got home last night and pulled the fork right away. felt much more solid when by itself, but i guess i have no leverage to sheck in the same way as on the bike. but i did the tap test and it rang out very clear and even sounding. I've grabbed the bottom of each blade and squeezed them together slightly, no creaks or noises.

here's some pics of the steerer brazing, and the area under the crown race. doesnt look too alarming i guess, i think i remembered the brazing to be a lot worse than it was. but its still not thaaaat good... and i also notice right above the brazing there is a groove from the bearings, i'm guessing it was all kinds of sloppy at some point and the fork was so low the balls were no longer riding on the lower race. probably the most concerning due to its location, its not deep really, but it does go all the way around the steerer. what do you guys think?

this is the bad spot!: