Found some old photos from when the original fork seal started leaking. From what I can tell, there was no scratch on the tube, so the mechanic who did the job must have scratched it.

Dats ugly. Most forks are easy , the more dampening adjustments the more complicated. Just makes it more of a challenge. I like rebuilding the fork once it’s off the bike ,the rest of the job is just time consuming and it ties up the bike too. Savage requires special tool , can be made with welder. Length of pipe with a nut welded one the end.

Tool was only used for holding dampning rod while Allen bolt is removed and installed. They are hella tight from the factory. After that it’s easy.