Old homemade Pennyfarthing basket case

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That's a brilliant idea for making your own spokes!

The concern that you had with affecting the integrity of the metal by heating it might be less of a concern than the bending that your doing after it cools. I'm no metallurgist, but it seems to me that you might also want to heat it before you bend it, or maybe look into annealing them after they're finished. I may also be over thinking it, but a little google researching wouldn't hurt.

Looking forward to more!


 
Thanks.
I can't what till I've finished building this wheel so I can set it aside and get started on the frame. I have changed directions on the configuration of the bicycle. After careful consideration I have decided not to build a penny farthing. I have no desire to go flying over the handle bars if I crash. I have been designing a frame on CorelDraw that is similar to a bicycle that was made in the late 1800's called a Coventry Rotary. The Coventry Rotary was a strange three wheeled bicycle that had the large wheel to your left and two smaller wheels to your right. I have made a few changes to there design and I'm still not finished drawing it yet. In my design the seat is much lower to the ground more like a recumbent bicycle.
 
John-Jock-Bayne-b1899-on-a-Coventry-Rotary-Tricycle.jpg
Sweet!
 
That's it Kingfish! Renaissance man I did a Google search about stainless steel. I found that it is recommended be worked cold if possible. If stainless is heated 800*F to 1500*F it can cause intergranular corrosion. This means that the spokes may rust where I heated them. It went on to say that it is less of a problem if the metal is thin and the temperature can come down quickly.
 
I admit I'm disappointed that this won't end up a penny farthing, but that does nothing to diminish my interest in the craftsmanship and skills. I'll be curious to discover just how durable these spokes--and the entire wheel--end up. Homebrew hubs aren't all that uncommon but this is the first time I've seen anyone tackle spokes from scratch. Learning plenty.
 
Rustysprockets sorry to disappoint you with the build change. I am curious myself to find how durable this wheel assembly will be. I think with 72 spokes it will hold up fine.
 
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Well, disappointed is probably a strong word to use. The Coventry trike will undoubtedly be an even more interesting build, and a real crowd pleaser once completed. One word of caution, though: never ride that contraption with loose-fitting clothes!
 
Do you know what grade of stainless you are using for the spokes? I worked for 6 years as an engineer with some oversight to a metallurgy lab at a turbine engine repair facility. I might be able to help you with some info on annealing.
 
todhunter said:
Do you know what grade of stainless you are using for the spokes? I worked for 6 years as an engineer with some oversight to a metallurgy lab at a turbine engine repair facility. I might be able to help you with some info on annealing.
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It is 308/308L (3/32" welding rod).
 
308 is austenitic - in this alloy intergrannular corrosion (carbide precipitation) happens when heated above 1200F for a long period of time - as you said the rods are small and I doubt you heated them long enough for this to be a problem. However, if you are worried about it, heat to above 1800F (orange/yellow in color) and quench it after forming and this should anneal and put any carbide precipitates back into solution. Whether you anneal or not, material hardness will not be affected.
 
Thank you todhunter for that information I was concerned that I may have been weakening the metal. Rust is less of a concern to me because the bicycle will be kept in the house most of the time.
 
sean1960 said:
Luke, it's on the back burner for a while. Now that the weather is getting warmer I'm back on my 4x4 project.
DSC03666_zpsd65ccad9.jpg
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We need a build thread!

Luke.
 

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