Chuck Schmidt wrote:
> What I heard was that Reynolds tubes were more concentric
I can attest to that. '70s-'80s Columbus tubes had such variation in the wall as you went around the circle, that on special frames I used to "mike" the wall all around with a special tube micrometer to find where it was thick and thin, and orient it in the frame so the thick part was where frames are more likely to break.
I believe Richard Sachs has also mentioned the once-in-a-blue-moon fatigue crack that formed right where they stamped the dove logo a little too deep.
I believe Reynolds QC got worse towards the end of our era of interest. When did the blue-black oxide finish give way to the greenish-gray? 1984-86? (Brian? Richie?) I think that's about the same time the finish and dimensional accuracy went downhill too.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA