Brazing a bolt handle on?

mmattockx

mmattockx

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Is brazing sufficient for installing a bent bolt handle onto a sporterized milsurp bolt? I have two I am thinking of doing, one beater Spanish model 98 Mauser and an M96 Swede if that matters. I don't have a TIG welder, but do have an oxy/acetylene rig and would like to do these myself if at all possible. I am open to using some of the higher strength rods instead of basic yellow brazing rod if necessary, but I have tested brazed joints that hold while the material around them is all deformed from the hammering, so even the basic stuff seems strong enough for my uses on this. Am I off base on this idea?


Mark
 
it doesn't take to much time to heat a small area on the bolt handle ...bend it ... then take the jig out of the vise and put it into a pan of water... to cool the bolt body, but leave the handle out of the water to prevent quenching it

otherwise you could use aluminum vise jaws ...those will do for a heat sink..

or if your really worried... you can clamp the whole jig in a pan of water... and leave only the bolt handle sticking out... and bend it that way... the water will make sure that the part never gets over heated

oooooor.. if you have a 15kw induction heater ( like mine in this vid ) ... you can easily heat the bar in a spot and still the ends remain cold...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTjJARX8q0
 
As long as the parts are clean you should be fine. Obviously you're doing this on a bare bolt body with internals removed. I would bring the heat up slowly and would use a heat sink that will pull more heat from the bolt body than your vise's soft jaws. Use a high quality fill rod, take your time and you'll have less clean up/filing to do afterwards.
 
dimeN said:
off topic abit ..
if you have oxy/acet ... then why not bend it with a jig like this
http://www.brownells.com/search/gun...ools/mauser-bolt-forging-blocks-prod1019.aspx
Click to expand...

I could bend the M98 handle but want to try doing a butterknife handle on the Swede.


Camo tung said:
As long as the parts are clean you should be fine. Obviously you're doing this on a bare bolt body with internals removed. I would bring the heat up slowly and would use a heat sink that will pull more heat from the bolt body than your vise's soft jaws. Use a high quality fill rod, take your time and you'll have less clean up/filing to do afterwards.
Click to expand...

I have a set of aluminum soft jaws I made from 1" square bar, I will use those to keep the heat on the body to a minimum.


Mark
 
From the standpoint of strength, braze would work. There are commercial rifles with brazed bolt handles. They are designed so that the joint is not apparent.
However, a quality steel welding job produces an invisible modification, and for that reason is preferable to a brazed alteration.
 
Brazing requires too much heat.

Properly prepared, fluxed metal and silver solder requires much less heat and is very strong.

For a bolt handle I prefer TIG. More heat than brazing, but localized and instantaneous. Always use an adequate heat sink to prevent altering the bolt temper.

If you were local to Victoria I would do it for you.
 
It is very difficult to heat treat the required areas if you braze a handle on... and they will require heat treating as you remove it when you braze... it's a Micky Mouse way to bubba it up...

The cocking cam on the bolt and the safety notch on the bolt are supposed to be hard... to harden them you need to quickly heat that area red hot and quench in oil, one at a time quickly...
 
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if everything important is not on the sleeve(disassembled) like locking lugs then braze it or oxy/fuel weld it

think of brazing like gluing two pieces of wood together it holds but not always the best and shows the bronze. id weld it
 
Thanks for the info, gentlemen. I had not considered silver soldering but will look at it for this. Guntech, I hadn't looked at the wear areas for loss of hardness, thanks for pointing them out. I will have a careful look at where I am putting heat in before I do anything.


Mark
 
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