8.29.11 More coping and really enjoying some Paragon Machineworks drop outs. I used them back at Seven Cycles but this is my firs time using them on an Icarus. I don’t know what took me so long. They are lighter and machined much cleaner than all the cast ones I have tried, should make for easier finishing.

Columbus ‘AH’ mega chainstays like the ones I used on the Leviathan. Sort of a tall diamond profile.

Not much excess material to file off once I am done brazing these!


8.24.11 Bottom bracket compound cope. Working on the Bottom bracket down tube copes. First I cope it to the bottom bracket shell, then I do a compound cope to the top side to fit around the seat tube. Usually its a small thing but with these megatubes, they overlap much more. 


What is with the white crust? That is flux. Its brushed on before tacking and brazing, it acts as a temperature gauge, stops the metal from oxidizing and provides a good environment for the brass (or silver) to flow and bond with the steel. Here you see where I tinned (sealed) the front of the seat tube/bottom bracket joint before the down tube gets brazed on over it.


8.24.11. Miters/Coping. A lot of emphasis is placed on brazing, welding and finishing in custom bikes but it all starts with machining. Builders use milling machines or hand tools to make their copes. Here at Icarus I do them all with hand files. Having good copes does more than create a strong joint, they also keep a frame well aligned and ensure the finished frame meets the designed dimensions. A good cope should have no room to wobble, tilt or twist. It should hold its joining tube centered, at the correct angle and oriented properly with the cope at the other end. Its a lot to keep track of but its a key step in making a respectable frame.

Properly machined tubes should rest in the jig at their intended dimensions without being forced into place. If a frame is tacked and brazed/welded into place under tension, it never escapes!