Bit of a wreck, advice please!

[Long Ears]

     I drilled my tang bolt to perfection size #21. After removing the trigger plate I went to ream the hole through stock and tang so a 8-32 tang bolt would pass. I went astray and now I almost have two holes through the tang. I don't want to replace the breach because I made a thumbnail shape to it and of coarse it is inlet.
    Can I take it into town and have the holes TIG welded closed and still be able to re-drill through the weld? Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bob

[Roger Fisher]

Like slick willy said 'I feel your pain'

You mentioned a thumb nail tang.  Is it wide enough so you can cold forge (Read bash) the wide hole closed enough to cover with a wide head tang screw (just a thought)

[KLMoors]

I think someone who knows how to weld could fix you right up.

[FRJ]

Yes you can weld it and drill thru it again. Only problem you might encounter is finish match if the steels are disimilar. Good Luck, Frank

[Ken G]

Long Ears,
Birddog6 on this forum has welded several tangs for me and they rust browned no problem.  I don't have a clue what type welding rod he used but it worked perfect.  If he or someone else of knowledge doesn't see this thread an reply, I suggest emailing him and asking what type rod he used.
Cheers,
Ken

[Herb]

You have the hole in the tang drilled with a double hole for clearance of an  8 x 32 bolt as I understand it.  I'd drill the last hole for a 10 x 32 bolt size and tap it and turn a piece of that bolt into the hole.  Get a steel bolt from a hardware store, not a zinc plated one.  Cut it off and peen it into the hole, top and bottom.  File smooth.  And if the countersink for the correct 8 x 32 tang bolt cuts into part of the second hole, you could solder the stub in first before peening.  If you can't solder, Lock-Tite or epoxy would hold it.  The countersink likely will cut part of the filled hole away so it won't show so much.

[okieboy]

 Obviously, I can't see your tang, but would going to a #10-32 cover the offending area? For that matter, you could weld a screw head oversize and then shape it to cover the problem, unless it is way worse than I imagine. Anyway, there's an alternate idea for you.

[Paddlefoot]

It would take a @!*% good welder not to make it worse. If you heat the metal enough to start laying bead in there it Will shrink and probably warp too. It will not go back in the inlet for sure. Make the screw and hole a larger size if possible. If not I would go the route of inserting a metal plug in it and peening it. There is also a diagram of a new tang being installed on a breechplug in the latest edition of "Recreating The American Longrifle". The tang is cut off and a new tang shaped to match the inlet then silversoldered in place on the original plug.

[elk killer]

Bob,
simply bring it over..ill fix it for you..

[California Kid]

Can be welded easily. Tig with mild steel rod or mig with the same type of wire. Silver solder isn't strong enough for a tang even hard silver.

[billd]

I've MIG welded similar problems and extended tangs.  I never had a color match problem.   

Bill

[Birddog6]

I am trying to visualize how ya did that, but can't come up with anything. If you had one hole, all ya had to do it drill thru the existing hole with a clearance sized bit from the tang down thru the stock & it is done.

Anyway, just take it to anyone with a wire welder with mild wire in & & weld it up . (I use a gas shield, not fluxed wire) Then heat it red how & let it cool slowly & redrill it.   That is how I do them & have welded up dozens of tangs, no drilling issues and no poblems browning them & you cannot tell  it was ever done.

Keith Lisle

[Long Ears]

Birddog6, I know, what i did was I tried to ream the hole all the way through from the trigger side. Again I know, bad plan, THAT will never happen again!

Elk Killer, i will be in touch but not until the weekend and I will call you first. I guess it was just a bad day. The build has gone so well, I guess too well! There is a Gal in town who is suppose to be a wizard with a TIG. I want to talk to her about it.

California Kid, thanks I needed to know what rod to use for the TIG if this welder asks.

Thanks everyone, I think I better walk away for a while, maybe a cool drink! Bob

[ramserl]

find a tig welder and someone that can use it with 10 min.  all fixed

[Blacksmoke]

Tig welders are a "God send" in the right hands - I once found a lady welder who could weld pop cans together - she was amazing!!  An experienced welder will fix you up nicely - go for it    Hugh Toenjes

[jeager58]

hey long ears , the wire you need to weld that with is 70S tig wire.   after its welded you will have to lightly polish the surface to remove any heat  discoloration.  its only mild steel and not a problem to weld.   

[bama]

If you just have an oblong hole go to a 10-32 and the head of the screw will probably cover it. If you have a double hole then slightly counter sink the hole you do not want on both sides of the tang thread in a threaded section of a bolt, pean on both ends of the bolt to fill in the champher, file the top side smooth and brown, it will never be seen. No welding required.

[Dphariss]

It the tig welder drops any tungsten in the weld it will be "unpleasant". Impossible to drill or file.
Mig works better, not as pretty but no tungsten.

Dan

[Eric Krewson]

Been there, done that. I put a build on hold for 6 months because I didn't know who to trust to fix a poorly drilled tang and miss drilled front lock bolt hole in my lock plate.

 I ran into a retired machinist I used to work with at a flea market. While catching up on what we had been doing since retiring I mentioned my dilemma. Turned out he had been building fancy trailers for touring motorcycles, doing his welding with a mig welder. Bring it over he said. This guy was beyond good.

He asked what kind of metal the parts were made of, picked the correct rod and had the work done in about 10 minutes. Everything browned to the same color.

I could have covered my mistakes up but they would have haunted me for an eternity, better to fix them right the first time.

[eagle24]

I screwed up on my first rifle and broke a HSS tap in the lock bolster.  First thing I learned was why you don't use HSS taps building rifles.  Drilled tiny holes around the tap, MIG welded the hole, refiled the bolster to shape, annealed the lock plate, and redrilled and tapped.  No issues with the welding or finishing the metal.  I was using a Chambers Lock and fortunately the casting was of good material and welded just fine.  Just don't let them weld it with stainless.

[Long Ears]

Here is an update to my dilemma, I asked around and found a guy who does contract TIG welding on aircraft. He is suppost to be a wizard with a TIG! I took the breech plug to him and informed him (3 times) I needed mild steel rod used to fill the holes. I have got to say it took about 10 minutes and he did a fabulous job. he handed me a very hot breech plug and said $10.00 please. What a deal! As I was walking out the door he said, drill it real slow and use a lot of cutting oil, I used stainless rod! Wow there was almost a crime scene! Not to worry he said, it will brown up just fine because it mixed with the mild steel. I guess I will file it out and run a test brown on it to see how it looks. I can always just re-breech the barrel. I have Rice on speed dial!
         It is amazing to me that more and more people do not listen to the customer. I guess you notice it more the older you get. Thanks for all of your help. I will let you know how this one turns out! Bob

[Dphariss]

Wizard alright. Clueless too
He could have used soft mechanics wire just as easily.
The chances of it coloring the same are very remote.
Having non-gun people do gun work often results in disappointment.

Dan

[Long Ears]

Dan, if there is one thing I have learned about building longrifles is you need to be good at a lot of skills that professionals work at their whole lives. My hat is off to the Gunsmiths. They must be Metallurgists, Welder, Carver, Engraver, Mechanic, Chemist, and wealthy to purchase all the tools and machines to do their profession. I will never complain about the cost of Gunsmithing again! Bob

[jeager58]

long ears I do pressure welding for a living. union boilermaker.... If you want you can overnight the piece and I will weld it for you and send it back the same same day. I do x-ray welding and only had one bad shot in the last 23 years...phil

[Long Ears]

jaeger58, darn I wish I would have waited a day! As you can see I am hung now with what my"wizard" did for me. I will see if it will brown correctly. If I have to I may need you to weld a new tang on this breech plug large enough to fill past my inlet. I will do some thinking after I test the finish. Thanks for the offer. Bob