Drillium Dude 

Have a question...

I am looking at a fully-chromed fork designed for a bigger sized frame. The threading only comes down about an inch and a half - not enough for the size 57cm frame I want to end up using this for. And, of course, I'd have to get it cut down.

My question really is this: are forks cut for threads before or after the chroming process? If chroming is done after, I guess I can simply get this cut down to the correct size and get new threads cut. If before, I'd have to get the chrome stripped before the new threads were cut and overall it might not be cost-effective.

Any suggestions/comments?

Thanks!

DD

Bianchigirll 

I believe they are cut after but on good forks I have seldom seen the threading and chrome meet. I am under the impression that threading a chromed area is bad for die

also if you need more the 1/4" or so I would look for a different fork or send it to a builder/repair shop to have it done. I tried to do almost an inch one time and it was a PIA, and it is also hard on the tool.

Drillium Dude 

This puppy I'm thinking about is for a 62cm frame, has a 23cm steerer tube and has about an inch and a half of threaded portion. The chrome comes all the way up to the bottom-most thread.

I've heard that chrome is very hard to cut through in the case of threading. And BG, you're right: normally I see chromed forks where the chrome is only halfway up the steerer tube and no more.

I'm seriously thinking about this, though. Only have to lop off the threaded part and have it rethreaded to end up with a really nice fork for one of my projects. I only hope the shop doesn't charge me a premium to cut threads into the chrome!

DD

SteelsReal

+1 to bianchigirll it can be done use cutting oil to aid in your journey but having a LBS shop do it isn't the worst idea so you don't have to buy a tool you are probably going to use once or maybe twice

Bianchigirll 

OH I didn't mean a bike shop. I meant a builder or refinisher who could put it on a lathe. maybe a local machine shop or even a gunsmith could do it. but doing more than a few threads by hand is alot of work

Otis

You are going to have to remove the chrome from the steerer before you have new threads cut. Most bike shops will not have a tool good enough to do it, their dies will be good enough to clean up bad threads but not cut crisp new ones. Ask Bob Freeman, I'm sure they have the tooling. I'd be really surprised if they would try cutting it with the chrome in place though. I have the tool and would do it for you but you would have to buy a new die as mine is probably not sharp enough to do a clean job.

Drillium Dude 

I have access to a local builder, so that's not going to be an issue at all. However, I'd like to strip some chrome before I drop it off to the builder, if in fact the area to be threaded should be chrome-free.

SteelsReal

Call him up and ask I've threaded many a forks before and haven't run into any issues but who knows.

jan nikolajsen 

Like BG says, go to a machine shop first and ask. Chances are they will strip chrome, cut steerer and re-thread if you drop a twenty in the beer-fund jar.

toytech

I have done it on a non chrome fork (I have the dies and handles) but it is hard work since you have to keep going back and forth and adding a small amount of thread at a time. Took over an hour to thread down an inch or so, but the resulting threads were clean and sharp. Of course a new fork will be likely cheaper than a good threading die.

Drillium Dude 

Good suggestions, all; thank you! I'll call Bob and see whether or not they can do the whole enchilada for me. The fork will totally make the frame I plan on installing it on, so it's worth a bit of cash outlay to do it right.

DD

balindamood

As BG said, you need to take the chrome off before threading or bye-bye tool. The chome is harder than the dies.

unworthy1

Let me give an endorsement that is LONG overdue: when I needed this done to a chrome-plated Columbus fork and nobody locally would take on the job (only 2 folks who wanted to splice on a new column, not what I wanted for this fork) I contacted Francis Bollag in Mt. Vernon, NY who offered to do it for a very low fee plus shipping. His work was outstanding and the result was a finally completed Ciocc with the now correct vintage fork. He required that I follow his directions to sand off just the chrome plating from the steerer using emery cloth and crocus cloth...and I'm glad I did it just as he said. If you can't find anybody locally who knows what they are doing, Francis is one guy who really does...PM me for his contact info.

noglider 

Francis is a bikeforums member. He's a really good guy.

Sixty Fiver

Once we have measured our steerers, but prior to brazing, we thread the steerer on a lathe which does the job perfectly and quickly.

Chrome is too hard for dies and a good quality fork with a chromoly steerer is also going to hard to thread by hand and will really wear the die... and they are very expensive.

ftwelder

One the lathe, are you using a die stock or cutting single point?

Sixty Fiver

Single point... it does a much nicer job and is more cost effective than using a die.

RobbieTunes

I could not get any local machine shops to extend the threads on the alloy steerer of a CF fork.
They wanted me to buy the die (25.4/1.0 pitch?) and then do the work, let them keep the die, plus charge for labor.

miamijim

I've cut threads on many chromed forks.

1. buzz off chrome with some type of sander. We had a belt sander in the shop
2. Cut new threads
3. cut fork to proper length.

NEVER use any type of tap or die on a chromed surface. NEVER.

Grand Bois

It's easy to remove the chrome with a strip of emery cloth.