Getting started on the fork involves brazing the steerer into the crown. The steerer passes all the way through the Richie-Issimo crown. The parts are fluxed, the steerer is inserted, and the joint is heated. In the photo below, you can see that the silver has flowed all the way through the joint. I feed the silver from the crown race side. The bottom of the crown has been finish-filed and sanded smooth.



Next, the brake bolt holes are drilled. A 1/4" drill is used on the front of the crown.



A 5/16" drill is used on the back of the crown for the brake nut. I then use a 7/16" counterbore to sink the brake nut into the crown. The counterbore is pictured below.



Here are the results. 1/4" hole on the front of the crown and a 5/16" hole with a 7/16" counterbore on the backside. The counterbore is an often overlooked step, but I think it lends to the clean look. You can also see in the bottom picture that I have turned the crown race to 1.043". Perfect for a Chris King crown race.





Up next, bending the blades and preparing the tips for dropouts.