KEEPINGTABS
Mark Purslow’s workplace is where the legacy of artisan tank builder Terry Baker is kept alive
TERRY BAKER made quite a name for himself in classic bike circles – both as a manufacturer of high quality alloy fuel tanks for road and race bikes and as an innovative frame builder for Honda’s popular classic racer, the CB350K4. When Terry passed away in 2010 after a short illness, it could have spelt the end for his company, TAB. Luckily, though, Terry’s daughter Ailene and son-in-law Richard Phelps are made of pretty stern stuff. Having moved up from the Cotswolds to look after Terry, they decided to stay on and keep the name alive. With a lot of hard work – and the scaling of a very steep learning curve – TAB II Classics was born.
Terry started the business in Leytonstone back in 1972. By 1988, though, he’d had enough of the bustle of London and moved to rural mid-wales. And that’s where Ailene, Richard and their sole employee, Mark Purslow, practice their craft today. “We all had to learn new skills, Ailene explains. “Dad could do it all, but now we each have our speciality. I handle the forming work on the English Wheel, Mark is a brilliant alloy welder and Richard tackles the final finishing and polishing.”
Every TAB II tank is hand crafted from start to finish. “We start with 1.5mm alloy sheet,” says Richard. “We have hand-made formers for some of the basic shaping, then Ailene takes over on the English Wheel.
She used to help her dad when she was a girl, but she’s put in a lot of hard work to master the art of metal forming.
“We gas weld everything. It means the welds are almost invisible even without grinding them down. We use welding rods made of the same material as the tanks and we crush the joints before smoothing them. It means we don’t have to remove any metal from either side of the joint. That’s important when most finished tanks are left in their polished finish, rather than being painted. That’s what makes us different to most other tank manufacturers who TIG weld. “Mark joined us by chance. His dad had just started classic racing and came in looking for a tank for his Ducati. He asked if we had any jobs going for his son. We met Mark and hit it off, and with the help of the Welsh Government’s Jobs for Wales scheme – that paid Mark’s wages for six months – we took him on. He started on cutting out panels and learnt welding in the evening. He’s a natural. I get the dirty job – polishing – but I get a lot of satisfaction finishing the product.”
TAB II Classics’ tanks are as highly regarded as the Terry Baker originals. They list 54 designs on their website (tabclassics.com) and can often modify tanks to fit other bikes by fitting a different base. They’re light, superbly finished and beautiful to look at. And they’re all made in the family tradition. Terry would be delighted.