Filed In: Process
Father/Daughter Project - Part 17
February 07, 2020 | Chris Blandford
Stem:
1. Miter Stem Pieces
2. Tack and Braze Stem
3. Finish Fillets
4. Braze Binders
5. Slot and Relieve Binders
I’ve only made a couple of stems like this one previously, but the process has been straightforward.
I begin by designing the stem in BikeCAD, printing the miter templates, and mitering the stem’s main tube. This tube is, essentially, a very short downtube; I miter it exactly as described previously. The other tubes (both made out of .058” tubing) are cut to length and squared up on my belt sander. I leave the tube that clamps onto the steerer long so that I can grab it while brazing. I’ll trim it to length once the binders are brazed on.
Once mitered, I drill vent holes in the clamping tubes, clean, flux, and load the tubes into a stem jig (Sputnik). I tack the stem together in the jig (obtuse angle first, as before), let cool, then pull the stem from the fixture. To braze, I clamp the stem onto a longer length of tubing.
Braze, let cool, and then soak.
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