Re: [CR]Built-up lugs

In a message dated 4/26/2002 6:39:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sadiejane9@hotmail.com writes:

<< our builder makes lugs this way. you can see an example at http://www.oldtowncyclery.com/shopframes.htm scroll towards the bottom of the page and check out the headlug there. it was made from tubing. more from necessity than anything i think. there are few lug blanks to be had these days, or so i understand. i do know haydens are available but they are thick and take more time to file than making them from scratch. or so my builder says. he prefers making them himself. >>

Hmmm. I think there is some confusion or miscommunication here... Are you talking about the green head lug? That may be a Nervex Pro copy or cut way lug from a blank or tacked on sleeves, but that is not the built up style we are referring to in some French bikes. The built up lugs can be thought of as a sort of artful "puddling up" of brass on top of the lugs themselves to make the transition from one angle to the other into a larger radius. It also means the joint is likely to be at least twice heated..

Now the Hayden blanks are about the same thickness as most stamped lugs and while a lot of work, in theory ought to be just about as easy to work on as builder-added on sections. The truth is that sometimes builders say they don't like to use some elements because they ain't got em.

A recent example of that is the bad mouthing of Reynolds 853, etc. recently by a few small builders. In fact that tubing is just fine, but it is a seriously big pain for makers to get because Reynolds closed their USA distribution warehouse . Builders now have to order direct from England in larger batches than small builders might want and the Reynolds people are slow in shipping....

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