Framebuilders - faux lugs

basically what i want to do is take a frame without any lugs, and add my own lugs purely for aestetics.


heres the basic process i invisage:
cut the lugs flat from say 2mm steel/alu sheet in the pattern i desire
roll the flat shapes into curves
place on frame
attach to frame
fill gaps between the rolled sections
file/sand smooth
job done


what would be the best way to attach the lugs to the frame?
seeing as the lugs are just for looks, does it matter that i use aluminium? aluminium is just easier to work.
what should i use to fill the gaps?

any other tips/advice?

sorry for noob questions, im pretty new to all this stuff.

It would be easier to buy a lugged frame.

I cant think of any way this will look presentable without hours and hours of tedious work. On top of that, aluminum and steel cannot be welded or brazed together. You would have to use some kind of adhesive.

well yes, it would be easier to buy a frame, but then why would anyone bother making their own frames when you can just go out and buy one becuase its easier. this is the framebuilder forum. buying a lugged frame doesnt give me the ability to customise my lugs, which is the whole point in my thread.

i wasnt aware the two couldnt be bonded. ill just have to use the same material for both.

im not a buisness, i have hours and hours to spend.

Another option would be to start with real lugs, cut them in half, modify, file, etc so they fit over the tubes, and then braze/fill gaps.

That said, me being an amateur framebuilder, I think this may not be as easy or pretty as you would hope. However, I'm all for new ideas and techniques, even though this one is strictly aesthetic.

I think you would find it easier to build a lugged frame from scratch than to put fake lugs on an existing non lugged frame.

I suggested that you buy a lugged frame because it sounds like you have not had much fabrication experience to begin with.
To build a lugged frame and fork you will spend a minimum of $200 for materials. That is assuming you have the necessary tooling available.
You could cut a new set of lugs in half and then braze them on. It may be hard finding the correct size and angles for your frame. You can get a stamped lug set from Nova for about $30.

A friend of mine built a fake lug to reinforce a cracked & repaired joint on a recumbent I have:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/lightning/pages/bike042.htm

I'd second what the others have said: this is not a trivial process. It would be much easier and cheaper to build a lugged frame from scratch than make fake lugs for an existing frame.

If I was going to do this I would probably do something similar to what happens when you apply some tangs to a crown. I would try to suggest lugs not fully do them. Presumably your frame is welded, I would fill the weld in with bondo or lead, or brass, etc... I would add the details, and leave it at that. You will have great difficulty trying to knit a full lug around some tubes, as much as anything because the weld is a fillet around which you can't join sleeves. You can run up to them but not over them. So I would put on my thinking cap and try do do something that ads style to the existing welds, and even some strength, but not go all the way to lugs. Extreme lugs almost disappear in certain areas, so do that while adding some flavour to the frame.

http://www.bikelugs.com/store/index.php?strWebAction=item_detail&intItemID=99

http://www.novacycles.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=61_137_158&products_id=1351

A simpler option would be converting your welded frame to a fillet brazed frame you could do that with bondo or some brass.

Old lugged frames (Schwinn/Univega/etc.) are cheap enough that that's the easy way to go.

Lugged frames ARE so pretty. Ever since somebody posted this pic from Columbine Cycles, I want one with custom lugs.
http://www.columbinecycle.com/images/photos/columbine_ultra.jpg

If it's being done PURELY as an artistic exercise though, why not just pile on a thick coat of bondo in the appropriate areas, and then sculpt/sand it down to give the appearance of custom lugs? Skip the metalworking entirely, then follow up with frame colored paint (or chrome/copper/brass colored paint if you want to get fancy). That way you can make the lugs as radical as you want, and if you screw up, you just sand off that section and start over.