She flies a 747 and has Never Held a Welding Torch

Paul Brodie here. I know it's been a long time. Framebuilding 101 is entering its' second year, with course #010 starting Oct 11. I would like to claim a 100% success rate with no one dropping out, and all students completing their frames. The quality of build is generally quite good. Students work hard and are often exhausted at the end of the day. The learning curve is rather steep. Some take time off from work to build their frames, but it's not a holiday! We focus a lot on "techniques"; learning how to use a tool or torch a certain way. There is no rocket science, nor black magic. History lesson: In World War 2, women worked in the factories while the men were off fighting. Their attention to detail often made them quite valuable. Some women became very good with the oxy-acetylene torch. After the war ended in 1949, Claude Butler (a well known British framebuilder) employed some of them to fillet-braze his frames.

Here's a frame made by a recent student. She flies a 737, but had never held a welding torch before. Her fillet brazing and file-up was very good! Frame is a 29er w/ a 120mm suspension fork. That's why the downtube intersects the head tube so high. There has to be clearance for the fork when the bars are turned sideways. The gusset and brace are for added strength.

Looking fine with Paint by Paul. Yes I still have a spray booth.. Lots of good comments on the color, PPG black cherry pearl... no longer available in Canada. Pity.. It's all because of the new VOC regulations.

I recently received an email from Chris Dekerf. He never emails me... Anyway, his niece (also with a Dekerf surname) just gave birth to a baby boy. So, he was named Brodie Dekerf! Do you think he's going to be a cyclist? A framebuilder? Stay tuned..

PDB.