2. the carlcross ->

The lower heat tube lug, also tacked and ready for full brazing. Notice the point of the lug to the right in the picture- the black scorch right at the tip of the lug is evidence of how quickly the fluxed metal can overheat if the wielder of the torch is not vigilant. To be completely accurate, what scorched in this case is the flux- the metal underneath is fine- but the now-fried flux, full of the crud by-product of the unintended overoxidation, will actually work against the intentions of the framewright, who needs the expensive silver filler to flow underneath the edges of the lug- something that only happens easily with clean and shiny metal bits.

A little bit of filing or sanding, and reapplication of new flux, will have the lug ready to go for the finish brazing.

Oh, yeah- what is up with the nails? you may have thought or even asked out loud. Well, sometimes I like to pin a joint- particularly if I have a slightly too loose lug-to-tube interface- to help hold it still during brazing. Small nails work very well for such a task, and having nails sticking out of the frame is a great way to build confidence in the mind of the bike's future owner...

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