soldering under rib

[Dave Young]

I am getting ready to solder on my under rib does anyone have any words of wisdom? I am using the silverbrite from TOW, I think it melts at around 430 degrees. Any tricks to keep solder from oozing out all over the place, making clean up hard? I thought I read somwhere to use white out on the outside of the barrel to keep any solder from sticking to it?

 

[billd]

402-955-008
8 oz. Swif 95 Solder

I use the above stuff from Brownells. Yes, there is some clean uo but it's the easiest I ever used. I couldn't post a direct link. GO the Brownells (dot) com and do a search for the part number.

 

[clayfeld]

You can also blue the flats on either side. Solder won't stick to the bluing. After soldering,
you can use Naval Jelly and steel wool to remove the bluing.

Clay
San Jose CA

 

[Dave Young]

The naval jelly won't hurt in the browning process later?

How do most of you clamp it to the barrel while you heat it up?

 

[Zonie]

If the Naval Jelly will do anything, it will remove any oils that may be on the surface and etch the metal so that the browning can get a good bite.
This would do nothing but improve the process.

If I were installing a under rib with solder I would first clean and lightly sand with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper the barrel flat that the rib was going to be installed on.

I would just lay the barrel on a couple of concrete blocks for support with the bottom flat up. Then heating the barrel gently I would apply the flux to the surface.

Then heating the barrel hotter I would try to get the solder to melt by touching it to the flat.
(Do not aim the torch at the solder. Let the heat of the barrel melt it.) This tinning process takes very little solder by the way.
When the solder melted on the flat, after it had some the entire length I would use a pure cotton rag to wipe it off leaving a nice very thin layer of solder behind.

I would then do the same to the under rib.

After tinning both surfaces I would clamp the rib to the barrel using several small C clamps.

Reheating the barrel slowly I would keep an eye on the joint. Most of the flame would be directed towards the barrel because it is the largest piece of metal envolved.
When the barrel was up to soldering temperature the solder will melt on both pieces and a small bead of solder will squeeze out of the joint.
When I saw that bead on both sides of the rib/barrel joint I would stop heating and let the whole thing cool slowly.

By doing it this way I would end up with a very good solder joint with almost no solder to clean up. What little did extrude from the joint can be easily filed off using a small file.

 

[Dave Young]

Thanks Zonie, as usuall, your advice is most helpfull!

 

[SR James]

I just soldered the underrib on my English rifle (see thread below). I used Solder-It Silver-Bearing Solder Paste. Degreased the rib and bottom barrel flat and lightly sanded them. Applied the paste to the barrel flat getting a smooth coverage. I used those inexpensive plier-type spring clamps with the little rubber tips removed, to clamp the rib to the barrel. Used a MAPP torch to apply the heat. Once the solder started to flow, I just moved along the barrel until it was joined the entire length. I soldered the ramrod thimbles at the same time by wiring them in position on the rib.

I used paste because I've never been very good at tinning with regular solder. It was really not difficult.

 

[longcruise]

By doing it this way I would end up with a very good solder joint with almost no solder to clean up. What little did extrude from the joint can be easily filed off using a small file.

I did one just as you are describing except after clamping it up I put it in a bbq and just left it until all had cooled. Nice joint but there is really nothing to recommend a bbq method over yours

And, I'll add that carful use of a chisel and then steel wool made the clean-up process go pretty well.

 

[Dave Young]

One more thing. I assume that you solder the rib to the barrel and the thimbles to the rib before browning anything, right? The browning solution won't bother the brass thimbles?

 

[longcruise]

I don't know the answer to that for sure since I have never soldered thimbles but I expect the browning solution could be hard on the brass. You should look further into it with the people who made the browning solution

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu want to solder on bare-"clean"-- metal, not metal that is already blued or browned. No, the browning solutions should have no effect on the solder, or the brass pipes. Even if you heat up the steel for browning, the 275 degrees F. temperature needed to help the browning solution brown faster is WAY below the melting temperatures of the solder or the brass.

 

[hmhenni]

don't sweat it (pun ok) It's easy....get it clean, use some flux, and wipe it with steel wool to get a bright tinned surface...it will stick.

 

[Dave Young]

Thanks guys, hopefully I will get to it this next week.

 

[Dave Young]

:cursing: I tried it, I think next time I will try drilling and tapping. Is it possible to get the barrel to hot for to long and ruin it? I didn't get it red but the whole thing sure is fire blued. It sure didn't "tin" as easy as I was expecting. I did get the barrel flat tinned good but not all of the rib. I sure hope it holds!

 

[Zonie]

If you heated the barrel until it was blue the temperature was about 560 degrees F.
This is much hotter than most common solders need to melt.

If both surfaces were tinned they most likely joined alright but if there were untinned areas they would have oxidized to the blue color and those areas would not bond with the solder.

IMO, if you can lightly tap the rib sideways and it shows no sign of moving it will probably outlast us all before it fails. :grin:

 

[Dave Young]

I tapped on the rib some and it seems fine, however, I did have one of the thimbles pull off so I resoldered it. I got it all cleaned up and it doesn't look to bad. I do have a few spots where the rib didn't meet the barrel all the way so a thin line of solder will be seen. Does this show up real bad after browning or does it blend in ok?

 

[J.D.]

I did have one of the thimbles pull off so I resoldered it. I got it all cleaned up and it doesn't look to bad. I do have a few spots where the rib didn't meet the barrel all the way so a thin line of solder will be seen. Does this show up real bad after browning or does it blend in ok?

A coupla thoughts. Some folks prevent the thimbles from coming loose by soldering thimbles on with solder that melts at somewhat higher temps, then solder the rib in place with a solder that melts at a lower temp than that used for the thimbles.

The thin line of solder can be removed using a piece of nickel silver rod, ground to a chisel point. The nickel silver will chisel the soft solder, but is too soft to damage the iron.

Just kinda think'n...typn' out loud, so to speak...type.

God bless,
J.D.