[CR]fillet brazing... (Duncan Granger)

(Example: History)

From: <dgranger@comcast.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2005 22:13:26 +0000
Subject: [CR]fillet brazing... (Duncan Granger)

Tom Martin says,

"I'm looking at a 1964 Jack Taylor mixtie tandem frame that is fillet brazed. There was no way to cost effectively fashion lugs for that beast, even though it was probably a one off, or maybe even a group of 3 or even 10 frames. If they spent the time to make the lugs, the brothers would still be working on it."

I would like to point out that fancy lugged tandems (even mixtes) WERE made cost effectively - when there were people willing to pay a price for a bike that reflected the craftsmanship that went in to it.

I was stunned at the lug work and attention to detail on the 1952 Hobbs Blue Riband Tandem that came into my posession in the spring.

Pics can be found here: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dmgranger/album?.dir=/40bb&.src=ph

The paint and lug lining are original, and show some age. Imagine how these lugs must have looked when the frame was brand new...

Consider that these lugs probably took may hours of work, and you see that the Taylors did fillet brazing (they also made beautiful lugged frames - the brazing and lug prep on my '74 Tour of Britain is as nice as any I've seen) because a) they couldn't get lugs during the war, and b) they were VERY good at it and it was a strong way to make frames. But that doesn't mean that a fancy lugged tandem would take too long or be too expensive to be worth making... at least during the CR timeline... just my 2 cents...

Duncan Granger
Mountville, PA