Making slow progress on the forks for the latest build.
After purchasing a cool set of vintage girder forks for the latest build, I've since incurred the extra expense of buying 4 x links and 4 x spindles needed to complete them.
Steerer tube needed threading further AND fork legs need shortning, so REALLY beginning to think I should have just gone and purchased a set of Ruff Regulator sprung girder forks which would have saved me a lot of time and, yes, money, instead of adapting the unidentified vintage motor(auto)cycle girder forks I'm using.
Finally mated the fork's steer tube to the frame's (adapted) headtube after a spell of time/money wasting. Problem was, only the top 3/4" of the steer tube was threaded, and I needed to purchase an appropriate die to extend the threads 1" further down the tube. Most of my tools are still in storage - including my thread gauge - so I resorted to counting the threads per inch on the fork steer tube (difficult when only 3/4" of the steerer was threaded) then searched eBay for the die I thought I needed. (None of my local bike shops could offer a steerer tube threading service these days).
I should point out I did some on-line searches to help determine which thread size I might be after - and that there were 3 x sizes of 1" dia. steer tube threads to choose from - 24tpi, 25.4tpi and 26tpi. I reckoned 24tpi was what I needed, so I ordered the appropriate die from a China seller, the only place on eBay listing these at an affordable price (for a tool I'll probably only ever use ONCE).
Couple of weeks later, the die arrived - along with a suitable 55mm dia. die holder from a UK eBay seller - and lo and behold its threads didn't match those on the fork steer tube. Looked like I needed a 1" diameter 26tpi die instead. As luck would have it, I found a UK seller on eBay who was offering these for a 'Best Offer' price, so I scored one for under 20 quid - way less than the 50-80 quid some sellers were asking. Die showed up a few days later and it was the correct thread size - but the die was slightly too large a diameter to fit the die holder I just bought!
I jerry-rigged a solution by gripping the die in a machine vice and by slowly hand turning and backing-off the well-lubed steer tube I was able to extend the threaded portion 1" further down the tube. Sorted.
Now I can begin to calculate how much material I need to cut from the lower fork leg girders prior to relocating the axle holes for the front wheel...