Soldering barrel lugs and sight, success!

[dave_person]

Hi,
The liquid will work but the paste will stay where you put it.

dave

 

[bptactical]

One tip trick for tinning parts, especially the barrel. Dry clamp your part in place on the barrel and draw a line around it with soap stone (found in the welding section anywhere that sells welding stuff).

Then once you have your line drawn around your part, color the barrel with the soap stone right up to your line and make sure you go all the way around the barrel. Go out to the sides about an inch from your part is enough.

Why the soap stone?

Because solder won't stick to it under any circumstances and clean up is much quicker.

Nothing more aggravating that cleaning solder runs and drips off the part of the barrel that you want to blue or brown. Using the soap stone trick the only place that will tin up is the place where the part sits.

If you don’t have soapstone standard pencil lead will do the same.
You can also use milk of magnesia- just paint it on and allow it to dry fully first.

 

[WALT53]

Hi,
The liquid will work but the paste will stay where you put it.

dave

Dave I have a few questions ,what wire do you use to hold your lug on and what do you use for a heat source.thankyou.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Walt,
I use very thin steel wire. I don't know the gauge but it is about as thin as the wire you encounter in twist ties. Thin copper wire would also work because the solder flows at about 470 degrees so you won't burn up the wire. I usually use a Mapp gas or propane torch.

dave

 

[Noeyebrows]

Hi,
Nice job. I don't tin the lugs and barrel. I sweat the solder under the base. I simply clean the joints with acetone, flux the barrel and lug, hold the lug in place with wire, and tilt the barrel over a bit to the side so gravity helps the flow of the solder. Then I lay a piece of solder on the top edge of the base and heat from below, drawing the solder toward the heat. Clean-up is easy.

dave

Awesome! Great tip. Thanks Dave