RE: [CR]Medici Story (next part)

(Example: Framebuilders:Mario Confente)

From: "Mark Bulgier" <mark@bulgier.net>
To: "'rocklube@adnc.com'" <rocklube@adnc.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: RE: [CR]Medici Story (next part)
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 00:12:28 -0800


Brian wrote:
> The issue of the investment cast lugs that Mario designed and
> made the moulds for is a classic example of how Bill operated.

and:
> Medici was using the investment cast lugs that Mario never got
> to use himself

I once got to hold in my hand a matched but mismatched set of lugs - an investment cast top/head lug and a hand-filed down/head lug made by welding some extra meat onto a standard sheetmetal lug and then carving it down. I haven't seen more than 2 or 3 real Confentes in my life but the family resemblance was so strong I just knew the hand filed one musta been made by Mario.

Somehow these ended up in Bill Davidson's lug collection, (where I saw 'em) which makes me wonder if the Medici lugs were cast in Japan? Cuz Davidson had a close connection with the head of Takahashi, whose main business was cheap pressed steel frame components but who also had a hi-qual cast lug business. Probably most well known to members of this list as the makers of some (maybe all?) of the Nagasawa cast bits.

Anyway I didn't hear the story behind 'em, but I just loved that hand-filed lug which had apparently been made as a sample or model to make the cast ones from. The cast one, though well made, just didn't have the aura. The hand made one had a soul.

OK I just watched "The Red Violin" so I might be reading more into it than is really there, just humor me ok?

Great story Brian, thanks.

Mark Bulgier