive, I ended up using cast steel (this had to be'normalised' post castin), this enabled us get components welded on. It has cast iron liners, which as they are low ish pressure are held in postion by o ringed end caps.
I'm not convinced about using your forge for brazing, it's dirty and you'd get way too much heat in too big an area. If i've got the wrong end of the stick sorry, you need oxy/propane with a rosebud so you can get your heat into the casting.
