Make your own frame?

braze with a good quality butane blowtorch?

not hot enough to braze. requires oxy acetalene to get a full heat thats even enough to get a strong bond.

oxy propane is plenty good enough for a lugged frame and cheaper on fuel, from what I have read it's a bit difficult to do a fillet joint with oxy pro with out a secondary heat source. Mercian actually do alot of there lugged frames using a method called hearth brazing. For this you do no need any bottled O2 but instead use fire bricks e.t.c to keep the heat up. The flame of a gas torch is easily hot enough to melt brass of 56% silver mix but it is the metal that must be hot enough to melt the filler rod. Adding O2 means more heat is delivered to the metal, using a hearth means less heat escapes. Is is argued that the hearth method can actually be better for the metal as the heat is not as intense in one area (i.e right on the side of the flam rather than round the entire lug) and it's better to maintain the heat treating.

indeed i agree, maybe due to the fact that i am welder/engineer by trade, butane is plenty hot and also if you are not so competent there is less me a chance of hazing your frame.

I've done the Dave Yates course. If you want to build a frame, then this is the way to go. However, factor in the cost of travel, food and accommodation. Allow about £350 for materials and painting.
It's by no means a cheap option, but if you build a fancy enough frame it gets down to the point where it is cheaper to build it yourself on a course than to get someone else to do it for you!
That is essentially what I have done since my frame (when finished) will have loads of polished stainless steel details on it. I'm spending all my spare time polishing it at the moment...

i looked into it but had a great idea today and decided that ezra can build me a bike. aiming to go to new york at christmas and pick it up, gives me 5 months to save up!

http://www.fastboycycles.com/

the thing is.. what do i want from a custom bike!?

I like the fact that ezra has a dog named putney.
good name.

i have been making bike wishlist scrapbook with things off the net... i want everything damn it!

i am gonna make some kind of weird frankenbike if i dont calm down

anyone know of books on this subject?