Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 Send TopicPrint
Normal Topic welding vintage rifle steel (Read 240 times)
szot
Newbie
*
Offline



Posts: 9
Joined: Jul 13th, 2024
welding vintage rifle steel
Mar 13th, 2025 at 6:31pm
Print Post  
have a hepburn somebody shortened tang i do have rolling block tang steel to put on so its back to original lenth has anyone welded this old steel and could make suggestion on filler rod have used 3 percenf nickel  from brownells for other things is that a good choice for this job
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
ssdave
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 1882
Location: Eastern Oregon
Joined: Apr 16th, 2004
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #1 - Mar 13th, 2025 at 7:05pm
Print Post  
If you use the 3% nickel, it will stand out ugly and proud no matter if you blue or case color the action.  I use tie wire that I degrease with acetone and clean of oxidation using maroon scotchbrite before use.  Peter Nagel once told me that he uses wrought iron rod, but he has a limited stashed supply and can't get more.  As I recall that conversation, he said that tie wire was a bit better than coat hanger, and about as good as anything else you can get.  Not sure how much of that was humor, and how much was advice.  He also said that a good long annealing with the action shielded from oxygen using stainless steel wrap or carbon immersion was helpful to equalize the steels a bit, and keep the weld from showing in the finishing.

You'll want to set up some baffles on the underside and sides of the joint, and use an auxiliary feed of shielding gas underneath the weld, to keep oxygen out.  This old semi-steel/wrought iron in Remington's actions has an awful way of bubbling out carbon and crud just when you think you have it right, and the shielding gas around the weld area in addition to that on the tig torch helps minimize that, but you'll still get it.  

What I really should have said instead of the long winded stuff above, is just send it to Peter Nagel, and he'll do it right.   

On the other hand, if anybody under the age of about 60 wants to learn how to do this, and offer it as a service for the next 20 years, I'd heavily encourage them to learn it and do it; we need skilled trades to work on our guns, and we're all getting older and many of us checking out at an alarming rate.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
marlinguy
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

Posts: 16589
Location: Oregon
Joined: Feb 2nd, 2009
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #2 - Mar 13th, 2025 at 7:36pm
Print Post  
I have a Remington #1 Sporting rifle that have the longer lower tang with the wood screw. When I bought it at our local gun show the lower tang had been shortened to equal length for some reason? I pulled the stock when I got it home and noticed the wood putty in the stock inletting, and popped it out easily. I saw the hole for the wood screw and drilled putty out there also. 
I made up a piece of mild steel bar shaped longer and thicker than the tang, and welded it on with my mig welder using ER70 mild steel wire. I then shaped it down with a file until it fit the original stock inletting. Drilled the wood screw hole and polished it out and touched up the repair with some rust bluing. Worked great and was a quick, easy repair
  

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
SBertram
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 102
Joined: Mar 24th, 2016
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #3 - Mar 13th, 2025 at 7:47pm
Print Post  
You can't go wrong working with Pete!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
jhm
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 1618
Location: georgia
Joined: Sep 4th, 2011
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #4 - yesterday at 1:20am
Print Post  
I did a lot of TIG welding at my old employ. Aluminum steel stainless steel and some titanium and the one common denominator is experience for one but also having the right wire and tungsten along with a good setup sometimes including shielding gas in a specialized holding fixture etc... Guess what I am saying is unless you have at least some of those things I would just send it to someone who does especially if it is an original action. These folks have already been there and done that so to speak. Not questioning your abilities at all but even with my experience if it were mine I would send it off. Just my two cents.


JMH
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
szot
Newbie
*
Offline



Posts: 9
Joined: Jul 13th, 2024
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #5 - yesterday at 6:04pm
Print Post  
have been tig welding for 25yrs steel alum ss magnesium sometimes as thin as .020  dont know everything didnt go to college so doing it is how i learn o and out of the 7 local welders probably the only one with 7 different tungstens in assorted sizes
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
ssdave
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 1882
Location: Eastern Oregon
Joined: Apr 16th, 2004
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #6 - yesterday at 6:53pm
Print Post  
szot wrote yesterday at 6:04pm:
have been tig welding for 25yrs steel alum ss magnesium sometimes as thin as .020  dont know everything didnt go to college so doing it is how i learn o and out of the 7 local welders probably the only one with 7 different tungstens in assorted sizes


You should have no problem with this, given the experience you have.  Only nuance, and I'm sure you've run into it before if you've welded carbon steels, is carbon precipitation.  Sometimes you can lower the heat, circle around the puddle and float the carbon off the side.  Sometimes it won't float, just sticks, and you have to stop and grind it off and start again.  I'm not sure it's just carbon, probably other contaminants in the steel also.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
steel-pounder
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 171
Joined: Mar 26th, 2016
Re: welding vintage rifle steel
Reply #7 - yesterday at 7:06pm
Print Post  
I have an old hepburn action that had both tangs broken off when i got it, I forged new tangs from what I believe is electrolytic Iron that I got from and old mine. tig welded the tangs on using tie wire. I havenot colored the receiver yet but you cannot see the filler rod tangs in the bare action. 

     On another rescue hepburn I welded up the goobered up screw holes where someone had tried to drill out screws with maybe a hand drill and slipped off the screw and into the receiver and went about 1/16 inch in. for this i just ran som .030 mig wire out of the gun and used it for filler rod. again it cant be seen on the action in the white.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send TopicPrint