I have been a pro TIG welder for a really long time. I would spend about 40 mins doing this repair not counting the next five. If you came by with six good Irish style dark ales and $20.00 I would do it. Otherwise $60.00 if you need it put in a box and shipped. I also do trades for goods like food, parts or materials.

With small gas torch, quickly heat across area to melt copper plate under chrome, this will cause the chrome to melt when heat transfer fails and roll back out of the way. No need to grind.

Clamp a small plate to the back of the drop after a brush with an old file to knock off the little balls of melted plating and groove the front out with a whiz wheel making sure to get all of the junk out of the threads

Drop in a 1/16" 2% thoriated electrode and do the root pass with E70S-6 (not a coat hanger for sure) . Scrub some heat and do a second, cold pass.

clamp plate to front of drop, groove and weld two passes.

This is high silicone 1018 carbon steel (I am visualizing, bare with me) and I need to stop now and grind off the slag caps (almost invisible of you don't know they are there) for a cover pass on both sides. I keep flipping the frame so I don't warp the drop. I might use an aluminum heat sink to protect the silver on the final passes.

It's really difficult to do a proper cap pass on this stuff because it has a tendency to undercut slightly. This won't be evident till the grinding but I know it's going to happen so I handle that with careful prep of the electrode and very modest amperage.

Once the part cools you need to remove the excess weld. I use a very small grinding disc 1/2" in diameter to perform this task and have good results without damaging the surrounding area.

With this process, the dropout would be very durable and should the need arise you could drill and tap new threads (not fun or easy) otherwise you can tell people it came like that with no hole and screw (all evidence will be gone) and who knows? perhaps some future owner will think it;s a prototype or special frame? funny..


If you try to weld it without removing the screw and hole it will fail very quickly.