one of those things i've been pondering for a while now, building a basic steel frame just to see if i can. i like the idea of a classic lugged frame, but have never brazed in my life.
leaving questions of frame jigs aside for now, how hard can the actual brazing bit be and how would you go about learning before committing to an actual frame.
as it happens i have some brazing stuff kicking around as my dad was very handy at brazing (and yes, how i wish i'd taken the time to learn from him when i had the chance).
practising on some plumbing pipe would give you at least a basic understanding.
the trick is to get the joint hot enough but not too hot. (i don't know how you tell - my plumbing is shocking (at work - i wouldn't do it at home!!)
Some frame builders do classes where you build your own IIRC.
Ceeway www.framebuilding.com advertise some cheapo lugs to practice brazing with. Plain gauge Columbus cro-mo from them is about £10 for 1.5m. Give them a call - usually very helpful. Scrap bike frames are also a good source of tubes to practice with.
Go to mtbr framebuilding forum and read everything you can find. Same for frameforum.com. Youtube has some (mostly bad) videos but it all makes good background info. There are some youtube videos of Jack Taylor (Chaingang tv prog) and a Japanese guy that show some pro-examples of lug brazing.
Braze some joints then cut them up to see if brass has flowed right through.
I think there is an expensive american book you can download but the name escapes me.
Have fun!
Mick
thanks guys, good advice and good links. definitely something to think about then. i like the idea of a fast tourer type thing for general running around on.