Capping Tube Ends
Custom bikes are all about
clean lines. Here is a little item that finishes off the tube end at the axle
plate. In this picture, there is one
open tube end and one finished end.
There are a number of ways
to cap off a tube end. A solid slug can be welded in and ground to shape. This
is generally a lot of work and results are only as good as the fabricator’s
ability to sculpt metal with a grinder.
The solid slug could be
machined to a rounded shape…provided there is access to machinery and some odd
tooling or CNC to make this kind of part.
Alternately, a hollow
hemisphere can be sectioned and used to cap the area. Suppliers of ornamental
iron normally have these tube caps (or click here…we have them).
Start off by marking the cap like the picture to the
right.
An area the thickness of the
axle plates is marked on the cap basically breaking it into three pieces. The
base area is also too long so part of that is marked for cutting also.
After cutting with a hacksaw
or abrasive wheel in a die grinder, two pieces are left to do one tube end. The
picture on the left shows the two pieces that get used to cap a tube end, the
remains of the tube cap and a complete cap.
Finally a section is added
to the tube end on the axle plate and welded in place. A little work with a die
grinder can carbide bur followed by a sanding cartridge or flap wheel makes a
finished project. A little more work and this one will be ready for paint.
