Chewed up campy dropouts

[Mickeyspinn]

Of course, once I've ruined the old ones with the grinder

I'll stick my snout in the mud to see if I can find any truffle frame builders around, but a couple months ago when I wanted to get a minor seat tube crack brazed on my bojack, nobody would even speak to me about it (or replacing the whole tube for that matter), never mind bothering with a quote. I think we're past the day & age when a knowledgeable local bike chap with a torch could fix anything for you. I can almost understand them - why bother fixing some old shite and take personal responsibility for the result, when you can build a custom frame from quality materials and probably charge more per hour, or at least enjoy creating a new frameset from scratch.
It hurts to say this, but "Fixing" is an outdated concept, with labour costs vs material costs today compared to 50 years ago.

On the bright side, while I'm not Rainman enough to count the matches on the floor, my hands and mk1 eyeball are good enough to freehand a chess piece on a wood lathe to within 0.5mm, so accurately grinding the dropout does not sound impossible.

Go forth and fix sir
Try to aim for .1
I think I need to invest in brazing kit...I'd be more than happy to take on the job!

 

[M_Chavez]

0.1 inch, no problem
Mapp gas ain't hot enough for forged dropouts, so need dual fuel Or so they say.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I would try flat filing. It will take awhile as quality drops are hardened. It will take a few fresh files. Try one file and see if it removes anything or if it just slides across. Let the files follow what’s flat. I had a frame builder replace drops, replace the head tube, replace the fork tube, braze dents perfectly flush and do a a track alignment that also changed the rear spread from 114mm to 120mm. It didn’t cost that much. Check for cost, I finally found a builder that was reasonable and did quality work. His frame painting is expensive ($600 USDollars), but his total repair cost the same as others wanted for just a track alignment.

 

[jim haseltine]

If it was my frame I'd try filling the chewed bits with stainless steel using either MIG or TIG welding then carefully grinding the welds back to flush with the dropout faces. Stainless wire should be closer in hardness to the original dropouts without being as brittle as mild steel wire.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

If it was my frame I'd try filling the chewed bits with stainless steel using either MIG or TIG welding then carefully grinding the welds back to flush with the dropout faces. Stainless wire should be closer in hardness to the original dropouts without being as brittle as mild steel wire.

Yes....that's a bloomin good idea..

 

[Nabeaquam]

Yes....that's a bloomin good idea..

Best idea

 

[pigman]

Is it the dropout that is chewed or has the chrome plating chewed?

 

[M_Chavez]

It's the dropout that's chewed unfortunately. At least 0.5mm deep.

Tried filing before starting the thread - the buggers are hard!
I've got a diamond file to try but I was saving it for cleaning up after grinding.

Will report how it goes once I get some time for it.

 

[droppedout]

If it was my frame I'd try filling the chewed bits with stainless steel using either MIG or TIG welding then carefully grinding the welds back to flush with the dropout faces. Stainless wire should be closer in hardness to the original dropouts without being as brittle as mild steel wire.

Won't that melt the brazing

 

[droppedout]

I'd build them up with a steel filled epoxy resin, then fit the wheel a bit further back where the metal's still good.