My circa 1930 Pop Brennan certainly shows a level of the bar that would that would meet todays standards. Especially considering he had to forge and cut down the Brampton lugs, make his own fork ends etc. Brennan worked for Tiffany so he knew about fancy metalwork.
I also have a pre-WWII Sieber that is quite nice.
Taking bikes to a higher aesthetic/workmanship level just took more money. I have an unknown maker pre-WWII 6-Day bike that is light and well made but even I could improve the lug finishing. It would seem the builder and buyer didn't want to go to the trouble.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Little Falls, NJ
> I had a side conversation with Jim N. regarding comparing the
craftsmanship
> of today to that of the 70's. We agreed that it isn't fair to compare
them.
> I understand this but it also doesn't ring true. I look around my shop
and
> beside this computer there's nothing in it that didn't exist in the 70's
or
> earlier. My drill press is WWII vintage and my mill is from 1952. Metal
> working is nothing new and it's safe to say that most of the principles
that
> applied in 1970 do so today too. So when did the bar start being raised
in
> regard to craftsmanship? When did it start not being desirable to gouge a
> tube with a file and leave it or leave a big glop of brazing material
around
> a lug edge. I know the argument that times were different but were they?
> Was labor more expensive then? Were profit margins even lower then? I
> don't think so.
>
> When I think about this I think about violin makers. Is it unfair to
> compare current violins to that of the ones built by Strat? Maybe or
maybe
> not, anyone a violin expert?
>
> I know bikes are about more things than craftsmanship but when did
> craftsmanship start becoming important?
>
> Curt Goodrich
> Minneapolis, MN
>
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