At 05:17 PM 16/09/2008 -0700, Norris Lockley wrote:
>I remember Norman cocking his head to one side a little, screwing his eyes
>up inscrutably as he pondered the depth of my questioning, or perhaps the
> sun was shining in his direction, and delivering in his Geordy accent thes
>e words of wisdom " I dont!"
>
>He went on to explain that after welding a joint, he would change the torch
>'s nozzle for the smallest in the box and just use it to "tickle over the r
>ipples...smooth them out...like" As Jack explained, in order to provide add
>itional clarification - "We're frame-builders, lad, not mechanical engineer
>s!"
That's very interesting. Dale also told me off-list that this is a special torch technique used by a few highly skilled frame builders. Back in my youth, before I knew how frames were actually built, I thought that the bronze welding method was an inexpensive way to do it because the entry level Claud Butlers, like the Jubilee in the early 1950s, were made that way. Later, when I learned more about this stuff, it occurred to me that there would actually be a lot of work involved in the finishing, or as I'm learning now, some pretty skilful torch work. I even imagined it being done like the plumbers fixing lead pipes, forming a symmetrical oval bulge where the leak was.
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada