Another Silver Soldering Question

[mkrainc]

I know of someone who would like to silver solder a ramp sight to his rifle barrel. My question is, will heating the barrel and ramp to the temperatures needed to get the solder to flow, have an adverse effect on the rifle?

He is hinting at getting me to do the job, even though he is capable of doing the job himself, and of course warning bells start ringing, wondering why he he is aprehensive.

Thanks in advance.

 

[buffdog]

silver soldering

Clean and take the blue off the area to be soldered, both on the rifle and the front sight. Use the proper flux. Flatten the silver solder out paper thin, then sandwich it between the front sight and the barrel. Use wire to hold sight in place, twisting the wire to make it tight. Heat until the solder flows.

There is also a LOW TEMPERATURE SILVER SOLDER that you can buy.
.

 

[mkrainc]

Thank you Buffdog. I just don't want to see the father in law bugger up his rifle. I have different silver solders, some that flow at lower temperatures, a couple even in paste form.

 

[guess_kto]

heating the barrel can f..d up the barrel. Be very careful!

 

[guntech]

Brownell's Force 44 is a silver bearing low temperature soft solder not affected by bluing salts... it is made for that job...

 

[mkrainc]

Brownell's Force 44 is a silver bearing low temperature soft solder not affected by bluing salts... it is made for that job...

I looked up Brownell's site to read about the solder they sell. I see it flows at around 1200 degrees. How hot does the barrel have to get before it's damaged by heat?

Thanks again everyone.

 

[tactical870]

I have to say I prefer to use a silver solder paste. The stuff I have flows at 425.

 

[guntech]

I looked up Brownell's site to read about the solder they sell. I see it flows at around 1200 degrees. How hot does the barrel have to get before it's damaged by heat?

Thanks again everyone.

You didn't look up Force 44.

It's like soft solder... 475 degrees F.

 

[mkrainc]

You didn't look up Force 44.

It's like soft solder... 475 degrees F.

My apologies. My mistake was that I looked up silver solder instead of the name you gave me. The Force 44 was listed a little different. Looking at the strength, that does look like the cats whiskers for doing the job. Thank you.

Just to satisfy my curiosity though, how much heat will hurt a barrel?

 

[nanuk]

I've been slowly working on getting some sights OFF a barrel

so far, my propane torch with a pencil flame hasn't worked. I need to leave it on longer.

5 minutes wasn't enough.

I've read to jam a dowel in the bore to produce a high carbon zone to protect the bore from scaling.

that will be my next try.

after that, out comes the propane cutting torch. that will put out some serious heat to spot heat it.

barring that. Dremel!

 

[mkrainc]

nanuk, let me know how it turns out for you. I've been playing in my shop with the solders I have on scrap metal. Haven't tried them all yet. If all my tries fail, I'll be ordering the Force 44 recomended by guntech.

Heat is not a problem for me as I have a variety of torches, ranging from oxy-acetyline to butane. I will find the right one.

Chow for now.

 

[DANS40X]

I wouldn't advise inserting/burning a dowl/piece of wood in your bore.

Use 360 brass if you want heat sink material.

 

[10x]

Clean and take the blue off the area to be soldered, both on the rifle and the front sight. Use the proper flux. Flatten the silver solder out paper thin, then sandwich it between the front sight and the barrel. Use wire to hold sight in place, twisting the wire to make it tight. Heat until the solder flows.

There is also a LOW TEMPERATURE SILVER SOLDER that you can buy.
.

In addition to that, silver solder needs about 0.001" space to hold firm. Dimple the barrel lightly with a small centre punch on each corner under the sight to raise the metal around the dimple to give clearance for the solder. Without that little bit the solder joint will be much weaker and will fail.

 

[guntech]

A propane torch is okay for low melting point solders... useless with high melting point solders.

 

[guntech]

nanuk, let me know how it turns out for you. I've been playing in my shop with the solders I have on scrap metal. Haven't tried them all yet. If all my tries fail, I'll be ordering the Force 44 recomended by guntech.

Heat is not a problem for me as I have a variety of torches, ranging from oxy-acetyline to butane. I will find the right one.

Chow for now.

Are you concerned about the effects of hot bluing afterwards? As in a soft solder being eaten by the bluing...

 

[nanuk]

I wouldn't advise inserting/burning a dowl/piece of wood in your bore.

Use 360 brass if you want heat sink material.

wooden dowel is not for a heatsink, but to produce a carborizing (??) area inside to eliminate any scaling in the bore.

 

[legi0n]

I soldered sights with silver solder at about 450º without side effects (like metal becoming brittle)
Just let the barrel cool down slowly. Do not dip in water or oil!

 

[mkrainc]

Are you concerned about the effects of hot bluing afterwards? As in a soft solder being eaten by the bluing...

Not on this rifle anymore. Unfortunately, I find out the rifle has been bubba'd. This next sentence is going to make everyone cringe at first, then just piss everyone off (as it did me). My father-in-law had welded a flat washer to the barrel, and filled in the dovetail with weld. He felt he needed a taller sight, so he took an angle grinder to it, and ground it all off. That's why he wants the ramp sight on it now.

I looked down the bore, and for the lack of a better way to describe it, there is a small spiral ridge where the barrel was welded, about a thousand or two high spiraling the oposite direction of the rifling.

I apreciate the education I've recieved here on this subject, but I feel I've wasted everyones time with this. If anyone hears of a Marlin lever action for sale in the Kootenays, PM me and I'll let anyone know if it is this particular rifle.

Regards