Stone chip on my fork stanchion

[steve_sordy]

AAAARRRGGGHHH !!!!

This morning I noticed a tiny (0.5mm) diameter stone chip half way up the left leg of my Rockshox forks. Because the stanchion is black and the chip is right through to the metal, it stands out - which is why I noticed it.

How serious is this, and what will the effects be? I am assuming that as a minimum the wiper seal will eventually become scored, but what else?
Apart from frequent wiper seal replacements, is there anything that can be done about this chip? I'm thinking that someone who knows what they are doing could fill it.
Anything else I can/should be doing?

 

[H1 Dave]

Steve.
I've used epoxy(aradite) before to fix a repair on a chipped fork stanchion.
Check for any burrs and if there are any remove then very carefully then with say a sharp stanley knife then degrease and clean off the chipped area, fill with chip with epoxy let it set hard then carefully sand it back with very fine wet n dry and problem should be sorted.
One thought i had is you could also try mixing a bit of black paint into the epoxy so the repaired area matches the rest of the fork. I,ve never bothered but might be worth a go?

Dave.

 

[ebikerider]

New bike.


But seriously, can you feel the chip with your nail. If it is superficial just clean it with alcohol and get some black nail varnish onto it. Let it dry then use some 1200 wet and dry and a little soapy water and caress it until it's totally smooth. Job done. Keep the remainder of the bottle for your toes or future chips

If there is a burr on the stanchion you'll need a needle file to gently remove the burr first then go ahead with the process above.

 

[H1 Dave]

What a good idea Black Nail Varnish i will go with that idea ebikerider. Just nicked a bottle of it from the missus. Shhh dont tell her!!! LOL
Dave

 

[wepn]

What a good idea Black Nail Varnish

And gold for Kashima! Actually that's the reason I don't have Kashima coating. After about 50 chips in my Fox 40's I gave up. I think I need non-inverted stanchion guards.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have just spoken to the SRAM Tech Centre about what can be done. They do not have a recommended product or service they can offer.

The guy asked which leg it was and when I said air side, he replied "Hmm, why is it always the air side - it would be better if it was the damper side." When I asked why he said that the air chamber has more components that are prone to damage from small particles of grit and other detritus. He went on to say that over time, the chip will wear away at the wiper seal to allow in grit, or it will carry in muck past the wiper seal and leave it behind. He told me that he has found paint particles in the air leg from previous repairs and that have caused serious damage. So he does not recommend trying to fill the chip with anything at all.

He said if I have the proper tools and are VERY careful, I could try ensuring that there are no burrs on the chip (Magnifying glass, a very sharp knife, a steady hand, and patience).

He strongly advised keeping on top of the lower leg services, by doing them sooner than the scheduled 50 hours, especially during our mucky winters.

 

[B1rdie]

Carefuly ride your bike so that the stanchions do not travel through the scratch !!!

I use to do the nail varnish fix, using epoxi demands more filing and will probably cause more damage if not perfectly executed.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Superglue supposedly works well also.. I like the idea of the nail varnish though, at least you can use it afterwards ....

 

[B1rdie]

Superglue supposedly works well also.. I like the idea of the nail varnish though, at least you can use it afterwards ....

Black varnish gives an incredible rfreshing look to the nails of hands that just did a thorough drivetrain maintenance.

 

[steve_sordy]

So I went out into the garage armed with a craft knife that has those blades that snap off in sections to keep a sharp point. I also had a small 3x magnifying glass and a 500w floodight. I propped the bike up nice and high on the workstand to give comfortable access to the fork. The chip is at about 55%, so definitely not as bad as if was at 30% because it will get fewer swipes from the wiper seal. Still a lot though.

Very carefully indeed I pressed the edge of the blade against one of the burrs and slowly sawed it back and forth. A small piece of fork came off! It felt better to my finger, so I had a go at another burr. Same result. After about five careful minutes, the chip now feels smooth to my fingers from any direction. My finger nail can still feel something, but it is the hole I can feel not anything sticking up. I was momentarily tempted to try to fill the hole, but the words of Sram Tech Guy were still ringing in my ears.

 

[B1rdie]

Fill it! How would you compare the volume of enamel needed to fill a scratch to the volume of oil inside the stanchions? 1 to a million ...

 

[steve_sordy]

Fill it! How would you compare the volume of enamel needed to fill a scratch to the volume of oil inside the stanchions? 1 to a million ...

His concern was particles of paint, enamel, nail varnish, epoxy etc floating around inside the LH leg. He assured me that he has seen damage caused by these items. He was less concerned about the RH leg.

 

[Frankieboy]

To me it would be a trade off between the lesser of two evils, I.e. the existing ‘hole’ damaging wiper seal, o-rings etc. vs. repair doing the same. I guess in the first instance you could keep a close eye on wiper seal to see if there’s any signs of damage over the next few rides. If there is then a repair might be worth a go, given that damage will inevitably occur anyway, so perhaps nothing to loose.

If it came to repair, I’d personally go the epoxy route, but I’d consider taking a counter sink (very new, very small, very gently) to give a clean even surface for the adhesive to bond to. I think I’d be looking to purchase a small length of aluminium tube from eBay, other suppliers are available, to practice on first.

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm looking at possibly certain damage to a cheap component (wiper seal) vs the high risk of possible damage to a high value item (fork).

 

[Frankieboy]

I understand that of course, but if the wiper seal gets damaged there’s a good chance other internal components, O-rings for example, will also get damaged. At that point do you have anything to loose?
Can the stanchions be replaced, or isn’t it worth it?

 

[aarfeldt]

Steve....what fork is it ?

 

[steve_sordy]

I understand that of course, but if the wiper seal gets damaged there’s a good chance other internal components, O-rings for example, will also get damaged. At that point do you have anything to loose?
Can the stanchions be replaced, or isn’t it worth it?

I have no idea whether it is economic to replace the stanchion, but I haven't asked. The very thought is depressing.

 

[steve_sordy]

Steve....what fork is it ?

Pike Ultimate 150 mm travel.

 

[Timochka69]

I have a "tiny" chip too. Maybe I should do something to it...

 

[steve_sordy]

OUCH!
That looks like it ran down a wall.

 

[Gavalar]

I have a "tiny" chip too. Maybe I should do something to it...

View attachment 34937

SandHit do a repair kit for such an ugly scratch, works a treat, I got mine from Leisure Lakes.

 

[steve_sordy]

SandHit do a repair kit for such an ugly scratch, works a treat, I got mine from Leisure Lakes.

I tried searching SandHit on the leisure lakes site and got nothing. It would be appreciated if you could post a link please.

 

[Gavalar]

I tried searching SandHit on the leisure lakes site and got nothing. It would be appreciated if you could post a link please.

Apologies, spelling error, www.sendhit.net, its a great solution to making your stanchions look brand new again, Leisure Lakes definitely stick it, good luck.

 

[Timochka69]

OUCH!
That looks like it ran down a wall.

Well, it kind of did actually, a "nice" ding on the frame too. But, bikes are meant to be ridden, right?

After a few tries, I did get the KOM

I guess I might give that SendHit a try one day.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have just watched the video on how to do it.
I am reminded of what I said about going tubeless. "It's easier than a beginner makes it look, but harder than an expert makes it look". It looks to me as though the sanding down of the resin is the key part of the process. How on earth he did that without scuffing the rest of the stanchion I have no idea. Unless of course the rub down with oil made all the scuffing disappear for a while.

£35 from Leisure Lakes and Tweeks Cycles, more from eBay and Inspiral Cycles.

The damage I have is so small that it won't appear on the pictures. I've got it smooth and I'll check carefully for muck at the next lower leg service. Then I'll make a decision about whether to use this resin. I am concerned that I might make it worse!