At 12:46 PM 4/28/2001 -0700, Mark Bulgier wrote:
>There won't be any rust on the fillets anywhere of course, as brass doesn't
>rust; so the difference will only be evident in places where the steel *has*
>rusted near the fillet, which seems to be mostly in the BB area.
>
> > I still think it looks like material as been added there. I've
> > never personally seen any brazing material that color, but I'm
> > still a relative brazing newbie and ain't seen 'em all.
>
>Oh, you mean brazing *over* the plating? That would be very bad indeed but
>I'd bet good money that hasn't been done. I see nothing inconsistent with
>brass fillets, filed and sanded (nicely done, too), then plated, with
>subsequent rusting of the adjacent steel. I base my opinion on the many
>dozens (probably hundreds) of fillet brazed frames I built, and the larger
>number (thousands?) I've looked at up close over 20+ years as a
>framebuilder.
>
>If it were my size I'd consider breaking the piggy bank - even though I'm
>not really a fan of Hellenic stays. The lack of close-ups of the
>derailleurs, shift lever, and right side of the right crank are a little
>troubling- maybe Grant would come up with some more pix, if someone
>seriously considering the bike asked nicely.
I think this all sounds reasonable. One thing we often overlook is that when we pick on a bike (not that I'm a real repeat offender) is that there are people involved. I don't know Grant Handley at all, but I think from what I've heard he'd A) know if the bike had been repaired after personal inspection and A) say so.
Happy bidding, Frenchies.
Jeff Slotkin
TheLocalSpoke
Goose Creek, SC