My new to me Ballard Union Hill project has a junk barrel on it, so I put it in my barrel vise today and put the action wrench on it, but it seems after 140 years that sucker is stuck good!
I put a little heat on it, and dripped some Kroil on the joint at the receiver. Then heated it up a bit more, and really cranked on the action until it broke my oak blocks! Stopped and switched to some ironwood blocks I built years ago for stubborn barrels, and more heat, but even hanging from the end of my action wrench nothing moved.
So looking for suggestions as to what the next step might be? I might have to take it to a friend's place who has a larger lathe than I do and take a parting tool to the barrel to relieve it away from the action to see if that frees things up? I'd like to save the barrel for someone who might want to bore it out for their Ballard, but I don't care about damaging it if it makes it go away I have a spare Schoyen barrel I want to put on this action.

calledflyer wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2025 at 7:22pm:


Might work if I make up a large enough batch to let me put the entire action into deep enough to reach the barrel junction. But if I just drool it on I doubt it will get into the threads or the barrel junction to the action.
Probably take a quart of ATF, and a full can of acetone mixed into a small deep container to cover it all.

I had a Remington Rolling Block Carbine in 7 x 57 that I wanted to get the barrel off of.  Dusted it with rosin, put it in my barrel vise, blocked up the receiver, attached the wrench and heaved on it, with no results.  Bashed the end of the wrench with my "top-maul" with the same results. Doctored the threads I could see with Kroil, heated and repeated the above.  No joy.

So I looped a rope over the end of the wrench handle, ran it through the hardie hole of my 50-lb (est.) anvil and let it hang off there.  Every once in a while, I'd notice the setup in passing and warm it with my heat gun and give the wrench handle a good swat with the hammer, to show it I hadn't forgotten about it.

After about a month of this constant tension and occasional bashing, one day I gave the handle its customary smack and the wrench turned, lowering the anvil (still on rope) to the floor.  I'd put a piece of board under there to protect the cement, if and when the loosening technique worked.  The receiver unscrewed by hand the rest of the way.  Very little rust evident in the threads, just the fact of being screwed tightly together for 110 years or so.

It's not quick, but it's not attention- or labor-intensive either.  People say it's the shock of the wrench getting hit that does it, but an octopus can pull a clam open just with endless tension on the shell, so I figured that like the clam, everything's gotta give eventually.

I had a Remington #2 that I couldn't get the barrel off of once.  That I took to the Shop class I was taking and clamped the octagon barrel in a 4-jaw chuck on the biggest lathe in the place.  I stuck the lathe in gear so the chuck wouldn't move, blocked the receiver, attached the wrench climbed on the ways, sat on the wrench handle end and kind of bounced up and down.  There was a hideous screech that I sometimes still hear as I'm trying to fall asleep and the wrench turned, dumping me on my butt on the floor.  I was happy though--the barrel was loose and came off.  There I could see some rust along the barrel threads.

Sometimes patience is necessary and sometimes there is pain and humiliation.  but it's all worth it.

I never use wood blocks in my barrel vise for flat barrels, they just split and won't hold up when a barrel is tight.

I generally use a piece of flat ground steel stock.  I use a piece of cereal box cardboard between the barrel and the steel stock to avoid marring the barrel.

Make sure you tighten your vise evenly, and match the taper of the barrel so you spread the force out over the whole block, so one corner doesn't dent the barrel.

I carved out some aluminum blocks with an internal octagon shape. I pad them with various thicknesses of cardboard depending on the the size of the barrel then use my hydraulic press as a barrel vice. I have an 18” long parallel jaw wrench (looks like a smooth jaw pipe wrench) for the action. Pad that with tablet backing and things generally move.

Vall,
Lots of advice here, paper and rosin are huge friends, steel and aluminum bushings exceed the capabilities of wood. 
Paper compresses and fills the tiny voids, rosin packs in the larger spots.  I've dismantled quite a few actions and more than a few looked ominous, sometimes a little heat and penetrant, (early ATF and acetone were essential).  BUT! more than that, steady pressure no matter how long the cheater pipe was, rarely worked. If everything is rigid, tightened, sometimes an additional filler for the action was required, usually persuasion in the form of impact made the difference.  A moment of force from an impact delivers far more tonnage then just leaning on a lever. 
My 5¢ worth.
Greg

Ken Farrell barrel vice….hasn’t failed me yet👍

TomKlinger wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2025 at 3:54pm:


My barrel vise is much like yours Tom, except no metal V blocks. I ordered a pair of aluminum V blocks yesterday to make the hold on the barrel stronger.
I've added small amounts of heat and then Kroil after to hopefully suck the Kroil in. Then hit the action with more heat before trying to turn it. 
My action wrench is a work of art the late Whitey Hansen made for me many years ago. The jaws are dovetailed in aluminum to protect the action, and a 24" knurled handle to get a grip. A 4 lb. single jack added while I put my weight into it, but no joy yet.
It's had two 25 lb. bags of shot hanging from the action wrench for a couple days, but no joy there either yet.
I could care less about the barrel as my only reason for saving it was to maybe give it to someone wanting a half octagon Ballard barrel to rebore. But if I have to do anything to ruin it I'm fine with that. No shortage of good Ballard barrels here I might never use at my age.
The idea of relieving the metal with a parting tool is great, but just need to find someone with a lathe large enough to fit this barrel. My little Chinese lathe wont work with a 3/4" bore through the head. I even contemplated using a hacksaw next to the receiver, but not too close. I figured a relief 1/16" away might still work to let the pressure off at the receiver.
We'll see what works, as I go, and thanks to all for your ideas!