Hey folks — was riding in southern Utah this weekend and I scratched my damper stanchion. From doing some internet research, it appears to be minor? My main concern is it’s low and thus in the sag area. (And it’s hard to tell in pic but there is an additional small scratch just above the dust seal).
When I run my finger nail over it, you can feel that it is scratched, but it doesn’t feel rough nor does it catch my fingernail.
Is this as simple as smoothing it down with 1200-1500 grit wet-dry sandpaper and applying clear nail polish? Is there another method? Or is this more serious?
by tbell502
4 Comments
Your worry about this is rational. I don’t know if I would take too many steps to fix it as it’s not really what my shop would consider to be catastrophic. I’ve seen some people have luck with filling in the scuff with nail polish, but it’s not perfect and not permanent. As a shop tech? Bring it in and see what your local place says. As a cheapskate? Try nail polish, and if look for stansions for sale on eBay (more common than you think!)
Good luck!
Remove burrs so they dont destroy the seals, add black marker and then nail polish or sendhit fork repair kit if you wanna spend more money, then re sand until the fix is flush with the stanchion.
>Is this as simple as smoothing it down with 1200-1500 grit wet-dry sandpaper and applying clear nail polish?
I’ve had better luck with superglue over nail polish on repairs that small. It’s thinner and harder to over-apply.
Use the sandpaper by cutting a long strip and “flossing” the strip over the repair. This will apply most of the pressure to any raised areas.
I’d cover the seal before starting to avoid any metal or abrasive particles from landing in the seal, but I’m a bit paranoid like that.
Clean the absolute fuck out of the area before adding glue/nail polish. 95% isopropyl alcohol is what I’ve used in the past.
I’ve run a Boxxer stanchion for years with far worse damage, with a proper repair you’ll never see any real consequences.
I did something similar almost 4 years ago to a 140mm Pike and ignored it, and it has been just fine. I have the lowers and seals serviced/replaced by my local suspension tech annually. I have felt a much greater difference from other issues (coil spring preload, other aftermarket coil spring kit issues, and changing out stock damper for a PUSH HC97).