I have a bike boom Raleigh Competition that had the shift boss just barely tacked on. Big visible gap. I already knew the bike was a blast to ride on the local gravel boars but I wondered if it was indeed safe at the hill bottoms with their deep washboard. (Having nearly lost my life and suffering lifelong consequences, I'm gun shy re: frame breakage.)
Took it to TiCycles and asked Dave Levy to send it out to be stripped then give it a good inspection. He found big gaps in many of the logs. I don't know his prep work but he told me he flowed in brass like a new build, saying jokingly that the excellent paint job was what kept the bike together. (I wonder if that paint kept the steel surface clean.)
I trust his judgement and work. He knows steel construction and repair, from bikes to race cars. He has seen just about everything. I haven't put a lot of miles on the bike but I do trust it. (I've backed off most gravel because rough roads aggravate the consequences I mentioned above.)