Barrel lug repair?? Solder paste??

[Brokennock]

I have a new tube of "Solder it" brand "Silver Bearing solder paste."
Is this adequate to hold the forward most barrel lug in place on my 20 gauge Fusil des Chase? The solder holding it in place let go years ago and I haven't felt I have the skills and materials to do the repair job myself. This stuff sounds easy to use, and like the heat required to use it should be low enough to not mess up the barrel's browning finish.

Thoughts?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Not sure which brand you're using, but what I found online for the stuff from the local warehouse-home-improvement-store was "silver bearing Solder Paste", which I was taught meant it was to join stuff that "bears" use (rather than just sitting in a display, or an electronic item etc). The stuff online says it has at least a bearing strength of 10,000 psi and as high as 28,000 psi. so...I'd say it will "hold". This all depends, of course, on how clean the two parts were when joined, and how well the joint is joined when you're done.

What's the old muzzle loader saying? "If you do your part...".

LD

 

[rich pierce]

Just soldered 3 lugs on a barrel 2 days ago. Yes the paste will work. I find technique matters a lot. My practice is to tin the lug. Barely hold the tab in a vise with the concave surface up. Have it freshly filed clean. I heat up a big copper soldering iron with a torch then apply flux to lug and rub the lug with the soldering iron while applying solder. The paste you mention often contains solder and flux and could be smeared on the concave surface then melted and distributed with the soldering iron, I guess. Only downside is the paste often comes in small syringes.

I clean the barrel with emery cloth, flux that spot, and wire the tinned lug in place. I torch the barrel from below and sides till the lug settles down as the solder melts. Usually won’t knock off with a shot from a rawhide mallet, which is my test.

 

[Brokennock]

The other question I have on it's use is,,,,
Is the paste sticky enough to adhere to the barrel if I place the lug in it's inlet in the stock, put some past on it, set the barrel in the barrel channel, then gently lift the barrel out?I figure this will get my placement on the barrel such that I won't need to mess with redrilling the hole for the pin in the lug.

 

[Eric Krewson]

As to your last question; no it is not sticky enough to hold the lug without solder.

I use the paste for round barrel lugs; first I put the lug on the barrel with a piece of sandpaper between the lung and barrel, I slide the lug over the sandpaper until I get the lug perfectly shaped to the barrel contour.

I cover the base of the lug with paste, place it where I want it to be on the barrel, clamp it in place with a C clamp, tap it to perfectly line up with my center line and heat until I see some solder bubbling out from under the lug, done deal.

 

[Eric Krewson]

On my first rifle I cut one of my barrel lug dovetails a tad to wide which left my lug loose, I put solder in the dovetail and the lug and slid them together. A little heat and the loose lug was fixed.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

On my first rifle I cut one of my barrel lug dovetails a tad to wide which left my lug loose, I put solder in the dovetail and the lug and slid them together. A little heat and the loose lug was fixed.

Way to Go Eric! My good friend Rod tells me all the time we mess up. "It ain't a mistake if ya can fix it"
Flintlocklar

 

[Scota@4570]

We really need a sticky on soldering.

For all gun work it is best to tin the parts. Before attempting to jig up the parts to be joined coat them in solder. Clean to bright clean metal. Use lot of flux, rub the surface to be joined with steel wool with more flux and solder. Rub it on the metal until it is evenly silver shiny with the solder. Easy on the heat! If it turns blue, start over. Let it cool. Was the acid paste flux off. Re-coat with liquid rosin flux. Jig the part with clamps or wire. Heat the larger part (barrel) from the back side until the solder melts. Add a little rosin core solder to the joint to fill it. Let it cool.

Not tinning first is likely to fail. Yes, you can do it that way on copper plumbing pipes but copper is easier to solder than steel.

 

[Brokennock]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Not sure I have the guts to take this on. One of my biggest concerns is getting the lug back in exactly the right spot. This isn't a new build so the inlet is already there and I don't have the tools or skills to redo the inlet.

I've wanted for quite some time to find someone within driving distance, that I can afford, who can do this and install a rear sight. I have some tips on a couple guys in Massachusetts but looking at their work online I doubt I can afford to even talk to them.

 

[Cruzatte]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Not sure I have the guts to take this on. One of my biggest concerns is getting the lug back in exactly the right spot. This isn't a new build so the inlet is already there and I don't have the tools or skills to redo the inlet.

Don't sweat it. You can do it.

 

[Eric Krewson]

OK, put your lug in the stock pinned in place, put a tiny bit of hot melt glue on the lug, warm the barrel up and put it in the barrel channel, let things cool off. Pull the pin, remove the barrel, scribe around the hot melt glued lug, clean everything up really well and solder the lug on the barrel using the scribed lines as a locator for the exact position.

Of course I don't know if this would actually work because I have never tried it, I think. Somewhere in the past I did replace a lug on a finished round barrel gun but don't remember how I located everything perfectly but I did.

 

[tallpine]

I think your idea would work Eric but instead of hot melt, I would use super glue gel. Get everything super clean, use Acetone. I used to spot scope mounts like this for drilling barrels.
The best way to hold the lug in position is with a hose clamp and a bent piece of hacksaw blade, makes it a lot easier to get it precisely where it needs to be.
The first one I did I was also scared that I was going to mess it up so I found an old piece of galvanized water pipe , filed the galvanize off and did a few practise runs, turned out to be a lot easier that than I thought,. Think it out and take your time, you can do it.

 

[smo]

BN, does the tube/ syringe give a melting temp?
400* maybe?

Some that I had once was low melting temp and a Bic lighter would give you enough heat, so said the instructions.

I used a small torch.

I was having trouble getting the vise to hold the sight I was installing , but I like the wire & clamp concept mentioned above.

 

[Brokennock]

BN, does the tube/ syringe give a melting temp?
400* maybe?

Some that I had once was low melting temp and a Bic lighter would give you enough heat, so said the instructions.

I used a small torch.

I was having trouble getting the vise to hold the sight I was installing , but I like the wire & clamp concept mentioned above.

Available from Track of The Wolf

 

[tallpine]

You can also get it at Home Depot

 

[smo]

Ace Hardware carries a similar brand as well.

I think it’s a lower melting temperature.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Actually the C clamp works really well for holding the lug, before I tighten it all the way and just have it snug I can tap the underlug a little this way or that and perfectly line it up with my file marked centerline. Of course you have to have it place on the barrel upside down or you will never get it to hold the lug.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The package says "flows" at 430° and "remelts" at 650°

LD

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I think your idea would work Eric but instead of hot melt, I would use super glue gel.

A small dab of super glue is what I use. Hot melt should work, but, is too thick in my opinion.
Flintlocklar

 

[Cruzatte]

I did the same job the hillbilly way. I marked a center line down the barrel of my FDC with a chalk snap line. Then with a sharpie I traced the center line, and at a distance marked the center of the sight cross ways to my long center line. Then proceeded pretty much as others, tinning, clamping, etc.

I also used the TOW paste solder, not realizing I might have purchased it locally. In any event, it worked; lugs and sight haven't fallen off yet.