Anybody Dimpled a Frame for a Whizzer?

[Western-Whizzer]

Hi everybody! I was curious if anyone has ever crimped a frame for a Whizzer?
Did you have to heat the frame? Any pictures or helpful hints would be much appreciated.
I have made exact replica dimpling tools, but haven't made the supporting back molds yet.
Any info would be great. Thank you!

 

[Boris]

Since you're in SW Washington, You might want to ask Alan Schurman, owner of the Iron Ranch.

 

[Western-Whizzer]

Since you're in SW Washington, You might want to ask Alan Schurman, owner of the Iron Ranch.

Thank you Dave, I will try to look him up.

 

[bricycle]

Joe Cargola did them....
https://books.google.com/books?id=6...PBWEQ6AEIOjAG#v=onepage&q=joe cargola&f=false

 

[Boris]

If that doesn't work for you, let me know. I do know someone else, but he's out by Gresham.

 

[Western-Whizzer]

Thank you! I am just curious if Schwinn dimpled the chain stays while they were cold, or if they heated them up.
Here are the exact tools that I built. I made molds of the original dimples, and then copied every curve.
I made these with a hack saw and file. It took over 10 tries before I got them exact.
Now they fit inside the factory dimples like a glove.
The 2nd photo makes the wedge look slightly different, but that is just the angle of the photo.
I am having the back supports caste in aluminum to fit the chain stays perfectly.
This way they will not be distorted.
When I am done I should be able to leave factory looking dimples on bikes.
I hope I don't upset anybody, but after dimpling a frame I am going to stamp my initials on the bottom bracket.
This way, these frames can be separated from the originals.

 

[bikecrazy]

I doubt if Schwinn used any heat when they dimpled the frames. The tubing used is pretty soft and fairly easy to bend.

 

[Western-Whizzer]

That is what I thought too, but when I did a practice dimple on a 1959 girls frame, it was hard as hell. When I have the backing made, I will give it another try.

 

[bikecrazy]

I guess heat would help.I wonder if that would open the door up for stress cracks in the future. Tough call. I think you have the right idea practicing on scrap frames.

 

[Western-Whizzer]

I would guess that Schwinn had some sort of hydraulic press that just instantly pressed them in with ease. I will be welding these dimple wedges on to a heavy duty vise, and then press them in one turn at a time. Another clue that they were probably not heated is that there are no signs of burn marks on the frames in that location. But at the same time I do not see any burn marks where they brazed on the extended brake arm clamp. Perhaps they did use heat but then cleaned those areas afterwords? In the end, I will guess that no heat was used. As soon as I have the chain stay supports made, I will post the details and photos. Thank you everybody!