A way to make a front sight...

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I'm posting this to try to help someone who may wish to create their own front sight.  In this example, I have used .080" thick german silver, 1/16" thick copper for the base, hard silver solder and borax type paste flux, and propane with air intake heat.  Soldering was done over two bent finishing nails and a fire brick.

1)  I cut the pieces from the metal sheet leaving metal on the blade to be removed to create the stud that secures the blade to the base... a hacksaw and fine blade for this.  File the base to the dimensions you need.




2)  Drill and countersink a hole in the bottom of the copper base to receive the sight blade.






3)  Place the silver blade in your vise base up and cut away the silver to expose the ped that will pass through the copper base, plus enough to rivet into the countersink.  Rough file the square peg cylindrical.  You can continue with a file and make the peg perfectly round or make a cutter to do this quickly, easily and perfectly.  I drilled a hole to match the size of the peg into the end of a piece of drill rod, cut a couple of saw cuts to quarter the end of the rod, and filed some back draft on the edges to create cutters.  In a drill press this makes quick work of the peg.  Clean the copper base with a fine file preparatory for soldering.  Place the base over the peg, and rivet the extra silver into the countersink.  File flush.






how do you upload pictures

4)  Flux the joint, cut off a short piece of hard silver solder and place it on the sight.  Half of what I've shown is lots.  I place the sight on two bent nails on a fire brick so that the sight alone sucks up the heat.  the fire brick actually gives back heat that passes the sight and helps give an even heat.  Play a carburizing flame over the sight until the solder flows and remove the heat.  I'm sorry the computer is placing the images in reverse order, but you can translate that.






5)  Clamp the sight by each end of the base in shim stock in your vise and file away the excess solder and oxidation.  Polish to suit.  Shape blade to taste.

6)  Clamp the blade in shim stock (I use steel banding material bent in half) in your vise, and file the dovetail angles on the base.  Use a safe triangular file.  Le voila!

[Justin Urbantas]

THanks Taylor. Makes it look pretty easy to do.  They should add this to the tutorials

[davec2]

Two quick tips I would add to Taylor's excellent tutorial:

1. The solder will always flow toward the highest heat.  If you heat from the side opposite the solder, it will insure that the solder will flow under the sight blade and form a fillet on the heated side.

2.  Some hard fluxes (i.e. borax based for high temperature solders) form a protective "glass" during the soldering process.  When the part cools down, this "glass" can be hard to remove with a file.  A quick "pickle" in a bit of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid in water will remove almost all of the scale and flux quickly leaving the part ready for further finishing.  You can also use sodium bisulfate (readily available as a dry granular powder for lowering the Ph in pools and hot tubs) mixed with water as a pickling solution.

[Goo]

On Point! Thank you!  metal smithing at its finest!

[rhbrink]

Excellent!   Thanks!

[Goo]

I normally use sparex a pe mixed granular pickle to remove borax flux.   What concentration do you mix your acid pickle?

[ddoyle]

Taylor huge thanks,  I have two handfuls of parts requiring a round peg for riveting on my bench and the day was going to be spent filing/fiddling with a 4 jaw chuck. Instead I made your pegging tool and the job is going smooth and easy.  It is always worth logging in to ALR.

[n stephenson]

Taylor, your pegging tool is nice. My machine shop teacher used to say "a real craftsman can make tools that will help him . Nice work! Nate

[Marcruger]

You make things look easy Taylor.  Lovely, crisp work.  God Bless,   Marc

[ddoyle]

Thanks again the peg tool is alot of fun to use. Amazing just how ugly they can be made and still work like a champ.

[davec2]

Goo,

When I use muriatic (hydrochloric) or sulfuric acid for pickle I usually mix 1/3 acid to 2/3 water.

[Justin Urbantas]

that could be a handy tool for making bolts

[deepcreekdale]

Great tutorial. Very informative. I make mine essentially the same way (without that awesome pegging tool, I just filed the peg, but I will be making a pegging tool tonight). I usually use sterling silver for the blade and a Weller 100 watt soldering gun with Hi Force 44 solder and paste flux. More than enough heat, and have never had one break.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Justin:  I suppose you could make short screw blanks with a tool like this.  But it would be best to back-bore the rod leaving only a short cutting section.  Otherwise, friction would end up in a jammed tool.  I made this and several like it for doing only a very short pin, like the one on a tumbler fly/detent.  A similar tool can be used to turn down the end of a ramrod for the rod tip, but again, a little back-boring for clearance is requisite.  Even 1/64" would work - next larger drill in the (complete) index.

[dogcreek]

Lots of great information there, as well as good photos. Thank you, D. Taylor.