All decent builders will say that your mitering and tube set up needs to be the same regardless of joining method. Using lugs to compensate for poor mitering isn't right. (Not that many factory frames don't do this). The problem with silver is that the socket fit up needs to be much closer. Silver will contract as it cools. Large gaps and voids (as in a pressed lug at the crotches or a highly angle changed lug done poorly) might actually get filled (not that you'll know this...) but as they cool the interior of the silver will contract outward and the interior will suffer cracks. Sure given enough surface elsewhere these cracks and weak spots might not matter. But why accept a standard that has flaws?

When I started out silver was considered the bar to achieve. Miters, lug prep, temp control, cleanliness all needed to be at a higher level then with bronze. But over the years as my frame designs drifted from easily available lug angled ones (it was the "24"" front wheel of my first wife's bikes that started this) I saw more gaps and decided to use a filler which tolerates these gaps better. In time I further decided that a well brazed bronze filler frame had all the same performance as a silvered frame did but with a greater insurance of joint integrity when things weren't just right. At some point I wanted to venture into filleted joints so I did, of course using bronze. My cost went down (not that this is an issue for me) especially when considering the amount of practice I sometimes do before starting another frame. I have suffered a couple of frame failures and at least one wouldn't have happened if I had used bronze for the braze on.

So I have ended up with fillet and bronze as my current preference. I only use silver in certain places. Some braze ones, the Stainless Steel stuff (not that I do much of that lately) being pretty much all. Andy.