Adding antler veneer to iron or brass blade of front sight?

[Skychief]

I intend to add antler "veneers" to the face of some front sight blades. Some blades are iron, others are brass.

What would you suggest using to adhere the two together. I'm not a gun builder, so, simpler is probably better. Gorilla glue? :haha:

Need any hints you'll give to keep the veneers on the blades as good as possible.

Thanks for your help, Skychief.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Ivory or bone is a more traditional sight material than a thin sawed piece of antler. Never heard of someone making a sight sandwich before, but you can go for it if you want to I guess. The expansion / contraction rate of both materials is going to be different, so most glues are destined to fail eventually. What would be most permanent would be a rivet or 2.

First, glue your veneer on.
Then make your rivet out of very thin brass, silver, or copper wire and ever so gingerly. Chamfer the hole similar to what we do with brass tips on RR's.
Then peen it to flare the wire end and file flush. You cold then add a drop of thin ACC cement to the rivet head on both sides, but you probably shouldn't need to if you've peened everything correctly.

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for the guidance Colonel.

I have no ivory, but, could find some bone for the sights.

This afternoon I shaved some old antler and tested it in all kinds of shade and light. I was really impressed. Hence, my project.

Thanks, Skychief

 

[Artificer]

If I were to even attempt it, there is only one epoxy I know of that would withstand the shock/recoil and still hold. That epoxy is: EPK1C HYSOL EPOXY PATCH KIT (1C) which comes out a nice white color. The best price is listed here, but I have never personally ordered from them. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/loctiteHysol.php


To properly adhere, it would require roughing up the sides of the brass blade that are not close edges and also the sides of the antler veneer that are not close to the edges. By roughing up, I mean I would use something like a dental burr in a Dremel tool to rough up the surfaces and then gently clamp the antler pieces until the epoxy cured.

Gus

 

[Black Hand]

I intend to add antler "veneers" to the face of some front sight blades.

Why...?

 

[mooman76]

I intend to add antler "veneers" to the face of some front sight blades.

Why...?

Why not? It's his gun, he can do what he wants with it.

 

[Skychief]

I intend to add antler "veneers" to the face of some front sight blades.

Why...?

I'm looking for a material that I can see better in the shadows of dark woods and also, not give off the glint of silver and other materials in the sunlight.

I experimented with a piece of copper as well as a piece of old antler. I filed both to the width and height of a front sight blade and mounted them to a 48" piece of trim wood (it was handy).

The antler was SO much easier to pick up back in the woods! There may even be hope for me yet to pick up rifle sights during early squirrel season.

That's why. :thumbsup:

Best regards, Skychief

 

[Vaino]

I low temp solder silver inserts on the blade and the silver looks good in all light situations.

I'd use super glue on a test sample of bone, antler or whatever and stick it in the deep freeze to see if it comes off. Super glue will stop adhering at 250 degrees, but you could use a heat gun at a lot less than 250 and again see if it comes off. .....Fred

 

[Redstick Lee]

in general:

antler/bone is also very porous so you'll need to prepare the surfaces by adding a light coat of glue, allow to dry, scuff, then glue to the scuffed surfaces on your sights.

 

[Percy]

You said antler "veneers" to the face. Do you mean adding a thin piece to each side or are you going to add a small sliver to the front of the blade?

I just added a piece of brass to the front sight on my smoothbore. The front sight was steel about
1/16" thick. I took a piece of brass about 1/8" longer than the front sight, cut a slot as long as the front sight (looks like a small clothes pin) and slide it on the sight. Filed it to the height, width and shape I wanted and stuck it on with JB weld. Works good so far.
Percy

 

[Rifleman1776]

You said antler "veneers" to the face. Do you mean adding a thin piece to each side or are you going to add a small sliver to the front of the blade?

Antler is bone. I have had bone and ivory. Looks nice. But, personally, I found them difficult to use in sunlight. Opinions vary much on this subject. As I have said in the past, I believe a typical patridge type blade in front is the best for our ml purposes. It will still contrast against a dark background in low light. When it gets too dark to see, that is time to go home.
To help with what he wants to do. No, no :shake: to Gorilla glue. It swells and is a mess to clean up. Methinks two part epoxy would be best choice.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

I agree, gorilla glue and their line of products is garbage. I like the titebond and loctite line of products.

While I agree that the OP should do whatever'll make him happy, I also have to question why antler has essentially never been used as a front sight material on any gun for the last 500 years or so? It's unstable, weak, and will fade over time even after getting sealed, and you won't be able to polish it up like you could a metal sight if you wanted to. Ivory has been used, but ivory has different properties than antler, was installed by elite gunsmiths, and is generally difficult to acquire legally nowadays.

If antler will make you happy then go for it, I would suggest that experimenting with different metals and then silver soldering it on would be better.

Also, since antler veneers is already not period correct, why not just apply a bit of white gun sight paint instead and see if that works?

 

[Skychief]

Thanks Obi. I thought of antler because I had some handy. I remembered that I had a small stash of ivory given to me years ago. I may use it.

I've painted sights before and found I can pick up white-out pretty well.

Thanks, Skychief

 

[Grumpa]

If you have ivory, that's what to use. It should stand out well in the dark woods.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[mooman76]

You could use vegetable Ivory. They are about the size of a buckeye and look like the real thing.

 

[Black Hand]

Personally, I'd smooth and polish the back edge of the front sight. That should give you enough contrast for low light....

 

[Skychief]

Thanks black hand, but it doesn't for me.

Mooman, please check your messages when you get a chance.

Best regards, Skychief.

 

[Stophel]

I'm with Fred. I think silver is a much better (and more durable!) option for a white front sight. In fact, I intend to make one for myself with a silver blade, if I ever manage to get around to making my next rifle. I don't like dark colored front sights. They work fine in bright sunlight, out in the open, shooting at a black bullseye on a white sheet of paper, but otherwise, for me, they're just too hard to see when I need to see them.

 

[wulf]

I have made some of my front sights out of horn...
when I aim at something dark the sights becomes
light and when I aim at something light the sight
becomes dark. Not too easy and not just a glue on.

 

[Black Hand]

Since you are interested in a non-PC solution such as this, why not do what some other shooters have done: Paint the back of the front sight blade with White-out and replace as needed. Nothing to glue/solder/inlet....