Saved a Gitane from the heap
 

So, a young university student contacted me a couple of days ago, saying that he had a cracked right rear dropout. When he brought it over, I saw that the dropout had cracked due to a broken solid axle (surprise surprise). While I’ve replaced dozens and dozens of dropouts over the decades (a pretty routine repair for a framebuilder) in this case, with a flat plate dropout,
i decided to braze on a splint instead.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...36e1eaa59.jpeg


so I traced the outline of the dropout and cut out its shape from some 2mm steel plate:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9f4011850.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2107afd9a.jpeg


and brass-brazed it into place place:


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4bddf6b5c.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4478ad83a.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...221968d68.jpeg

After some clean-up, and pulling the right side over a couple millimeters to keep the wheel centered, and aligning the dropouts, I sprayed some rattlecan primer on the bare metal.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...27ebbe72c.jpeg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...27c5a565a.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5c385eae.jpeg

So, probably a bit more work than replacing the dropout, and probably spending more time than the bike was worth, it’s nice to see an old classic back on the road, likely good for another forty or fifty years. Great to see the young ‘uns enjoying a simple old school steel bike.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0cafae6b8.jpeg

Nice work. And nice of you to do the repair.

Now, a stupid question from someone who knows just enough to be dangerous: Is there some reason not to put the splint on the outside instead of the inside, thereby saving having to spread the right side out? No criticism implied, just wondering.

My thinking is that the crack itself, even though filled with brass, would be best if it were not in direct contact with the axle locknut. The axle locknut is presented will a full length smooth run of steel. Plus, doing it this way preserves the look of the bike. Pulling the drive side stays a couple of millimeters is nothing, especially on a gas pipe frame. I routinely bump frames from 120 to 126, or 126 to 130, ‘tis pretty much the same thing.

Nice job and thanks for sharing the approach and photos with us! I think that we all can agree that a broken dropout is bad news but it is terrific to know that it can be repaired by people like you.
Good to learn something new everyday!

Absolutely a great job. I say that because you didn't have to take this on. From a time and effort point of view, it may not have been worth it. Terrific pictures too. It is satisfying to see the line up of dropouts using the FFG-2.

Thanks for the explanation. My frame-making and frame-repairing skills are non-existent, but it is fun to learn about the thought process that goes into stuff like this.

Outside-the-box thinking. Never seen a dropout "sistered", like on a failing floor joist of a house. Unless the bike was to be loaded with 50+ LB or touring/camping gear, or entered in massed start races...

Did you consider possibly making a custom "claw" hanger as a reinforcement, or did this particular bike's having a Huret derailer perhaps complicate such an approach?

it would have been just as easy (or possibly easier) to remove the offending cracked dropout entirely and put in something like a Campag 1010 - but this seemed to be an expedient fix. I didn’t look to see what style of hanger that Huret took; an old-school bolt-on claw-mount is perfectly adequate, in my thoughts.