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Dented head tube fix.

Old 12-07-19, 02:40 PM
  #1  
Murray Missile 
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Dented head tube fix.

I won't bore you with the whole story but I had a NOS tandem frame with a dented head tube from shipping damage that I managed to salvage. I found a hardened steel ironworker's drift punch that had an OD just a few thousands smaller than the ID of the head tube, 1-5/16" to be exact. I drove it slowly though about 4 times to work the dent out. It was close but not quite there. I went through my tool box and found an old Craftsman 1 inch 1/2" drive socket that had an OD the same as the collar on the bearing cup from a 1-1/8" headset and put it on an old extension backwards, I greased it up and then tapped it into the tube, then back out, I did this 3 times. I then pressed the headset cups in both ends and measured the cup in the reworked end several times in the ID of the collar, the ID of the outer flange and the OD of the outer flange. It was round within .0015", I'm calling that good enough.

I had $0.00 in the frame since the seller sent me a replacement and told me to scrap this one and I paid $17.95 for the ironworker's drift punch on Ebay, they retail for about $100 new. I think that was a fair return on my investment.


Before pics:



After:



...and the "implements of resurrection":

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Old 12-07-19, 02:51 PM
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When you said "dented" I thought you you were being finicky; then I saw the first photo. Which company shipped the package, and was it packed properly? That was a good save - you have skills.
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Old 12-07-19, 03:40 PM
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Originally Posted by dweenk
When you said "dented" I thought you you were being finicky; then I saw the first photo. Which company shipped the package, and was it packed properly? That was a good save - you have skills.

USPS, you know, "the wrecking crew" and it was still in the factory sealed box from Raleigh's frame manufacturer. Packed properly? It had some white cardstock taped loosely around the frame tubes and some bubble wrap around the headset, bottom brackets and dropouts. That was IT! Nothing to hold it in place in the box, it was just rattling around like a basketball in a box car. Kudeaus to the Ebay seller though, I had a tracking number on the replacement frame within an hour of contacting him.
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Old 12-07-19, 04:04 PM
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Steel is real.
nice save!
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Old 12-07-19, 04:11 PM
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No guts, no glory
and that was...........
A Glorious save !
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Old 12-08-19, 01:50 AM
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What are you going to do with the duplicate?
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Old 12-08-19, 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by bwilli88
What are you going to do with the duplicate?
Yes... good save! Now you can build 'twins'!
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Old 12-08-19, 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Murray Missile
I had $0.00 in the frame since the seller sent me a replacement and told me to scrap this one and I paid $17.95 for the ironworker's drift punch on Ebay, they retail for about $100 new. I think that was a fair return on my investment.
Good save! I had no idea those old drift pins had any value at all. I have a bucket full of them of different types in a back corner of the shop from back in the day.
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Old 12-08-19, 09:35 AM
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I've used the conical Campagnolo 733/14 "centraliser sleeve" from my headset press to fix damage like that. Tap it into the head tube to force out the dent:

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Old 12-08-19, 10:05 AM
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Good save, Murray. When I was a wee lad just learning the trade, those are the types of repairs I marveled, delivered my an old mick (like me now), named Seamus. I've seen him rework old frames with nothing but his bare hands, eyeball stuff that I'd need rulers and micrometers to do, and make potato-chip wheels straight and true. You done good because with steel, sometimes the best ways are the old ways.
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Old 12-08-19, 10:39 AM
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Awesome save! Could've been quite a bit more difficult had the head badge been riveted.

BFH and punches will really take you places. I need to look into getting a drift punch, out of all I have, that's not one of them.
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Old 12-08-19, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by francophile
Awesome save! Could've been quite a bit more difficult had the head badge been riveted.
To be sure. I would have removed the head badge but I was glad I didn't have to. I'm not sure how many noticed but that dent actually went up behind the head badge about an inch. When I saw the gap at the bottom of the badge close I knew I was on the home stretch.
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Old 12-08-19, 11:38 AM
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Oh my goodness, how many times have I used a taper punch to round out a damaged hole. There is, however, one problem...

Stretching a hole into shape can, and often does, stretch the diameter of the hole. It might be a good idea to measure the lower fit and the upper fit, them compare the two. Were I presented with the situation, I would have tried to massage the tube back into shape from the outside.
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Old 12-08-19, 11:58 AM
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Originally Posted by bwilli88
What are you going to do with the duplicate?
Originally Posted by Boxkite
Yes... good save! Now you can build 'twins'!
I have the parts to build this one too by stripping our old tandem. That was the plan in the first place but I got "upgraditis" and ended up buying new just about everything. I'm toying with the idea of building this one as a cargo bike by making a rack system that replaces the stoker but I haven't decided yet. The original Northwoods tandem has a high top bar in the stoker position which makes it hard for my wife to get on and off of plus it uses a frame mounted chain tensioner for the timing chain which never seems to stay in alignment and the chain jumps off at all the wrong times. It's not worth anything as a complete bike so I might as well pick it clean and build both Raleighs. The Raleigh frames are stiffer, have a lower top bar and use eccentric front bottom brackets to put tension on the timing chain. I was shocked at how much lateral flex there is on a tandem, the Northwoods wasn't bouncy up and down but the side to side rock when pedaling was quite noticeable when climbing, especially for the stoker.

