Discovered this week after hamfistedly destroying the rear dropouts on my treasured 36 year old Panasonic Bicycle.

 

With deep remorse I determined to replace them, the rear hub, and the rim.

 

FatFree bike shop supplied a new 36 hole rim, and I already had a new rear hub, so I laced that up, and set about finding new dropouts... Bingo...

 

https://framebuildersupply.com/collections/rear-dropouts/products/rear-vertical-dropouts-tab-style-2-eyelets-59-seatstay-chainstay-angle

 

"Bird" at Fatfree said there were no bicycle frame builders in Chiang Rai, but suggested asking car-radiator repair shops to braze the dropouts on.

 

I asked several metal-work shops, but they all frowned at the impossibility of them performing brass-rod brazing.

 

Until... I found this fabrication shop on the main highway 10km north of Maechan in Baan Maekham.

It's next to a large agricultural supplies shop.

 

 

The owner "Lorng" said he'd never brazed a bicycle frame, but did lots of brass-brazing on cars and tractors etc, so we watched these YT videos of removing and replacing bicycle dropouts, and he said he'd have a go.

 

Here's an Aussie chap removing a front dropout, the action starts at 2:13

 

 

Brazing a dropout:

 

 

Here's some snaps I took of "Lorng" at work on my frame, which is now ready for repainting.

 

We aligned the dropouts by eye, and with judicious cold-set bending, soon got the new rear wheel aligned good as new.

 

He charged me pennies, and I heartily recommend "Lorng" to you for any; metal work, oxyacetylene cutting, fabrication, welding, soldering, or brazing. 

He's a young chap, works alone, and needs your projects to keep afloat in these testing economic times.

 

Support your local artisans, or be at the mercy of the big-box-store-throw-away mentality.

 

I'm drawing him a worksheet to make a new chimney for my stainless-steel/brick bread-oven. Then I'm going to ask him to cut and drill some one inch square metal tubing to make a sala-frame held together with bolts and wing-nuts, so I can move and store it easily.

Here's the location on G maps...

 

Lorng's Metal Fabrication Workshop

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/BYw81Z7RYKHcB4hy6

 

One-man business, please give him your support