In case you guys want to make one...
Pic 1- Finished bike...
Pic 2- Finished frame...
Pic 3- Old, rusty ungalvanized 5/16" chain was stretched taut between a bench vise and a turnbuckle bolted to the bench...
5/16" was chosen for it's 'lighter' look, versus 3/8", which has less flex over the span, but looks very 'heavy', and less visually appealing...
An angle grinder fitted with a wire wheel was used to clean the chain prior to tack-welding with a MIG using .035" flux-core mild steel wire...130 amp setting...
Pic 4- This frame is standard vintage size and shape, and the links were tacked in sections to fit a bench drawing...
This particular frame has 27-link long top and bottom sections, and 19-link long seatstays and down(tube) sections...so the chain was tacked to these dimensions without cutting, leaving unwelded links (to be tacked later) where the frame had angles...
These long sections of tacked chain with an untacked link for each angle were then laid onto the bench drawing, and the angled links were tacked into the position of the bench drawing...
Pic 5- These two 'sides' were then clamped to the bench on another drawing showing overall width, and connected together with a steering tube at the front, and several welded-chain crosspieces...
Pic 1- Finished bike...
Pic 2- Finished frame...
Pic 3- Old, rusty ungalvanized 5/16" chain was stretched taut between a bench vise and a turnbuckle bolted to the bench...
5/16" was chosen for it's 'lighter' look, versus 3/8", which has less flex over the span, but looks very 'heavy', and less visually appealing...
An angle grinder fitted with a wire wheel was used to clean the chain prior to tack-welding with a MIG using .035" flux-core mild steel wire...130 amp setting...
Pic 4- This frame is standard vintage size and shape, and the links were tacked in sections to fit a bench drawing...
This particular frame has 27-link long top and bottom sections, and 19-link long seatstays and down(tube) sections...so the chain was tacked to these dimensions without cutting, leaving unwelded links (to be tacked later) where the frame had angles...
These long sections of tacked chain with an untacked link for each angle were then laid onto the bench drawing, and the angled links were tacked into the position of the bench drawing...
Pic 5- These two 'sides' were then clamped to the bench on another drawing showing overall width, and connected together with a steering tube at the front, and several welded-chain crosspieces...