This is the old one, it was fun but had definite short comings.

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Old 12-08-19, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by randyjawa
Oh my goodness, how many times have I used a taper punch to round out a damaged hole. There is, however, one problem...

Stretching a hole into shape can, and often does, stretch the diameter of the hole. It might be a good idea to measure the lower fit and the upper fit, them compare the two. Were I presented with the situation, I would have tried to massage the tube back into shape from the outside.
One of my mentors as a kid was a body man, he told me to remove a dent you take it back out the way it went in, if at all possible. Given the shape, depth and length of this dent ( it was a wedge that went clear up behind the head badge about an inch) working it from the outside before I got it back close to round might have collapsed the center inward. I decided the best way was to work it out from top to bottom a little at a time. Once I had it close I did work the 2 small bulges at the bottom edge while I had the socket driven in for support. Once I felt I was "there" I measured both ends of the tube when I was done, I got identical measurements and both ends are round within .0015". I just measured the undamaged frame, it's only round within .0025". I've been in QC for 40 years, a good part of it as a machine tool inspector so I'm pretty confident in those numbers.
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Old 12-08-19, 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by NoControl
an old mick (like me now),
My family tree looks like a directory of Ireland and Scotland, there are more Mc's, Mac's and O's than a St. Patrick's Day parade plus a bunch more without.
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Old 12-08-19, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Murray Missile
My family tree looks like a directory of Ireland and Scotland, there are more Mc's, Mac's and O's than a St. Patrick's Day parade plus a bunch more without.
Both sides of my family are Irish from Maine to Boston. Love hard. Fight hard. Drink hard. Drown every sorrow and celebrate every victory with a drink. Being raised that way my whole life you can look at my sig and get some measure of insight as to why I wrote it.
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Old 12-09-19, 09:01 PM
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Aha! Found the drift pin. Seller has several more left. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F391612057764
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Old 12-09-19, 09:09 PM
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I don't actually have a dented head tube, but I'm working to prevent having a dented head tube.

I need to use drive screws to reattach a head badge, so my plan is to find a socket of the proper diameter to slide into the head tube up to but not covering the hole. That should give enough support that I can tap the drive screw in without denting the head tube.

If my tool box allows it, I'll slide two sockets in, one from the top and one from the bottom. The two holes are across from each other so that would be ideal.

If anyone needs them, I will have approximately 198 extra drive screws, size 0 and 00 from McMaster-Carr. I'd be happy to send a few to anyone that wants to reattach a headbadge. Yes, I ordered 100 each of 0 and 00, I just wanted to have the correct size without mucking around returning the wrong size and ordering the correct size. A few extra won't hurt anything and I might be able to help out another inmate here.
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Old 12-10-19, 05:22 AM
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Originally Posted by speedevil
I don't actually have a dented head tube, but I'm working to prevent having a dented head tube.

I need to use drive screws to reattach a head badge, so my plan is to find a socket of the proper diameter to slide into the head tube up to but not covering the hole. That should give enough support that I can tap the drive screw in without denting the head tube.

If my tool box allows it, I'll slide two sockets in, one from the top and one from the bottom. The two holes are across from each other so that would be ideal.

If anyone needs them, I will have approximately 198 extra drive screws, size 0 and 00 from McMaster-Carr. I'd be happy to send a few to anyone that wants to reattach a headbadge. Yes, I ordered 100 each of 0 and 00, I just wanted to have the correct size without mucking around returning the wrong size and ordering the correct size. A few extra won't hurt anything and I might be able to help out another inmate here.
You shouldn't have to add support inside the head tube just to tap in a couple drive screws. I never had any problems reinstalling headbadges using them. The force required to set those screws is much less than when using a rivet. I use a small brass hammer and a nail punch. The nail punch has a concave tip, which cups the round screw head, keeping it from being deformed. Solid rivets are a bit more ticklish. I use the same nail-setting punch for domed-head rivets, and just a simple pin punch for flat-head rivets. I turned down a steel round on the lathe slightly less than the headtube diameter so that there'd be enough space for the end of the rivet to squish against.
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Old 12-10-19, 10:19 AM
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Once I felt I was "there" I measured both ends of the tube when I was done, I got identical measurements and both ends are round within .0015". I just measured the undamaged frame, it's only round within .0025". I've been in QC for 40 years, a good part of it as a machine tool inspector so I'm pretty confident in those numbers.
My guess is that you know what you are doing. Good job!
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