My first 2 frames were ‘simple’ bronze brazed 1x frames with silver used only for the bottle bosses and some internal guide tubing.
Next frame ideally wants to have a front mech hanger and likely seat binder bosses brazed on. Would these typically be bronze or silver brazed? (I can sort of see arguments for either, so seeking advice from those who know what they’re doing!)
In decades past, bronze/brass was used on many frames for everything, and those bikes survived. But tubing was thicker in those days, most of our modern tube sets are a fair bit thinner than Columbus SP, SL, or 531 ST. No reason not to use silver on these and good reasons to do so. Front mech hangers are usually high enough up that they are in the thinner butted section of the seat tube, silver’s less likely to cause distortion. I’ve installed plenty of seat binders with silver, nary a problem yet.
Some seat binder and seat tube combos are easy to bronze braze, and some are easy to distort while bronze brazing. I think it depends on the style of binder and the thickness of the seat tube. What are you thinking of using for a seat tube and binder?
Seat tube will be a Columbus ‘Life’ externally butted tube for 27.2 seatpost - binder will (hopefully!) be whatever Ceeway have available, I’m assuming something like one of these - if they have anything to suit.
Those llewellyn binders are great and a delight to silver braze. 100% use silver on them. They are plenty strong
Thanks both - that puts my mind at rest. 
I can concentrate on whatever the next unknown is now! 
100% agree those binders are the bomb. Definitely use them and I pretty much only use silver for small brazes etc.
Silver is easiest for braze-ons. Quick and easy brazing, little heat, works on steel and stainless, flux usually comes off easier. Fillet Pro could be a good choice for bigger stuff like binders.
The idea in the 80s and 90s was to use silver instead of bronze for brazing bottle bosses, front derailleur mounts, and other small braze-ons because it melts at a lower temperature and doesn’t make the tube lose strength as much… at least, that’s what I think the general idea was…
The question is, with the advent of the new high strength epoxies, why aren’t we just gluing all our braze-ons onto the tubes like the carbon builders are doing?
I just used bronze for a few bottle bosses and cable guides. Because I ran out of silver. Used a very small flame, and it went just like using silver
I got a bit too much silver on my frame while brazing on my first water bottle bosses. Any advice on getting the silver off without heating it back up? Does a wire wheel work? Thanks in advance
I have a babbit scraper I use to scrape shorelines and the like. A broken file or a stiff knife also work for scraping.I don’t like using a wire wheel, but they work.
I push 120 grit with a small file, works a treat, pretty fast.
We don’t use glue because God likes fire and melted metal. I don’t know which God would strike me down for gluing Braze Ons (there, brazing is in the freaking name!!) onto steel frame but I won’t mess with that stuff… If you try, please let us know how it goes.
