Anyone got any suggestions on where to buy some aluminium plate so that I can make a new dropout for the snapped one on my RM Element - looking for 8mm x approx 10cm x 15cm
(I already have a place that'll weld the new one in)
I just bought some on Ebay, but not sure if they have your exact size.
Ask your welders?
Try a scrappy
local metal shop?
a piece that big will probably be free/ v cheap.
How are you going to cut it?
I expect with a hacksaw. Aluminium isn't noted for its hardness.
Maybe he should upgrade and use steel?
Or carbon?
will your frame need heat treating after re-welding?
How - easy - hacksaw, drill, file as appropriate
Heat treatment - yes in an ideal world
It's an old, scruffy frame that I really like but it's broken at the swingarm/dropout so I'm just going to get it stuck back together and use it as a summer bike on local rides.
Al - no carbon - I don't want to die 😉
Scrap yard, we've got loads of the bloody stuff, made a couple of replaceable drop outs so far. An old wheel axle has the same thread as a rear mech bolt, so you can turn it into a tap with a bit of filing and a few cuts of a hacksaw.
When welding alumnium it is handy to know what type it is.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/tig-welding-tips-part3.html
"Tip #16... Not all aluminum alloys are weldable."