Installation Instructions for Henry James Dropouts

Henry James road and mountain dropouts are Investment cast 316 stainless steel. They can be polished.

Brazing: Silver braze only! Brass brazing does not work on stainless steel.

The following are suggestions only. No maker controls the I.D. of their stays or fork blades. Inside diameters can vary enough to create fitting problems.

Henry James Dropouts are supplied with BAg24 (50%Ag, 2%Ni) silver solder rings.

When brazing these dropouts always use a grade of silver solder recommended for stainless steel to carbon steel joints, preferably one with gap filling capability. We recommend that you form the 1/16" wire into rings, place them into the stay or blade with flux, and sweat the joint, applying most of the heat to the dropout. Alternatively, drill a 3/32" feed hole in the stay or blade about halfway up the plug, and feed there.

When brazing stainless steel, it is important not to overheat the stainless. When overheated, stainless steel forms chrome oxides on he surface which prevent the formation of a good bond. The flux cannot reduce these oxides. Should silver flow appear inadequate, separate the joint, clean and sand all parts and try again.

1. Drill a hole in the end of a 12" long steel rod to fit the seat stay plug.
2. Clamp the dropout faces in a vise with soft jaws.
3. Slip the rod over the seat stay plug and cold set the dropout angle. (The stock road angle between seat and chain stays is 72°, typical for a 56 cm frame. The stock mountain angle between seat and chain stays is 58°, typical for a 18" frame.)
4. If you are using a mountain dropout for a frame with road bike geometry, the Chainstay plug must be bent down to compensate for the lower bottom bracket shell height. Failure to do so will cause the derailleur hanger to be tipped back, beyond the recommended location for good shifting.

TO GET THE BEST BRAZING FIT FOR ANY DROPOUT SIZE, YOU HAVE 4 OPTIONS. USE SEPARATELY, OR IN ANY COMBINATION:

Cut the tube until the dropout fits. This requires that there be enough length remaining at the right diameter on the other end of the tube.

For the best fit, which compensates for stay/blade taper, combine Option 1 with Option 2.

1. Deburr and measure the inside diameter of the end of the stay or blade.
2. Compare this to the outside diameter of the dropout male plug, and write down the difference. (The inside diameter of the tube must be less than the plug diameter. If it is not, use a larger diameter dropout.)
3. Measure the outside diameter of the stay/blade at the end and add the difference already noted to this dimension . If you are combining Options 1 & 2, ALSO subtract the tube taper which is the amount the tube diameter changes over the length of the plug.
4. Lock your calipers to this new dimension and slide them along the stay/blade until they reach the diameter that matches the setting.
5. Mark the stay/blade at this point, and check that this is a practical location to cut the stay or blade. It is a practical location if you can cut off the other end to get to the length you need, without losing the desired tube diameter there.
6. Cut the tube off about one half inch before the mark, just to be safe. Repeat steps 1 through 5.
7. Cut the stay at the new mark.

1. If the tube is tapered at the point you plan to cut it, the taper will usually increase the inside diameter by about .005" per side (0.13 mm.) over the length of the dropout plug, which is .38" (9.7 mm.)

2. If the stay inside diameter is too small, and you want to keep the length of the stay or blade, you can ream or drill out the inside diameter to the desired dimension shown in the Table above, provided there will be enough wall left. Be sure to control the depth of the relief to match the length of the plug on the dropout. Careful filing will work if there is only a few thousandths of material to remove.

1. File down the plug to fit the hole. This requires that the brazing fit not be too loose due to an irregularly filed shape.

2. To reduce the diameter of the plug, measure the diameter of the plug with calipers.

3. File narrow flats opposite each other, and check the diameter.

4. File the flats as required to get to the diameter desired.

5. Note the width of the flats, and file several similar pairs around the plug to create a hexagon or octagon.

6. Now file off the corners of the polygon to create an accurate cylinder.

7. Recheck the diameter.

1. Lathe turn a steel sleeve to create a good fit.

2. Braze the sleeve onto the plug.

3. Braze the assembly into the tube.

Polishing Instructions

Sand and/or file away the parting lines and sandblasting texture, finishing with 100 or 120 grit.

Polish faces or the whole dropout [EXCEPT FOR THE PLUGS WHICH SHOULD BE SANDED WITH 80 OR 100 GRIT TO ENSURE A TEXTURED SURFACE SUITABLE FOR BRAZING] with Buffing Wheels & compound

OR:

3M Scotchbrite Light Deburring Wheel (7S-Fine-LDW) or Equivalent, 3" diameter Scotchbrite surface conditioning disks or wheels, "CRATEX™ rubber abrasive wheels and cylinders.