My lad is converting his bike for hill climb, and trying to reduce weight wherever he can. He's also looking to store the original fairings so they don't get damaged in event of a drop. He wants to make the tail fairing from aluminium, and has had a go at making it from one piece of metal, which wasn't very successful.
Can anyone advise how he (a complete beginner at this) could go about trying to make it in sections, to weld together? The finished fairing will be a similar shape to the original but lower, as it won't have the seat/ padding, and it'll be pretty much flat on top.
I realise talking him through it might be too complex, but thought I'd ask. He has a couple of bossing hammers, a sandbag thing, a hollowed wooden former, a small, cheap wheeling machine, some dollies and planishing hammers. Making this is as much about starting to learn metal forming as having the fairing.
Is the best method to cut the sides to approximate shape and then hammer out the sides in two (left and right) sections, on the sand bag;
then shape the top;
then weld together?
Or is there a better way to go about it? Would it be easier to make the sides in an upper and a lower section (rather than left and right), joining at the widest point? (If that makes any sense.)
Any thoughts or advice much appreciated, Chris
Can anyone advise how he (a complete beginner at this) could go about trying to make it in sections, to weld together? The finished fairing will be a similar shape to the original but lower, as it won't have the seat/ padding, and it'll be pretty much flat on top.
I realise talking him through it might be too complex, but thought I'd ask. He has a couple of bossing hammers, a sandbag thing, a hollowed wooden former, a small, cheap wheeling machine, some dollies and planishing hammers. Making this is as much about starting to learn metal forming as having the fairing.
Is the best method to cut the sides to approximate shape and then hammer out the sides in two (left and right) sections, on the sand bag;
then shape the top;
then weld together?
Or is there a better way to go about it? Would it be easier to make the sides in an upper and a lower section (rather than left and right), joining at the widest point? (If that makes any sense.)
Any thoughts or advice much appreciated, Chris
