Brazing a frame together is a bit of work but you are only part way done if you want to really get the joints finished out so that the frame winds up with that 'seamless' look. These shots are brazed joints prior to the finishing process that will take a good number of hours. Back in the late '80's I did so much brazing that I got to a point where finish work really wasn't needed except in a few spots. The brazing on this frame came out a lot better than I would have thought , seeing as I have not fillet brazed in about 6 years other than a short demo I did last year.
I guess once you do something hundereds of times the skill stays with you for the most part. I will not have to labor as long as I was thinking looking at some of this brazing. I'll be honest, I was sure I would be filing down big globs of bronze here and there !
Here's the whole frame, a disc brake 29er 'Signature" model -probably the only one I'll build in 2011. It really brings me back to the old days, and I do mean old days ! I'm talking first season of Miami Vice days , Member's only jackets , all that stuff.
I'm so used to welding that I think my tig technique has melded with my old brazing technique and created some bastard child skill that might be better than my old style from the '80s.
Either way, it sure is fun to build something out of the ordinary.......of course, once I start the laborious filing I might not be so chipper. At least I have new files, lots of sunshine and a newly fixed stereo to get me through it all.
2 comments:
"my waters clean and no one's menu says fresh fish fillet" nice fillets, paul! Great talkin' to ya - Garro.
Paul, thx for sharing these "WIP" shots of this frame...it's especially interesting to see a fillet-brazed frame in it's 'naked' state.
Hey, all that swag in the background looks quite interesting, as well...how about a few images of the shop, some time? You were a pirate in a former life, perhaps?
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