Ugh. Very glad _you_ suffered no damage! I've seen so many photos of those forks cracking, yet it seems like nobody gets hurt. Still, makes me totally question the wisdom of not immediately changing my '82 614 grocery bike death fork. But I hate the idea of having to pay more for a fork than what I paid for the whole frame. And it ain't broke yet...
I've only built one fork, and I'm not a fan. I dislike how hot you need to get the crown and drops vs how thin the tubing is in comparison. It's been done successfully forever, so if you're already comfortable brazing it shouldn't be a problem. But I like the idea of socketed drops/crowns to better equalize the masses that need to be heated.
The "ain't dead yet" fork:
