Triggerguard brass repair advice

[rennikselum]

This morning while trying to anneal my trigger guard to make some final adjustments before pinning, I got carried away and heated it until it broke.
What is the best method of repair? I can solder, but have never used any type of brass brazing technique.

Is the break in too difficult of a place to effectively repair?

Great thing about why I was annealing in the first place, as the brass was plenty malleable before I got to this point. I had cut the length of the front lug down before fitting to the stock while cleaning up the guard and cut it too low for where I wanted to pin it in the stock. So I soldered an extension on the front lug, the heat from doing this stiffened up the brass.



Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Jeff



lossless image hosting

[Hungry Horse]

That looks like an investment cast triggerguard, which means it is probably bronze rather than yellow brass. This stuff can harden up and get quite brittle. To anneal it  I usually heat the piece up to a dull red, and quench it in cold water. As for repairing the broken triggerguard, I think considering where the break is, I would replace the guard.

  Hungry Horse

[Elnathan]

How did you manage to stiffen brass with heat? Usually works the other way. Also, what do you mean by "heated it until it broke?" Brass and other nonferrous metals are heated and cooled to soften them. They don't break because of heating, unless you melt them, in my experience, but because they work harden too much.

I think getting a new guard is your best bet, but, if you want to try to repair it, they do make some solder that doesn't show badly on brass. Don't think brazing is likely to work, but I don't know much about brazing.

[rich pierce]

If you tried to bend it hot, that's a no-no.  It's the opposite of steel.  Must be worked cold.

Like others said, I don't think you'll be able to make a repair that is invisible. So you have to decide whether to make it look like a period repair or not.  But guards don't usually break there.

[rennikselum]

It stiffened after I soldered the extension on the front lug. I did have a few attempts at soldering the lug before I was able to get a good set-up to hold it in place while soldering, so I know I heated it up and it air cooled a few times.

Before I did this the piece was very soft.

The way It broke was the position I had it in the vice holding it. I had the front lug in the vice with a wet rag wrapped there trying not to let the heat sink to my soldered lug. The rest of the guard was hanging unsupported as I was heating where the break happened and the unsupported weight just bent and fell off. Obviously I didn't see the color change:) until too late.
If it repairable, I'm not too worried about seeing the repair as this is going to be my Turkey hunting fowler. Just need to make sure it is solid.

Thanks,
Jeff

[BJH]

If that is a chambers guard I would replace it. Their wax castings are very repeatable. BJH

[n stephenson]

If it was mine I would braze it with the finest tip I have on my torch, If you just want to save it , then take a thin sheet of brass and solder it inside the bowl , overlapping both pieces , if done well it shouldn't be very obvious. JMHO.  Nate   And yes I have brazed trigger gaurds before, as well as cast iron engine blocks, like any other skill ,it is something that everybody can`t do, but with proper training it isn't all that hard. 

[Hemo]

I think getting a new guard is your best bet, but, if you want to try to repair it, they do make some solder that doesn't show badly on brass.

If anyone knows a specific brand of brass-colored solder that works, I'd like to know. Rio Grande jewelry supply sells a yellow-colored solder, but it melts at over 1400 degrees F, pretty close to the melting point of brass. I'd like to find a yellow-colored solder that melts well below that temperature.

Gregg

[Mike Brooks]

Time to get a new one.

[rennikselum]

Figured that would be the answer - Get a new one.

Will try and work with Nathen's suggestion, good opportunity to try and gain skill at something new. Something to do while waiting on a new guard.

Thanks all for the reply's

Jeff

[Elnathan]

I think getting a new guard is your best bet, but, if you want to try to repair it, they do make some solder that doesn't show badly on brass.

If anyone knows a specific brand of brass-colored solder that works, I'd like to know. Rio Grande jewelry supply sells a yellow-colored solder, but it melts at over 1400 degrees F, pretty close to the melting point of brass. I'd like to find a yellow-colored solder that melts well below that temperature.

Gregg

I'm afraid I have no other information. I recall it being mentioned many years ago, possibly when Rich Pierce was piecing together a guard out of disparate parts to match an original.

[docone]

To do those repairs, I use a backflame with my torch. To do that, I use a solder pad and heat into the pad with the trigger guard. The small amount of brass solder, when you grind it smooth, will only be an hairline. No one will notice. I used easy silver solder on the last guard, and used it to liquify the joint. The solder became the instrument to make the brass fuze, it never showed. It cannot be seen to this day.
You gotta get even heat with a back flame. It goes quick.

[BartSr]

https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Brass-Wire-Solder-20-Ga/132201

[PPatch]

It is too bad that you have to replace it as I can see that you have put much work into the one that broke. Good luck with the next one.

dave

[Goo]

I have the skill and know how know how to weld it back together for you , but, I would have to charge you more than a new one would cost to repair it

[Robby]

Why not try to braze it, at this point it is worth a try. I have successfully brazed brass trigger guards that I re-sectioned.
Robin

[Hemo]

Why not try to braze it, at this point it is worth a try. I have successfully brazed brass trigger guards that I re-sectioned.
Robin

It certainly is possible to braze a brass triggerguard--here is one that was not broken but was too short, and I brazed about a two-inch piece of brass to the end to lengthen it. As you can see, there are some bubbles at the braze site, which is why I was asking about low-melting point yellow colored solder earlier in this thread. Just wanted to get some yellow metal into those holes without ruining the braze joint.



Metal is a little too thin to peen at this site. Any other ideas to fix these defects?

Gregg

[Black Hand]

Drill out the imperfection, lightly bevel the edges with a countersink, solder a piece of brass rod in the hole, peen the ends to fill the countersink and dress the surface. This should make a nearly invisible repair - nearly in that there is sometimes a shadow between the peened brass rod and the edge of the countersink.

Based upon the number of minor defects, this may not be an option.

[Robby]

Hemo, I made sure everything was very clean, filed the best fit I could with the two pieces. I kept the torch moving at the first sign that there was a melt, all the while feeding the bracing rod.





My splice was in the fashion of a deep V and if you look real close you can see a very faint line.
Robby