a frameing hand

[Dodgee]

Hey Guys
I've been building on machines for a bit now. Pretty much bang up everything but the frames.
Recently got my hands on some 6mm copper plate, and figured now's as good a time as any to jump into some frame building.
So can anyone recommend some simple fab methods, keeping in mind that my toolshed is stocked with some pretty basic stuff. Am prepared to improve that situation though.

Any help would be much appreciated.

p.s. Am I more likely to get a reply if I subscribe? It's not that I don't want to dish out the cash, but I had a nasty experience with a porn site :oops: once and have been little reluctant to subscribe to anything that has a recurring period ever since.

Cheers all, Tones.

Good site BTW. Lots of really useful info.

[L_Pease]

How about a little background as to your skills and available tools and equipment. It won't do me any good to tell you how I would do it it you do not have access to the tools I would use or the skill to use them. Not saying I have a lot, but I have some that are not everyday tools...

[L_Pease]

I should add that the price of copper is so high right now that depending how much you have you might be able to take it to the recycle place and get enough money out of it to get a frame or whole machine for that matter.

[Inkspressit]

I should add that the price of copper is so high right now that depending how much you have you might be able to take it to the recycle place and get enough money out of it to get a frame or whole machine for that matter.


LONNIE!!!!!!!!!!! Sacriliedge (or howeva ya spell it)lol, but im hearin ya ;)

Dodgee, Copper is nice to build from but without a decent brazing tourch your gonna strike issues, copper robs heat from your joints and you gotta heat the whole piece when brazing/soldering it, can make for a bitch if your base and shelf are seperate pieces. But do-able.

Id recommend toyin with steel then brass before hitting copper.

[L_Pease]

Don't forget you can TIG copper also. An easy way though would be to just make a two piece frame and drill and tap the base so you can screw the side plate to it.

[kellyink]

LONNIE!!!!!!!!!!! Sacriliedge (or howeva ya spell it)lol, but im hearin ya ;)

copper robs heat from your joints and you gotta heat the whole piece when brazing/soldering it, can make for a bitch if your base and shelf are seperate pieces. But do-able.

Id recommend toyin with steel then brass before hitting copper.

this is not entirely true. yes copper does rob the heat from joints, but, however a little plumbing trick i learned when doing plumbing as a young lad, is: where ever you dont want the heat to travel to you take a pair of vise grips, place it above and/or below the area your working on. this acts as a dispertion. the vise grips will disperse the heat while the rest of the copper remains cold, to slightly warm to the touch. you can heat that sucker up and be holding it on the other side of the grips, and it will not get hot enough to burn you. just dont touch the vise grips with bare hands, because they will be extremely hot.

not trying to start an arguement, just thought i would throw that tid bit of info out there for you guys..........

[hotdiggitydawg]

Hmm i think you need to take into consideration the thickness of the copper in a pipe and 6mm plate but all good input all the same Kelly:)

Hey Dodgee, i'm presuming that you re from British shores?
Like inks said try steel/brass first coz copper is tricky and pricey to learn on..... Soooo i'll swap ya for twice as much 6mm brass.... (serious)

[Dodgee]

Thanks for the replies guys. Advice taken on board.
It's all about little steps, I suppose. So as inks suggests I'll tinker about with some steel and brass first.


I should add that the price of copper is so high right now that depending how much you have you might be able to take it to the recycle place and get enough money out of it to get a frame or whole machine for that matter.

A brass mini Walker frame and maybe I'd considered it.;)

[Dodgee]

Don't forget you can TIG copper also. An easy way though would be to just make a two piece frame and drill and tap the base so you can screw the side plate to it.

That was the plan, man. I have the tools to cut and shape the material, just wasn't sure if bolting it all together was the way to go.

[Dodgee]

Hmm i think you need to take into consideration the thickness of the copper in a pipe and 6mm plate but all good input all the same Kelly:)

Hey Dodgee, i'm presuming that you re from British shores?
Like inks said try steel/brass first coz copper is tricky and pricey to learn on..... Soooo i'll swap ya for twice as much 6mm brass.... (serious)

I'm a kiwi livin' in oz, dawg. Sounds like a fair swap though. Is copper that hard to get in the UK?

[tatguy0911]

yeah i did a bit of plumming a while ago there pipes are alot thinner than u would make a machine out of but good trick kelly none the less

[Inkspressit]

I'm a kiwi livin' in oz,

Lol..Well put!!

[hotdiggitydawg]

It's hard to get smaller quantities of 6mm plate and cost a small fortune. The price of copper has risen so much you can now buy pure copper bullion....
I presumed you from the UK because you do things in metric and your crack is pretty much the same ha :)
I've got more brass than you can shake a stick at lol

[Dodgee]

I couldn't imagine the price of copper being any better here, Dawg.
I pretty much have the same problem buying steel. The suppliers who have the grade I'm after, will only sell by the ton. And those suppliers who do sell in smaller quantites don't have the grade you're after. Situation sucks! I use to rely on offcuts from a mate, but he's no longer around.
I didn't buy this copper plate BTW. I found it in a storage room in the garage of a home I've just moved into.
There's a friggin' ton of shit in this room, man. I just may have hit the jackpot.
Gotta get in there and clean it all out first.:(

[hotdiggitydawg]

Alladins cave by the sounds of it, cool :)

[StaindSoul]

if ya really wanna sweat a copper joint, or do heated bends, go to a plumbing supply house and pick up a product called "cool sheild" put it where you dont want to heat up, like a joint or bend close to where you are presently working. the metal will not get hot at these points, even with direct flame. stuff works awsome, you can apply direct flame and then touch right where you just had the flame and its still cool to the touch. if you need to solder or heat an area that you already covered with it, just wipe the area down with some de-natured alcahol and go to it.

[hotdiggitydawg]

Hey cheers for that, i'll look that up for sho :)

[voodoo]

So will a very wet rag....

[StaindSoul]

cool sheild dont run or drip, it's a gell. and it only cools from where its placed. real great stuff for real intricut jointing abd bending

[hotdiggitydawg]

cool sheild dont run or drip, it's a gell. and it only cools from where its placed. real great stuff for real intricut jointing abd bending

At brazing temps?

[StaindSoul]

thats what its for. plumbers use it for repairing existing piping. they wipe it on the walls and previousy sweated(sp) joints ( yes it keeps wood and drywall from flaming up) when I was plumber assistant we used it and we also used acetelyne/oxy brazing torch.... so yes it stands up to brazing temps. if you are working an area over and over for a long period, you might have to re-apply, but I dont think you do. it doesnt evaporate. it doesnt move.its a thick gell.

[StaindSoul]

cant find that brand but try these
https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/enlarge.pl?main/Markal/11511.gif:La-Co+Bloc-It+Paste

https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/enlarge.pl?main/Markal/11509.gif:La-Co+Cool+Gel+Spray

https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/enlarge.pl?main/HF-14.gif:Heat+Fence+Compound

i tried the cool sheild spray once and it was to thick for the pump.

[voodoo]

I think i have a tube of it in storage..Never used it tho..

[Dodgee]

I have a plan.
Going to save the copper until I'm a little more confident with some of the techniques you guys have thrown up.
I've got some angle steel, some brass and melon full of ideas. Just need to find the time now.
Cheers all.

[Desert Rat]

At brazing temps?

Nope, that gel and the wet rag will jump right off the metal at brazing heat (800 to 2000 F).

Tig is ideal, can you gas weld copper? I'll look into that, I have a copper machine in my future.