• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Soldering brass patchbox lid 'bracket' to brass coin

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Gus Chiggins

36 Cl.
Joined
May 4, 2019
Messages
52
Reaction score
4
Good evening all. I decided to gift a rifle I had bought probably 7 years ago to my father in law. He is from Illinois and I found a commemorative coin I would like to try to convert to a patchbox lid. The gun is a Traditions hawken. I can give dimensions if needed, but I'm wondering how feasible it sounds to grind/cut the original box lid and solder the coin (it's the Illinois state seal) in place of it.
So you know, I have considered already inletting it various places, but this seemed like if I could pull it off, would be a little less 'clunky' if that makes sense. Thanks.
 
A photo of the coin and original bp lid side by side would help get you some direction, along with the coin's metal composition?
Flintlockar 🇺🇸
 
Well, I dont have a soldering iron/gun either, so I wanted to find out if my idea was even feasible before getting everything I would need. Both coin and patchbox is brass. Coin is just over 1.5 inches, patchbox is 1 7/8.
I dont have the coin either, it's around $20 and I would have to alter its thickness (its around .12")and diameter to fit.
 
Thinning the coin and soldering to the patchbox lid would be the easiest and would look good too. If you don't have a belt sander put some paper on a flat surface and go to it, wouldn't take long. You may have to bend the coin slightly to match the box lid's couture.
 
Use a propane torch and acid core flux. It will heat rather quickly. DON'T use MAPP gas, it gets hot enough to melt brass.

After soldering, the brass will be discolored. This is fire scale. Put it in a solution of equal parts vinegar and peroxide to clean up, rinse, and polish.
 
Thinning the coin and soldering to the patchbox lid would be the easiest and would look good too. If you don't have a belt sander put some paper on a flat surface and go to it, wouldn't take long. You may have to bend the coin slightly to match the box lid's couture.
Thanks. I think I'm going to get
Use a propane torch and acid core flux. It will heat rather quickly. DON'T use MAPP gas, it gets hot enough to melt brass.

After soldering, the brass will be discolored. This is fire scale. Put it in a solution of equal parts vinegar and peroxide to clean up, rinse, and polish.
Any reason to not use a soldering *iron? I read somewhere else to use silver(minimum 3.5% silver) solder for strength, does this sound accurate?
 
Soft solder with that much surface contact will be more then strong enough and is easier to use. You can thin the lid a bit as well to keep a nice smooth contour for the stock. Having very good contact between parts being soldered is key to a good job.
 
Back
Top