fork repair using lead

[sawzall]

heres a few pics of some fork drop outs i repaired today using lead,before the days of plastic car body filler lead was used to repair dents fill seams and joints etc,i thought i would give it a go on some drop outs that had deep washer marks and it worked a treat  :)this sort of repair will only work if you are going to paint frame (not sure about powder)maybe dan would know? lead is a much stronger repair and wont crack or shrink if it's applied properly,could also be used to fill dents etc
before....

applied lead.....

sanded down ready for paint....

[MartyC]

Nice job, I would have thought that it can be powdered as lead conducts electricity 

Be interesting to find out if it can be chromed, I think it can but not certain about it  .

[Bob_Acid]

Excellent job.   

[firebird4130]

How is that done then? Where do you get the lead?

cheers

[sawzall]

fraz you have to clean metal until its nice and shiney then tin the surface with solder paint using a blow torch, warm up lead and spread over repaired area which has been tinned using a wooden paddle lubricated with tallow(fat),it wont stick if it's not tinned first, once its applied just sand down using production paper 80-then 180 grit,its a lot more involved than plastic filler but will last
you can get the lead etc from body shop suppliers,

[pickle]

looking good Phil (as usual) but couldn't you get the lead from old burner tubes?   

[firebird4130]

cool might give that a go on some dropouts ,thanks for the info 

[jT Racing]

it's good untill the first time you tighten a nut and the soft lead distortes again. better use a really big assed washer.

[gjs]

what does lead melt at,and how hot is the oven for powder coating

[davie1967]

Nice job there. a word of warning about lead though. its very toxic and breathing the fumes is not recommended. if you dont know what your doing i would suggest not trying it . if the lead when melting/melted comes into contact with water it can explode.
 we use it in the blacksmith trade for securing raikings etc.

[pkradman]

  fookin ell health and saftey at its best here ... oh and btw answer to the qestion "where do u get the lead from "  ....... church roofs ffs !

[jT Racing]

what does lead melt at,and how hot is the oven for powder coating

about 350-400 and about 160-180 i think. but i could just be guessing.

[double chevron]

Nice clean job Phil.
But what's up when you fit wheels again?
Can they be bolted tightly or will dropouts go back to their original mis-shape ?
Lead is quite a soft material

[sawzall]

i will fit a washer before nuts are tightened and its only on a show pony,the lead is usually used on car body work and is quite robust it would also be good for filling large dents that wont pull out,