Tool questions

So, all the service instructions for forks ask for chamferless sockets. I see the need - those nuts are pretty shallow, but where do you get them?

I'm finding deep sockets for the tight nooks easily enough, but they always have a chamfer. Do people just grind them flat?

I paid my shop to grind one flat for me

I always make mine since I like to do those kind of things and it often ends up being cheaper and quicker than buying the "official" versions. I just cut it with a grinder or with a metal saw and then sand it perfectly square and flat. The nice thing is that most of the time, I cut them shorter than the ones that are sold so it's even safer to use without risking damaging the top caps. Just measure the depth you need and leave a few mm more just in case.

The Unior are not that expensive though so it's worth checking if you can easily find them. It's just that I often want to do a job right away and if I don't have the socket, I just get one from the parts store and cut it.

Park makes an entire set for topcaps:

https://www.jensonusa.com/Park-Tool-Flat-Faced-Socket-Set

I grind them flat myself, as I have access to a large belt sander at work. You can do it with a file, but you need to be really careful about making sure it's almost perfectly flat/aligned with the socket feature.

Is there a place in Canada that sells Unior tools?

Time to get the file out / borrow a grinder I guess.

Posted by: ReductiMat

Is there a place in Canada that sells Unior tools?

NRG distributes them I think.

Posted by: velocipedestrian

Time to get the file out / borrow a grinder I guess.

I put my socket on either a drill/impact driver that fits, then spin it while grinding flat. For the grinder end a coarse (40 or 60 grit) flap disc seems to work well. 

Once the chamfer is gone a quick deburr and it’s ready to use. Seems to stay flat that way. Keeps most of the height too in case I need that size socket for regular bolting. I.e. the threaded hitch pin on my bike rack uses the same size as one of the sockets I modified for a fox cap.

If you have a vice you can clamp your socket in the vice lining it up as parallel and flat against the top of the jaws as you can. Line your vice with a few layers of masking tape (so as not to file your vice) and then just file it a close to flat as possible with a wide flat file.  

It can take a while cuz quality sockets are hard but at least it will be quite flat if you're careful.

Posted by: thaaad

If you have a vice you can clamp your socket in the vice lining it up as parallel and flat against the top of the jaws as you can. Line your vice with a few layers of masking tape (so as not to file your vice) and then just file it a close to flat as possible with a wide flat file.  

It can take a while cuz quality sockets are hard but at least it will be quite flat if you're careful.

This is a probable option.

Less elegant but cheapish solution if you don't want to grind or buy expensive sockets:

https://www.lunarbikes.com/tools.htm

Wouldn't want to use them if I was working on forks constantly, but for a few times a year at home they are fine.

If I wanted to face a socket I would just GENTLY run it  on the side of the old grinder I picked up at a garage sale

but you shouldnt really do this at home kids