barrel lugs

[dmb25]

I have got to the point on my Fowler where its time to attach the barrel lugs for the pins and because its a round barrel i need to solder them on i do not have mush experience soldering does and was wondering if any one had some tricks to and tips to make to easier

[Eric Krewson]

If you use some of the low temp silver solder paste in a syringe for the job of attaching lugs to your barrel it will be a piece of cake, super easy.  

The picture is of copper solder I bought at Lowe's. Worked great!

[gunmaker]

Use any low temp. solder Alpha paste in a tube from ACE hardware is another good one.  Make sure the lug and bbl. are clean CLEAN...I use a long screwdriver to hold down pressure on lug while I play a propane torch around lug, watch for the solder to turn from gray to silver all around.  Starts to get black--tooo hot.  Wait until bbl. cools and run a wet oily patch down the bore to stop rust.  To keep solder from running down bbl. sides take a soft pencil and color around lug, solder will not stick that way...Tom

[Acer Saccharum]

Use the same technique for your lugs as Eric demos for his front sight: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=28967.0

Check out the other useful tutorials!

[Ryan McNabb]

Make sure the two mating surfaces fit as tightly as possible.  Put fine grit paper on the barrel and rub the lug back and forth to maximize fit.  You want it water tight.

Polished and very clean surfaces are critical.  You don't have to wear rubber gloves but keep your greasy fingers off the work or you'll never make it happen.  

I've had better luck with liquid acid fluxes than I have with paste fluxes plus there's less clean up.  Acid fluxes discolor brass badly but you can polish it off.

Position the barrel so that the lug is on the bottom for soldering.  You can't see as well this way but excess solder drips will flow down and off where they canbe easily filed off the lug rather than onto the barrel.

Find a solder and flux that works for you and stick with it, but I gave up on premixed combos.  I'm sure the fault was mine but I found them a hassle to work with.  They're thick and gritty and the part moves around a lot as the solder melts.  I get a spool of good thin wire and a bottle of flux every couple of years and don't worry about the latest products they're trying to sell you that do the same thing.

If you're going to do this work,you'll be glad if you just get a grill tank of propane and the equipment to put a hotter soldering head on the end of a long rubber hose.  More heat, lasts for ever (my tank is still going several years later) and more mobility and convenience than a regular solder setup you get at the hardware store.  

[Acer Saccharum]

Tin both parts first. This means coat both parts with solder. If you use a rosin-based flux, heat the part until the solder just melts, and then wipe it around with a bit of steel wool until the entire area is covered by solder. (thank you, Taylor)

If both parts are coated with solder, place them together with a little flux, and a little heat, and whoop! the solder melts and you got yerself a joint. (not that kind, Mike Brooks)

Whatever you do, don't over heat the metals. Flux will burn, steel will oxidize, then you've gotta start all over.

[vulture]

I was told years ago by Doc White ( Green River Rifle Works ) that when you solder two pieces together you don't want the mating surfaces to be real smooth.  He told me to take a file and rough the surfaces up just a little as it would give the solder a better hold on each side.  I've always done it this way and never had any trouble with pieces coming apart.

[dmb25]

thanks everyone this information will be put to good use

[satwel]

I've had good results using the Sta Brite low temp solder kit sold by Track of the Wolf. As a previous poster said, the key is to not overheat the metal parts. I learned this the hard way, after several frustrating attempts.