getting started

[InsolentMinx]

My eyes have been opened pretty quickly to the wonderful world of customising and modifying and i really want to take on a project bike of some sort.

I've done alot of work on my own bike, but nothing too drastic... anything someone with common sense and patience could do.
But i want to expand my horizon and start to create something unique.

I have no fabrication or metal work experience however, and obviously no tools (other than wrenches, screwdrivers, a drill, etc.)

I was just curious as to how you all got into metal work/fabrication?

did you take evening classes?
was your dad a metalworker and he taught you when you were young?
are you a trained engineer/mechanic?
did you teach yourself with trial and error?

are tools expensive? like grinders, cutters...

i quite like the idea of making my own 'budget' bobber, and have lots of ideas in my head, but without the ability to cut or weld metal my project would be very limited.

also what route would you recommend to someone wanting to get into it?

I have a fulltime job, so am really limited to only weekends and evenings for classes etc


any help would be appreciated

cheers

[tbone]

I`ve not been metal messing all that long, i`d be the newbie of the group and must admit to a lot of trial n error or hands on experiance as i prefer to call it.
The most important thing i can think is....LEARN TO WELD PROPERLY. i`d done bits n pieces before, mainly tacking plates to rusty old cars so i had half an idea of what was involved, but a few nights spent on at the local tech college doing a welding course will really be worth while.
Tools dont have to be expensive and you dont really need that many, you should be able to pick up an angle grinder for under £20 for example, half a dozen cutting/grinding discs and a reasonably powerfull welder and away you go.
My personal nemisis is with the design processes involved and this is were it pays to look at as many builds as possible, noting ideas, the way certain bits are held/fitted together.Again i knew the basics, for example, i knew i needed to hold an axle to a frame and came up with a horridly ugly box section `clamp` on my first trike. Having now deliberatly looked at how various axles (including Mr M`s) are held in place, i know several designs, some look pretty, others strong, but in short, all achieve the same thing.
For a first project, stick to something simple, pick up a cheap runner and chop it for example. But whatever your first project is...HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF THE FINISHED BUILD.
The main reason you`ll see so many `project` bikes/trikes on ebay is because the owners didnt really know what they wanted to achieve so half way through they find out that you cant convert a clapped out z440 into the latest spec harley or whatever.
Read as much as you can, look at as many pics as you can, never be afraid to ask someone for help, its all part of learning.
Timewise, whats the rush? you have a full time job already, this is a hobby,hopefully something done for the fun and enjoyment of it (personally i hate it and much prefer stamp collecting  ).
Above all, enjoy it and LEARN TO WELD PROPERLY.

[TwistedPatience]

No, power tools don't have to be expensive but you will find that the cheaper ones don't generally last too long but unless your going to use them everyday the expensive makes are a waste of money.

I always get good hand tools never bother with the cheap ones even if I have to save up for them it's worth it.

I was taught some engineering at school (and now I'm an engineer of sorts). If I don't know how to do something I'll either ask someone who does know or get a book on the subject but at the end of the day it's about confidence learn how to use each tool properly and practice lots, don't take risks and if your still not sure try to get someone to show you how.

Don't be afraid to ask that's what we're here for, evening classes will help you especially welding (wish I had done one)

Most things can be made by hand you don't need grinders, a good set of files will do.

[tbone]

and PS. If you can get something like this standard cg125 and turn it into something like the purple one, when your fed up with it, you`ll have tons of teenagers queing up to buy it from you 

[Manky Monkey]

Hiya Mr Minx,
I think the chaps have covered most things already. I'm not professional or trained in any way, (as is obvious to most people who know me). I'm a Postman, but I've been tinkering with bikes & trikes for 30 years now. My first couple of attempts were horrendous &, to be frank, (whoever he is), pretty unsafe. I belonged to a bike club when I was in my teens & early 20s, but they were mostly into sports bikes & couldn't really understand why I'd want to cut up a perfectly good bike & re-design it. I learnt most things by trial & error, partly because I was too dumb to ask for help & partly because there just weren't that many people around then who knew, (the wheel was still considered a radically new idea when I was a teenager). Things have come a long way since then & t'internet has opened up a World of information to anyone who wants it. Admittedly there's a lot of cr*p info too, but chances are, whatever you want to do, someone, somewhere will know how to do it.
As I've said here before, I'd owned a cheap MIG welder for a couple of years before I did an evening class course at the local tech college with Flap when we started building his Flapster trike. Although I knew how to weld, I was never 100% certain I was doing it right & the course gave me the confidence to know I was. Well worth the 60 quid or so it cost.
I bought an electric drill from Argos a couple of weeks ago for 9 quid. You can buy angle grinders for about 15. Flap & I bought our 150 MIG welder from Machine Mart in Southampton for about 200. A pipe bender's about 80. Go to any autojumble or even car boot sale & you can pick up bucketloads of cheap tools. Most of my parts are produced with basic hand tools & lots & lots of elbow grease. You don't need a vast array of specialist gear to be creative. You don't even need a workshop -plenty of guys here are knocking out luvverly machines in sheds & car ports.
My advice, for what it's worth, is don't be too ambitious on your first build. Keep it simple & concentrate on doing it well, rather than trying to be too radical or outlandish. A Bobber is ideal as they're supposed to be basic anyway. Make sure your ride is safe -far better to over engineer than have something snap when you're in the fast lane of the M6. Check out other people's rides &, as TB says, look at how others have sorted the problems you'll come across. Never be afraid to pinch ideas that work! Never, ever take risks in the workshop, especially with power tools. My hands are covered in angle grinder scars -I'm amazed I haven't lost a couple of digits over the years. Even my big brother Brock, who's in a different league altogether from my humble efforts, has recently suffered a permanent eye injury. A moment's lack of concentration can last a lifetime, so be careful please.
You've already got a very nice bike, (next on our list of features for the Motors section by the way), so take your time & enjoy the experience.
Oh, & don't forget to catalogue your progress here so we can all watch over your shoulder as things progress!     

