Originally Posted by cs1
Personally, I wouldn't have done it. You said that the fork had a crown and the tube was brazed into it. You could have sent it to a frame builder and they could have taken out the short tube. Then they braze in a new full length one. It would have been one piece and very strong. You can still have that done. A steering tube failure can catastrophice. Be forewarned.
Tim
Whatever makes you think that would be any better? Reheating the crown and lugged area around the forks for a second time by brazing is not what I would think is prudent, irrespective of the skill of the framebuilder. At least at the *top* of the steerer tube, the reheating/annealing issues are not such a moot point because the steel is thicker, hasn't already been heated from prior welding, and it's likely the welding shop used TIG or MIG to do the job, and hence kept heat issues to a minimum. It is not as though the steerer tube at that point is sustaining any substantial stress to threaten its integrity. If it was, things like aheadsets or quill stems that rely on friction fit wouldn't work.
It sounds to me as though the professional welding shop knew exactly what they were doing. I suspect they used a plug in the tube to ensure it remained straight and distortion-free. I'd be interested to know.