Doug Fattic's account of his time at Briggs' was just fascinating..and his mention of the Leeds-Liverpool canal running along at the back of the premises brought back happy memories for me of struggling round the back of the building carrying six or so frames to the sprayshop. The return journey, armed with the beautifully enamelled merchandise was always negotiated with just a couple of frames at a time.
I must have missed Doug by only a couple of years, as I started using Briggs' to spray my frames in about 1978/79, after switching from MKM.
A couple of memories spring randomly to mind about Briggs' spraying. The company also sprayed for builders such as Woodrup who were down in Leeds less than 30 minutes away..and there was always friendly rivalry amongst us if we chanced to meet, armed to the gills with frames, to see who could get into the works first. Delays for paint jobs in those days during the months of January through to the end of April always ran for up to three month's delivery such was the demand. But Jack Briggs couldn't be hustled to speed up the work because he also had to consider his other "biker" customers whose motorbike frames he sprayed. Like many enamellers Briggs took in "trade" work to offset seasonal drops in demand from cycle framebuilders, and it was impossible to budge Jack from his schedules.
I remember once trying to take away a touring frame that Jack had sprayed gloss black enamel with gold decals and lining..it looked superb. But Jack was having none of it! "It isn't finished!" I was gob-smacked, as we say in Yorkshire, because the finish looked impeccable. When pressed to explain himself Jack confessed "It's not had it's varnish coats yet!" Until that time I had never really realised that enamelled frames as opposed to more fancy finishes such as flamboyants, required varnishing.
However success transpired to turn against Briggs in the early 80s. Inundated with their own and "trade" spray-jobs, the company invested in new and larger kilns to cope with demand. Unfortunately the thermostats on these proved to be inaccurate resulting in paint jobs being over-cooked, and tending to be very brittle.
The most ticklish job in building up such a frame into a bike would often be the final one of tightening up the seat lug bolt to secure the seat post ..often the last job to be done, in the presence of the customer, when setting the bike up for him.
All too often, in spite of exercising the utmost care, a thumb-nail -sized piece of finish-coat would detach itself from the "obliterating white" undercoat, leaving a blisteringly white scar staring out at both customer and vendor.
Fortunately Briggs got the problms sorted out and I came to rejoice in the magnificent finishes than could be obtained by spraying "flam red" or "flam Royal blue" over obliterating white. Just stunning. "Flam orange" looked good too!
Norris Lockley..down Memory Lane again, Settle Uk