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That's an option. Just stick the tractor seat in a toolbox for while you're riding.

 pox wrote:
am not a good welder. (yet!) My welds are ugly, but functional.

Patience is key. I just learned MIG a few months ago and picked it up pretty quickly. Learned basics of TIG this week.

For MIG you need a steady hand. Having the wire speed set correctly is also very important for running good beads. When I was working on my Claptrap sculpture I found it really helped to be able to rest the edge of the nozzle tip on the weld seam so that the wire extended 1/4 to 1/2 an inch before it touched the seam. Then its just a matter of dragging the nozzle along the seam at a steady rate matching the wire feed speed.
Too fast and its spotty, too slow and you get giant ugly globs to grind down.

Came across this by accident on Facebook , thought you might like it !

I did welding for 6 months after leaving school , it was arc welding for the young lads then , all the experienced welders were on MIG , as mentioned previously wire speed and gas flow are key but your project looks great , don't sweat it and it'll be great !

Denua wrote:Might I suggest tat you add some springs to under the seat before mounting it, that might make for a more comfortable ride.

There is one more thing I thought of... You have some electrical gubbins under the seat. "The tractor seat has some holes in it." If your a serious rider then you will probably ride in the rain a few times (weather change after you start etc.) That being said if ya go with the tractor seat make sure you weather proof the electrical gubbins.

For sure on the springs, I have the blueprints and springs already. As for electrical, I will of course make a cover box.

CptJake wrote:Problem with saddles is they are not made to sit in with your legs as forward as they will be based on where your pegs/controls are. The pommel on that saddle may get in the way/cause some discomfort when riding.

You can get the tractor seat upholstered and cushioned.

Jake (who rides bikes and horses)

True on both points, Especially crackin' me nuts on the pommel during a quick stop.

whembly wrote:

 KingCracker wrote:

 Sinful Hero wrote:
The tractor seat just seems to fit the bike better- IMHO a saddle would look out of place on an Orky bike.

Agreed.

Agreed too...

can you put some springy spring underneath the tractor seat? Not only for comfort, but I'd say it'll aesthetically add some orkiness to the whole thing.

for sure, I can add some gubbins to make it look and ride proppa.

Big H wrote:Use "quick change " bolts with "R" clips to secure the seat.
Have a big ass comfy leather one for long rides and the tractor seat for when you need to be too cool for sckool !

Now your talkin'. it's actually what I'm gonna wind up doing, I wont be able to try them out proppa without a full mount for both as discussed above, and I already own both seat so I may as well mount them both.

Nowlan wrote:

 pox wrote:
am not a good welder. (yet!) My welds are ugly, but functional.

Patience is key. I just learned MIG a few months ago and picked it up pretty quickly. Learned basics of TIG this week.

For MIG you need a steady hand. Having the wire speed set correctly is also very important for running good beads. When I was working on my Claptrap sculpture I found it really helped to be able to rest the edge of the nozzle tip on the weld seam so that the wire extended 1/4 to 1/2 an inch before it touched the seam. Then its just a matter of dragging the nozzle along the seam at a steady rate matching the wire feed speed.
Too fast and its spotty, too slow and you get giant ugly globs to grind down.

Yeah, the shop has collectively decided to make me get better. I'm practice welding during lunch now.

Big H wrote:Came across this by accident on Facebook , thought you might like it !

I did welding for 6 months after leaving school , it was arc welding for the young lads then , all the experienced welders were on MIG , as mentioned previously wire speed and gas flow are key but your project looks great , don't sweat it and it'll be great !

I'm not worried about my welds at all, I have good penetration and solid builds. they just look crappy, and I'm working on it.


I tallied up the polls, and its 9 for the saddle and 8 for the tractor seat. Too close to call, so as I I said earlier I'll just make full mountings for both and see how ridable they are.

UPDATE TIME!

I got everything for the gas tank ready for welding.

To start, I made a collar-clamp to hold the tank to the bike. once it's fully mounted I'll also have some brass straps holding it in place.



I then figured out what I was gonna use for gubbins and assembled the air crossover, fuel crossover, petcock, gas caps, and air valve.



After measuring everything, I cut all my holes.





I then cut some tubing and base plates for the gas cap bases.





Next up I blast some crude holes into the plates.



I pretty em' up and tap some holes.



yay! it all fits.



Here's everything ready for welding.



Because it's the gas tank, it needs to be welding vary carefully so as to have no holes. The shop foreman is gonna show me how to use the TIG welder, that's going to happen sometime early in the week so I should have a picture of the finished tank soon! after peeking inside the tank, I also realized I'll need to treat the tank so saddly I wont be able to mount it for another week or so. Almost finished with the mechanical part of the build!

Thanks for looking!

Looking good.

Definitely subscribing to this. Keep up the dedication to see this to the end!
I'm sure you'll love this thing to death once it's finished.

Well, that's something new... And cool. Keep it up!

This is a frakkin amazing work in progress

NOW YOU'S DA PROPPA WAUUGHBOSS

Remember to add equal parts Choppy and Shooty and remember, you can never have too much dakka.

are you going to paint yourself green to complete the interpretation?

I started learning TIG welding this month. It can be tricky to get the hang of.

Tacking and running seams on two pieces with no gap is easy, but when it comes to using filler rod it gets more complicated. Take your time, and practice on scrap first, because it can be pretty easy to burn holes in the metal working with filler. Also, using rod is when you're most likely to zap yourself. Make sure the tip isn't more than 1/4" from the surface when you hit the pedal.

I could have sworn I had already subscribed to this thread..

Well that has been remedied!

necrovamp wrote:are you going to paint yourself green to complete the interpretation?

I do have plans to build a cosplay outfit, gonna go with a Big Mek, I think. Wont be till the bike is done, AND I will not be able to wear the costume while on the bike!

Nowlan wrote:I started learning TIG welding this month. It can be tricky to get the hang of.

Tacking and running seams on two pieces with no gap is easy, but when it comes to using filler rod it gets more complicated. Take your time, and practice on scrap first, because it can be pretty easy to burn holes in the metal working with filler. Also, using rod is when you're most likely to zap yourself. Make sure the tip isn't more than 1/4" from the surface when you hit the pedal.

For sure, I've been getting lessons at work for the last few weeks when I can find the time. I love TIG way more then MIG, the learning curve is brutal though. I will keep at it though!

Alfndrate wrote:I could have sworn I had already subscribed to this thread..

Well that has been remedied!

YAY! and welcome aboard!

I know I haven't had an update in a while, but the last month was crazy at work. I wrapped two shows back to back, and we rented out more shop space. I spent the last three weeks with only two days off doing nothing but moving heavy gak and reorganizing everything. There is a lull coming though, I should have huge chunks of time to work on the bike in the next week.

UPDATE TIME!

As I said to Nowlan, I've been practicing TIG, but I quickly realized I need WAY more experience in order to properly TIG a sealed tank. I asked my shop foreman to give me a hand, he was happy to help. (He has a Little more experience then me. Like 45 years as a machinist/fabricator.)

Here's the tank ready for a preasure test.



I still need gaskets for the gas caps before I can pressure test it, and I'll need to treat the tank. I got the KREEM in yesterday, so the tank should be done by the end of the week.

While I was prepping the tank, I kept progress on the front fender.

I started with some 16 gauge steel for the base.



I then detailed it out with 22 gauge sheets.





I was worried about the top of the piece, last thing I wanted was a rock to kick up, hit the shield, and make it curl into the tire causing an immediate stop! I reinforced it with some square rod and ground it down so it doesn't rub against the wheel.



I check for fitting one final time, it fits perfectly.



Next up mock up the teeth out of foam-core. after a lot of fiddling, I find the shapes I like.







Next step will be to cut the teeth out of .250 sheet styrene.

I expect good things next week, I'm hoping to have updates AT LEAST every other day. I should get about eight hours a day on it for the next week, compared to my usual 45 minutes a day!

I just stumbled across one random image of this bike in the gallery and tracked down this blog. So glad I did. This is totally amazing. Keep on truckin'. This project needs to be seen through to the end.

So......epic.......

Looking ace! Are you going to paint it once it's done?

Looking good, pox - how will the styrene teeth stand up to the elements?

If it's thick enough they should stand up to the usual wear and tear, but sun rot may be an issue if they sit in the sun a lot.

This blog is a special kind of insane. I'm not even sure words exist to describe your madness. I freakin love it.

Great work going on with the jaw now. The first time I saw the frame, I thought it looked really weedy! Now that I see some detail going onto it, I can see it looks fine. Keep it up!

Keep the spot welds on the fender! It looks 'proppa Orky!'

I don't know what's happening but I know I like it.

progreen10 wrote:Looking ace! Are you going to paint it once it's done?

yes, I got a guy who does it for a living helping me.

Dysartes wrote:Looking good, pox - how will the styrene teeth stand up to the elements?

if they rot or melt, I'll just replace them.

Work lied to me, I had another 70 hour week. :(

Ahh well, life goes on. I did get some work done though!

I cut out the teeth.



Next I primed up the fender.



I then cleaned up the teeth and stuck them on with some carpet tape.



I grab a handfull of nuts and bolts and mount these suckers!



Lastly I hit the whole thing with some red coat.







I need to sand and re-coat a few times, then it will be ready for airbrushing!

The tank is having some pin-hole issues, so it will be hopefully finished next week. Thanks for looking!

Making great progress! gotta say i like the teeth (or teef) being mounted and orkified. id go with the saddle for the seat btw.

but really whatever is comfortable for you.

Sucks about the pinhole leaks on the tank. Hopefully the leak-test at least shows you where holes are? Then its just a matter of grinding 'em down to clean 'em and take the TIG welder and filler rod to it.

Jobz a good'n!

Nice colour! Red ones go fasta!

Regarding the teeth:

Now that will make it look propa' orky, if nothing else.

P.S. How many points is da red paint job gonna cost ya?

So, will this bike randomly explode like an ork vehicle?

It's a bike, not a trukk,

Eric

No...but it does need a red button

That fender looks like it would make an awesome Ork helmet, ala Lord of the Rings (Uruk Hai...)

Great progress though Pox, with this and Pluggs Dreadnought costume, Dakka is the home to Awesomeness...