Original HD Factory image

[Steve Little]

Hi. I am looking for a picture that I saw in a book about 15 years ago. It is a HD factory picture of a guy who looks to be brazing a Knuckle frame and there is a accetalyne torch with a big smokey accetalyne flame burning on the side of the bench.

I must have owned this book at some time in the past but can't find the image in any of the books I own now. Maybe it was a workshop manual. Does anyone know what publication this image is in.
Regards Steve

[Jerry Wieland]

Steve I think that image is in one of the 1939 Enthusiasts.

Jerry

[Panuckle]

Engineering History of Harley-Davidson byJerry Hatfield.

[Steve Little]

Thank you to you both. I will try and track down a copy of the Hatfield book. If someone has a copy of the Enthusiast can they scan the image and post it on this thread.
Regards Steve

[Chris Haynes]

[exeric]

Thanks for posting that picture Chris. I have always been fascinated by it, and can only imagine the knowedge those frame brazers had. What a gas bill !

[Robert Luland]

I feel for the poor basterds. Odviously by the caps on their heads, It was winter. Can you imagine the temperature in that room in August? Bob L

[Steve Little]

This is a marvelous picture Chris.
This is the way we do it in my factory and I can tell you that the heat soaks into the core of you'r body and the sweat runs off my face in steady stream of drips.
The shop stinks of cadmium from the powder flux that I dip the rods into...even with the big exhaust fan going.
I have never seen this picture it is not the picture that I was looking for, but now that i have seen it, it is much better and is authentic to the brazing of frames. The picture I was referring to is one guy "who looks to be Polish" and the frame is sitting on a flat table. I can't remember if he is actually holding a torch to the frame but I remember there is a torch hanging on the bench behind him and it is is only burning accetalyne.
Now that I have seen Chris,s picture the other one falls into insignificance.
Period looks to be 38 or 39
Thanks

[Steve Little]

The guy closest to the camera is brazing the sidecar lugs. I dont know what the rod is that he is holding but i wonder if he is ladling molten bronze into the joint. The rod looks to be about 3/8" diam and is too thick to be a welding rod. Could be a extension rod for the braze rod to fit into. The next guy along is holding the same thing but the flame flare makes it impossible to be sure what it is. The first guy may have some extra rods resting up over his left shoulder.

If you've ever seen a blasted 1936 to 1945 frame, the rear trans cross brace usually has so much extra bronze melted all over them. And they somtimes have a brushed look to the excess material...a mottled/wiped look. When I am brazing a frame and I get a bit too much brass around a weld I wipe off the excess brass with the cooler rod. I think the big brush on the side of the table is for wiping away excess material.
Looks to be a tray of flux powder to his left.

[larry]

Looks like a very large fan in the center window. And is that a wooden floor?

[Steve Little]

Note that all the small items "running board lugs, toolbox bracket, low tank mount, etc" are already welded on to the frame by the time these guys get it.
Brazing is all that they did every day. They should be as skinny as bean storks.
No sign of the fabled pitcher bucket or mugs

[Chris Haynes]

Note that all the small items "running board lugs, toolbox bracket, low tank mount, etc" are already welded on to the frame by the time these guys get it.
Brazing is all that they did every day. They should be as skinny as bean storks.
No sign of the fabled pitcher bucket or mugs

If you will notice all brazed frames have all the parts spot welded in place to hole while being brazed. The "Beer Ration" was once an hour. John Nawak gave his beer ration tin cup with H D embossed in it to Bruce Palmer III.

[Steve Little]

Hi Chris. On these Pohlman Studio pictures, are the numbers in the bottom right corner the picture number and are the numbers in the bottom left corner the date?.

Some correct welding terminology for general information, Spot welding is done with machine with 2 arms that meet either side of a piece of metal and create a resistance weld...a spot weld. There are 3 spot welds holding the round washers to a 38-39 toolbox bracket
The small welds that hold the parts to tubing on these frames is called a tack weld.
Regards Steve

[ronald]

Now I know why the brazing on my '41 UL frame looked so uniformly smooth and sloppy, if that description makes sense. I resisted the temptation to break out the files and sanding disks to neaten it up though as I thought it looked too original to mess with.

[c.o.]

Wise decision Ronald. Don't mess with history if you don't have to.