On Nov 10, 2004, at 6:26 AM, Tony Rentschler wrote:
> Suzy Jackson wrote:
>
>> And I agree about TIG. Whilst TIG welds are eminently practical and
>> purposeful, they have no soul.
>
> Learn to TIG weld, and when you can smoothly and cleanly join very
> thin-walled steel tubes with a tiny weld, or, as a challenge, perhaps
> two beer cans or some stainless steel foil, then I just _know_ you
> will gain a new perspective, and see beauty and soul where you now see
> none. "Soul," for my money, is poured into a creation by the builder,
> and is not dependent upon any specific technique.
Let me add one more note about TIG welding: I think it gets a bad rap among classic and vintage bike fans because it's equated with the big, obvious, and, indeed, often overpowering welds on today's ever-present fat-tubed aluminum and titanium bikes. But welded bikes do not have to embody such an industrial and mass-produced look. On steel, a TIG weld can be made invisible, or nearly so, under the paint. Then, from my perspective, what we have is a modern version of fillet brazing - the weld is a tiny fillet. And just as with traditional fillet brazing, the frame's lines can then be made very smooth, clean, and simple.
Tony Rentschler
New York, NY