Attempt to repairing a Raleigh 531 lux

[fr188]

made a start to repair a frame I got for next to nothing, it’s got a hairline crack on the lower part of the head tube & also the dimple on the chain stay, I know that this repair may not last or even be ok but I’ll give it a try, if it’s not road worthy I can use it on the turbo trainer, I’ve made a patch / splint for the chain stay & I may also do one for the head tube, I’ve drilled out holes on both sides of the cracks & filled in a valley on the cracks to get moe braze into it.
First option is to use bronze braze,if I can get the tube hot enough, if not I’ll use sliver. then see how it goes.

 

[raleighnut]

 

[wisdom]

 

[wisdom]

On a serious note.I admire your commitment and skills.
I used to braze with oxyacetaline never tried it with anything else.

 

[fr188]

I brazed the chain stay today, I managed to keep the steel hot enough to get some bronze braze into it seemed to go well enough I used more bronze rods than I really needed to ended up grinding away most of it, but it’s my first time trying to braze, I got the crack filled the ground down, then on went on the splint.
If I’ve got the time tomorrow I’ll try to tackle the head tube.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I was about to ask why you were bothering, until I re-read the title and noticed the "531" bit! That changes everything. Must have been given some abuse by a hefty rider to have cracked like that. You did the right thing by drilling out the crack to stop it propagating, that was the most important bit. Brazing is surprisingly strong if done properly. You will need to keep an eye on it in service, but it should hold up to normal use.

 

[fr188]

Well I brazed the lower head tube the Mapp has blowtorch was at its limit, it was hard to keep the bigger head tube cherry red, I’ve got it done but there was a small area I missed, I didn’t want to struggle getting the tube up to heat, so I used a sliver braze to fill up any gaps, I’ve looked inside the head tube and the braze has flowed through to the other side of the crack.so I’m happy with that , there’s not much more I can really do, I decided I wasn’t going to put a patch on there, just to make sure I’ve applied some plastic padding super steel epoxy weld near the lugs. I’ll post more pics later.

 

[fr188]

I got a it carried away before I remembered to tack pictures.

 

[fr188]

Finished with the repairs, the paint touch up isn’t exact, but the paint work isn’t great anyway, & I like the look of the bike I didn’t want to change the original paint work , I’m not going to spend much money on the bike as it may not have a long lifetime.
I’ll report back when I get the bike on the road & give you all my first impressions . & see if it all stays in one piece!!

 

[fr188]

I wonder does anyone know what the price of this frame cost back in 1988?

 

[fr188]

Getting there was trying to source Shimano 600 parts next.

 

[Illaveago]

Some of that metal is very thin and it wouldn't take much rust to perforate it .

 

[fr188]

Over a year on & the bike is still going strong! I’ve done a 100 mile run & many others during the past year, on some crappy road surfaces with skinny 20mm tyres, the frame was definitely worth trying to save, not bad for a £5 frame.

 

[fr188]

Over a year on & the bike is still going strong! I’ve done a 100 mile run & many others during the past year, on some crappy road surfaces with skinny 20mm tyres, the frame was definitely worth trying to save, not bad for a £5 frame.

 

[Illaveago]

Well done !
As some people say. " You never know until you try !"