gunsmith applications...my excuse to learn tig?

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hey now.im really kinda torn here. i have a remington 870 magazine tube that i need to repair and i cant decide if i should use braze or tig weld it. i also am adding rifle sights onto an 870 barrel and was wondering if there are any benefits to tig welding it over simply just brazing it.yes i know they make "silver solder" that has a 450 degree melting point, but still. i like making my life more complicated  while brazing is great because its simple- once you get the right tip, your good and set up your good to go. by good set up i mean you have to experiment. just because harris says #psi for o2 and #psi for propane works great for them doesnt mean it will for you. but i feel like tig welding is a great thing to know. but i dont have a real use for it. if my truck has an issue my thermal arc 95s comes out (its a great maching if you use it within its means. i live in an apt. i have no access to 220+v). i've mig welded before many times, but i dont get the same joy i get mig welding as i do using the stick. anyhow i know i kinda went off in different directions. if i went tig, id have to do the add-on to my thermal arc 95s. im not new to using torches, oxy-acet, oxy-propane, stick welding or brazing. but i like to act like i am so that way i learn the most.the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:In general silver solder is used on firearms specifically because of the lower temps required to work with it. Even using silver solder more often than not you end up using some type of heat sink to reduce HAZ.  Barrel steels are just like any other steel - they are chosen for certain properties, by pouring a lot of heat into it you are changing those properties.  That being said I am looking for a good excuse to learn to TIG - my guns (and more so my customers guns) will be the last place I would want to apply those skills once acquired.  You will have to get with some of the TIG experts on just how "cool" you can run it - i have not done enough to know.  I do know guns though - I know that smiths all over the country go for silver solder first, If there was such a thing as a "pre-qualified procedure" that would be it.   With shotgun sights you are working away from the chamber and action on a relatively low pressure area which in theory SHOULD reduce the overall risk associated with a stress fracture/rupture   but its your hand under that barrel and your face lined up with those sites.    Ive seen some pretty amazing thumb/finger re-builds and re-attachments, modern medicine is outstanding.  You only have one set of eyes though.
Reply:I could see using tig for non critical parts like that magazine tube, especially if you were planning on trying to refinish it to match the original. That said you would need to be extreemly well schooled in tig before I'd suggest you try it on any firearm parts. You might check GunParts Corp.They often have used replacement parts at decent prices. It's been a few years, but we used to use them quite a bit to find repair parts for older rifles and shotguns.http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...px?catid=11943.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI could see using tig for non critical parts like that magazine tube, especially if you were planning on trying to refinish it to match the original. That said you would need to be extreemly well schooled in tig before I'd suggest you try it on any firearm parts. You might check GunParts Corp.They often have used replacement parts at decent prices. It's been a few years, but we used to use them quite a bit to find repair parts for older rifles and shotguns.http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...px?catid=11943
Reply:Originally Posted by tackitCheck this set out. http://store.cyberweld.com/smachaou.html
Reply:Originally Posted by SRO1911In general silver solder is used on firearms specifically because of the lower temps required to work with it. Even using silver solder more often than not you end up using some type of heat sink to reduce HAZ.  Barrel steels are just like any other steel - they are chosen for certain properties, by pouring a lot of heat into it you are changing those properties.  That being said I am looking for a good excuse to learn to TIG - my guns (and more so my customers guns) will be the last place I would want to apply those skills once acquired.  You will have to get with some of the TIG experts on just how "cool" you can run it - i have not done enough to know.  I do know guns though - I know that smiths all over the country go for silver solder first, If there was such a thing as a "pre-qualified procedure" that would be it.   With shotgun sights you are working away from the chamber and action on a relatively low pressure area which in theory SHOULD reduce the overall risk associated with a stress fracture/rupture   but its your hand under that barrel and your face lined up with those sites.    Ive seen some pretty amazing thumb/finger re-builds and re-attachments, modern medicine is outstanding.  You only have one set of eyes though.
Reply:This is all in this thread read carefully and form a good conclusionhttp://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...light=gunsmithVinnie
Reply:ok the hell with tig weldingthe grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:44 is ok, it does not cold blue at all - either hot with salts or find another finish, it does polish well and blends nicely on SS guns.  I use Grobet silver,  flows at 430f  not much of a difference but finishes nicely its also a bit thinner - 3/64 vs 1/16 for brownells (its what it says it is, in my experience it runs a bit thicker)When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.
Reply:one other thing is i live in an apartment thats a section of the upstairs of a house. i feel really uncomfortable chaining up a tank of acetylene, even a little mc tank. a propane tank doesnt bother me, even chained up right next to oxygen. ive taken welding courses through my union before. acetylene is no joke. if i had a shop or shed away from the house id have no problem setting up oxy-acetylene. keep in mind im not doing any receiver work. a lot of times i see great shotuns and all thats wrong with them is the trigger frame cracked or the vent rib needs a quick repair (i wouldnt braze that though, id use silver solder). im not trying to go to midway.com watch a gunsmithing video and say "im a gun smith". im not looking to modify parts so they can do things they werent meant to do (slam firing remington 870's or anything stupid like that). lots of great deals are to be had on gunsamerica or gunbroker that in the description it says "gun works great but..."the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:Originally Posted by SRO191144 is ok, it does not cold blue at all - either hot with salts or find another finish, it does polish well and blends nicely on SS guns.  I use Grobet silver,  flows at 430f  not much of a difference but finishes nicely its also a bit thinner - 3/64 vs 1/16 for brownells (its what it says it is, in my experience it runs a bit thicker)
Reply:as with any process, prep is whats crucial.  You can do butt joints, just takes lots of skill, practice, voodoo, and good luck.  Propane works but the problem is getting a tight concentration of heat in the smallest area possible.  With propane you are going to have to take time pouring heat into the piece while with acet you can get to the welding faster - reducing overalll HAZWhen any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.
Reply:so im damned if i do damned if i dont.propane is too slowacet is very dangerous if left outsidethe grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up
Reply:Not a very clear pic, but you can get an idea of a finished joint with Grobet silver.  the bolt handle is two pieces - joined 3/16 from the bolt.  not a flat butt - both pieces were beveled like I>[I]<I
Reply:It's easier to make a bolt handle fit under a scope on the old military rifles with TIG than anything else. If you are going to re blue a part, the weld area usually turns out red compared to the surrounding area. I used to weld a lot of gun parts for several different smiths.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:99% of this is gonna be shotgun work because im a bird hunter.im gonna talk to the local welding supply shop monday, see what their policy is on tanks. what their rental policy is and what their policy is on customer owned tanks.the grand ol' opry aint so grand anymoremiller maxstar 150sworking on an oxy/acet set up