Tony Rentschler wrote:
> 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.
I haven't learnt TIG welding (yet), but it's most definitely on my list of skills to master. Unfortunately my partner balks at spending $2-3K on a TIG setup, so it may take some time :) Given this of course it's reasonable that, having spent some time brazing (at least enough to appreciate the skill required) I've got a fairly healthy bias towards things involving flames.
I guess what I was trying to get at is that the perfect TIG weld looks like there isn't a weld at all. Put two bikes by different builders side by side with perfect TIG welds (and without paint), and you'd be hard pressed to spot the difference. That, I guess, is why a lot of manufacturers now do other things to differentiate their frames. My Colnago's strangely shaped tubes, and my GT's triple-triangle frame come to mind as attempts to differentiate.
The same goes for most lugs though. Put two bikes side by side with perfectly brazed bog-standard lugs (of whatever flavour) and they look identical. However unlike TIG welded frames, it's fairly easy for a builder to differentiate his or her frames when using lugs. Just a little work with a file, and the mark is made.
Regards,
Suzy Jackson,
Sydney, Australia