Not C.A.D. Not C.N.C. Just Old Skool !

A.C. here. Yes me. Albert Crackleport a.k.a The Vintafaker......
(Who ?)
What's with all this abbreviation stuff  in the title ? Dunno ! It just happened......
Anyway, I'm here to report on the latest teeny weeny happening down at 'The Old Sidevalve Bar'. At the moment what I am about to show you is lacking in visual delightfulness (although that will change as I continue to express my artistic desires on the small but unexpectedly firm piece of scrap metal......)
What ya on about old chap ?
Oh,... forgot to mention......today I shall start making a bracket to hold my lovely Delhi Speedo...
However before thee hands could caress metal I had to consolidate my vision onto an old cardboard takeaway wrapper. (Those in the know call it a template)........No electronic 3D C.A.D. software to help...no....just old fashioned pen and paper. Seemed to work....A  few scribble scibblingtons followed by a couple of snip snipperooos and before you know it I was on a roll.......the juices were flowing............ wooooooo wooooooo wooooooooooooooooo...feel the force......

Down my neural pathways came the message.........
"Use brass.....cut delightfully curvy......drill plenty speed holes.........mount prominently on VBobber"

So far I had managed not to use the C.A.D. because I dont own such a thing..........and I don't own a C.N.C either so I fired up my grinder, dropped my goggles and in a few pleasurable moments I had myself another amazing work of art.

A carressing rub or two around the extremities with an assortment of rasps and .................

 

what did I tell you !  Coming on a treat..........

Hang on ......I can hear 'Old Rosie' being splashed into my trusty flagon........I'm away.............

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Stay tuned though for more Vintafaking........You know it makes sense......

 

Half way around the world

Hey. Hey ! Big day today !
The postman has just delivered my latest Ebay purchase. All the way from Delhi.....(in India)
A exact copy 'Smiths' speedometer ! Less than 10 quid + 8 quid postage.....Ya can't get a curry delivered from up tha road for that sort of money....
I like it ! It's complete with all relevent import papers too.....Fully legal to be in Blighty.....
Still can't get over it.....a tenner ! ....Hand crafted by a 7 year old orphan........with no shoes...........living in a cardboard box.....................eating worms and cockroaches....................
The kids done good !....

It's done 2 miles already.......maybe it's been roadtested at speed on an Enfield Bullet.......
Time to raise a drinking vessel in a Delhi direction.....for my cha' has brewed and my Walla has poured it....

What...what....what.....

Hello, and welcome to another episode of  'The Vintafaker'.
Mr A. Crackleport here.
So, the quest continues,,,,,,,,,the scrap metal store is once again raided......and best of all the VBobber takes another teeny weeny step further forward towards immortality.....
Saturday morning 8.30a.m. and it all kicks off down 'The Old Sidevalve Bar' . I had the urge. I couldn't resist any longer....
An urge of megasonic proportions......to once again cut and roll, fold and hammer small offcuts of copper hot water tank into delightfully useful motorcycle parts....
I'm sure you all would have felt the same in my position !
And then best of all I would once again fire up Big Bertha, the residential blowtorch (with interchangeable burners) and solder the shrouds that I made last week
Man.!.....I like fire !

Theres nothing more pleasurable than running molten solder up red hot cavities.....and the sensuous smell of boiling  flux as it steams up ones nostrils.......mmmmmmmmm wonderful

Using the same techniques discussed last blog I made 2 x top section shroulds...........with taper !
Phew !
Here's a shot of what to expect, they still need trimming to size...

The shrouds are going to need something to keep them centralised on the fork legs.....

Now and again sacrifices have to be made........it was time to let go........the need was great...........
I needed some sort of easily solderable metal to make the internal supports.
What about cutting a couple of pieces off this old Cuban Peso printing plate I just happen to have ?.....it's for a good cause ! My printing days are done anyway......I have all the Peso's I need.....

In no time at all I had turned the copper into shrould inserts.

A flagon has my name on it so must dash..........
Stay tuned for more Vintafaking.
Albert over and out...

Mojo

It's me...........Albert.
I'm back.......... and I'm full of mojo..............
Don't want to be wasting it ! So quickly old chap...........get thee 'sen doon to tha' Old Sidevalve' and let those juices flow.....
Right from the outset I wanted to use 'old skool metals' on my unviragoed sickle where ever possible. Metals that were used with great abundance when Old Blighty lead the world in engineering greatness.........the Vintafaked VBobber would be a link back in time to when work meant physical effort and young children swept chimneys....

To say I'd searched in every orrifice of Yorkshireshireshire would be an understatement......My quest was to find some copper or brass tubing with an internal diameter large enough to make some front fork shrouds....
No luck. Once again I set out to make what was needed.
Now, it just so happens that I did have an old copper hot water tank hidden from the view of the thieving toe rags that seem to continually patrol our streets looking to steal valuable scrap when ya not looking.......

10 minutes with a power saw and I had copper a plenty.

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Filed square I set about forming a 10mm flange. In fact I would be making 2 x 10mm flanges that would interlock and be soldered in stage 2.
These were created by clamping the copper between 2 MDF formers before folding to 90deg at the required width. (10mm)

Finishing the flange forming by wrapping around a steel ruler.

The second flange was created in much the same way.......

 Carefully working into shape with old bits of wood rather than mighty hammer blows.

A bit of tubularness shape was created next........rolling gently around another peice of old scrap ! Now that's a good use for an old Virago swingarm, I knew it would come in handy !

Coming along nicely old chap !

Stage 1 done. Time for a celebratory flagon........Oh, I've a bottle of Jeremiah Weeds Sour Mash to try..... must dash...............
Albert signing off......till next time.