Originally Posted by
FBinNY
But as a backup safety measure I'd keep a stainless 6mm bolt in the brake hole full time. That will keep the crown and steerer together if the braze fails.
The bolt will keep the steerer from separating from the crown if the joint fails but it won't help if those are indeed cracks and they propagate through the crown itself and one side of the crown breaks off. I agree that removing the paint carefully from the suspect area and inspecting the condition of the metal underneath is an essential diagnostic technique.