[toad]

i cant offer anymore advice other than what has already been given. take the bull by the horns and go for it! and if not ask for some advice. it might seem a bit harsh but you learn by your mistakes. i did and still am.

[Dicky]

Minx, don't worry mate your not the only new starter.  I was just sitting looking at a magazine two year ago and got a flash of inspiration that said 'a trike' that would be a good idea.  So I started going to a couple of rallies to pick some idea's up.  Had'nt been to a rally before that.
Hav'nt achieved much yet, but I've started collecting bits n bobs, managed to get a doner vehicle. Building a collection bit by bit.
Met a lot of nice people over the net and at the rallies.
Ok i'm nearly 48, but all my backgroung is in industrial electronics and process control.  I've always been a 'Garage' can fix it man.
So looking forward to stripping the Reliant engine to put it back together again.
I've always been told a good craftsman can turn his hand to anything, but i've also found that some people with no formal engineering training are just bloody good with their hands and have a practical head on their shoulders, ie common sense and a bit of nowse.

Best tools you'll ever have are on the end of your arm's, even if if they are holding the next best - an angle grinder, so take care of them.

I'm trying my local college at the moment for a welding course, but if you know someone with a Mig set-up, ask if you can have a practice.  You don't need to try and joins things yet, just try some practice runs on a flat bit of steele.

Birthdays and Christmas are the best time for tools.  Get your family to by you something you what, instead of smellies and jumpers - even if they have to club together.

[gpz]

we all have to start somewhere i only got intrested when i saw flaps trike and thought that looks good i could make one off those  many pitfalls along the way but as everyone keeps saying if u dont know ask plenty off people on here to give good advice . if i have a problem i sit and have a jaffa cake or six and think about it if it seems to good to be true it usually is but u have seen what can be done so crack on and give it a go we all make the odd mess up here and there ,but what a feeling seeing your trike,chop, bober coming together

[panthershaun]

I've built a few traditional style Bobbers over the years and most of mine have been based around old brit bikes and have never involved cutting or welding but more adapting parts from other bikes.
The Pop is my first major build where I'm having to weld, I can weld with a stick OK but that is no good for panel work so I've just purchased a mig welder.
Try building something mild to start with like the bikes on Bratstyle and then if you find you love it go for an evening training course in welding and get stuck in

[SUMO]

cant stick weld panels - you big gurl  ... enter stage left one stick welded tank haha to be fair its probably thicker steel than car panels and was right on the limit of welding thing stuff with a stick set for me

minx - id buy a stick welding set and learn to use it - they are cheap to buy and cheap to run and very versatile. once you can use that mig will be easy peasy
and a cheap angle grinder and reasonable drill and away you go

depends what sort of bike you want to build really but get an idea, look about a lot, i find making a photodump in a folder on my computer at work very usefull  - just drop in anything interesting i see / read when browsing around the web on work time

getting started

[Manky Monkey]

Ya fools! You can't weld with a stick. Everyone knows that. You need electrickery for a start. Sticks are for prodding things when they don't work. Like Flap.

[tazet]

Sticks are for prodding things when they don't work. Like Flap.

I agree to that 

[morrag]

What about the sort of stick you get in......dynamite!!!

[Manky Monkey]

That's the next step after the stick poking.

[panthershaun]

cant stick weld panels - you big gurl  ... enter stage left one stick welded tank haha to be fair its probably thicker steel than car panels and was right on the limit of welding thing stuff with a stick set for me

minx - id buy a stick welding set and learn to use it - they are cheap to buy and cheap to run and very versatile. once you can use that mig will be easy peasy
and a cheap angle grinder and reasonable drill and away you go

depends what sort of bike you want to build really but get an idea, look about a lot, i find making a photodump in a folder on my computer at work very usefull  - just drop in anything interesting i see / read when browsing around the web on work time

getting started

Show off  I'm still a fumbling amateur .... why aren't you at the Dragon?? I will email you the Pop axle picks tonight.