Jan, not wishing to upset anyone, but I have to agree with you on this topic [having a go at framebuilding]
As a framebuilder since 71 [I think you may know my history?] it always amazes me how cyclists think they could make themselves a frame.......one that would be actually safe to ride! Like you say it takes years of experience to be able to master the torch, but as you know there is a lot more to framebuilding than brazing!
I suspect that some of these frame we see from time to time that have been made by someone with virtually no experience are very dubvious.......they may look nicely finished, some are indeed very nicely filed up........but its what went on to get it to that stage. [and how long it took them!] Quizing such a person who had made his [and alarmingly a friends] frame it soon became clear he hadn't 'fed' the braze throught the lugs!!! .......I darn't ask about how he brazed the dropouts!
I always say that If someone wants to have a go at making a coffee table, fine, at worst if a leg falls off you will have a nasty stain on your carpet and perhaps broken cups...........but if you haven't correctly brazed a critical joint on a frame, the fork crown for example you are putting your, and perhaps others, lives at risk!
Saying this though I do see the attraction for those with the desire to build their own frame, I guess I was the same except I really wanted it to be my job, fortunately it has been. Be interesting to see what other framebuilders on this list think of people having a go at DIY frames?
Cheers Kevin Sayles
Bridgwater Somerset UK
<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:58 PM Subject: Re: [CR] Geometry
>
> I am sorry to say it, but it is hard to see how you can become proficient
> in brazing EVEN IF you spend two weeks full-time at a class. Working metal
> is a craft that requires a lot of theoretical knowledge, plus a lot of
> experience. And perhaps some inborn skills (aka as a "touch" for the
> torch). In two weeks, you can hope to make a first frame and gain some
> appreciation for all that you don't know.
>
> If somebody told me that they don't speak English, don't know how to ride
> a bike, and want to publish a cycling magazine, but they don't have 2
> weeks to learn all that is involved, I would smile and excuse myself to
> get back to work.
>
> Many of us have a great interest in how things are done, so Bicycle
> Quarterly publishes a series called "Builders Speak," where builders show
> their techniques. Seeing them in a magazine article and being able to
> emulate them are two different things. It took me months of training to
> become proficient at working in a machine shop, and the few times I held a
> torch, I realized that to get good at brazing would take even longer.
>
> I have seen quite a few builders at work, and the best of them have a feel
> for the torch that allows them to draw the brass (or silver) where they
> want it, without using too much heat. That proficiency is obtained through
> years of experience. Just like a good cyclist can ride their bike through
> a gap barely 4 inches wider than their handlebars. It's not something you
> pick up from a book.
>
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> Seattle WA 98122
> http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com