# fork bending 110 year old steel... what do I do?



## AluminumStork (Jan 9, 2018)

Hello all. Well, I have never worked with 110 year old steel before. What can the experts suggest I do to straighten this fork? Kinda a little apprehensive to try to fix this... or is there someone out there that can help?
Thanks in advance for any help!


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## abe lugo (Jan 9, 2018)

Its unfortunate this happens with older forks that have the closed loop at the axle. Please post findings. I have the same to do on a girls fork for my wife.


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## bairdco (Jan 10, 2018)

With old Colson forks, I just put the wheel on, lay the bike on it's side, and stand on the bent side and bounce up and down till the wheel's centered.

Seriously.

Your results may vary.


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## TR6SC (Jan 10, 2018)

Get a piece of all-thread with four nuts and squeeze the forks together to the appropriate width. You might have to squeeze the fork ends together too close and allow them to rebound to the size of the hub. With the nuts surrounding each blade so as to prevent any movement, clamp the axle/all-thread in a vise and use a 2x4 up near the stem to lever the forks back into alignment. Very rudimentary caveman techno-science. Exact precision is achieved by use of the "calibrated eyeball."


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## gkeep (Jan 10, 2018)

It can be done. Here is how the forks on my teens Pierce were saved by local frame guru Bernie Mickelson. He used much the same method Mike described above, vise, 2x4s, rope and the secret ingredient, a 20s Ford Model A axle! https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/p...e-straight-and-narrow-thanks-to-bernie.73874/.

Good luck,
Gary


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## obliquepen (Jan 11, 2018)

Almost every bike I have bought this last year has had fork problems. All are straight now but really with captive ends you risk bending the fork again trying to re-insert the wheel back into the fork. I solved that problem by threading the hub axle along its whole length. Then inserting the long end of the axle into one fork end. Then lining up the hub in the fork and then threading the cones to move the axle into the proper position. Wha-la it works great and no more bent forks.


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## AluminumStork (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks guys! Gary, thanks for the link... I already sent Bernie Mickelson an email.


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