Sloping toptubes and lugged frames
 

How do people deal with sloping top tubes and investment cast lugs? I saw nova had one called a 6 pack which has 6° of slope. Searching this forum it appears 1.5° is close if not max adjustment.

The Jeopardy answer is "Why is TIG so popular?"

Your choices are build what you can within the available lug adjustment angles, modify/build lugs like Spectrum does with steel and brass, or use another technique like fillet or tig.


Of course, there is also Pacenti and Henry James lugs to check out, too.

about 2* of lug angle manipulation is not too hard to do with IC lugs and no extreme methods. But cutting sections out of a lug and brazing it back will get a lot more degrees. Making your own lugs is another option.


It is this that moved me to get better at fillet brazing. If you're going to make your own lugs you'll be needing to fillet anyway. Andy

6 degrees of slope is plenty, I think. How much slope do you want?

You can build up bilaminate lugs if you want more. Or just go with fillets

Thanks. I am thinking about possibly building a small frame. Haven't built one in 25 years. So many options available now.

DeepSpace- PMed you. Andy

for an unusual lug shapes, its a separate piece you make, and TIG welding lets you join the tube pieces ,
you then slip in the frame tubes, just like ready made lugs..

tig filler wire of stainless if you will use as is.. more common steel filler wire better if overlaying with a brass fillet..

Or so I am told..






...

Most people making custom lugs use a torch and brass to make them, not TIG. TIG welds are much harder to clean up than brass filler. Some folks who have TIG and torch set ups may put a few tack welds to hold the pieces for brazing, but not weld up the whole lug junction.

And everyone else that doesn't even have an expensive TIG welder certainly isn't going to get one just to bi-lam some lugs.