Removing deep stamp or engraving?

[Pmringer]

Good morning,

I have a fowling piece that has the maker name stamped into the barrel flat with a modern font stamp.  It is a terrible eye sore for a period piece.  if it was not deep I was going to file it off but it is a significant stamp and I am concerned about a low spot in the barrel despite it not being nearly as deep as the dove tail for the rear sight.  Is filing it down the only option or do I just live with it?

Thanks

[Dennis Glazener]

How about a silver plate with your name or initials.
Dennis

[LynnC]

I have removed stamped barrel caliber markings by carefully peening the letters closed with a hammer and polished rounded point punch then draw filing and browning.

Your situation sounds a bit worse but it might work. If not Dennis has a good idea......Lynn

[45-110]

Another common option in restoration work is to tig weld the damaged area. No big deal for a skilled welder to apply surgical deposits. Working slow with heat sink wet rags will get you where you want to be.
kw

[Pmringer]

All great ideas!  I really like the idea of a silver plate.  I may end up going that route.

[jerrywh]

Engravers often repair things like this and a lot worse by installing iron inlays in their place. This is not as hard as you may think.  The only deterrent is being able to see what you are doing. Undercut the letters and hammer in small iron wire.  Silver plate is another option but how many originals had a silver plate on the barrel??  I have filled dove tails this way and the owners still cannot see where they were after years of service.

[Scota4570]

If the inside is dented a series of turned and tapered steel plugs may be needed.  It can also be done with a hydrolic dent remover if it is 12 ga.  A shotgun specialist can do this easily. 

Sounds like an english proof house  did the marking? I have read about them ruining modern revolver barrels. 

[davec2]

I have seen pictures of a gun, very poorly engraved, that Jerrywh, first, repaired by filling all of the bad engraving with iron wire and second, completely re-engraved beautifully.  You would swear, looking at the picture of the badly engraved original version of the gun, that it was completely and permanently ruined.  After Jerry got finished with it, it looked like a completely different gun with beautiful engraving.  He made me a believer that very few things like that cannot be completely saved by inlaying iron the same way you would inlay gold.  I have repaired some casting flaws in modern locks by this method.

[120RIR]

It sounds like the stamp is pretty deep.  I've had great luck with TIG welding but it all depends on the welder's skill and of course you'll want to make sure he's using a soft steel filler rod.  I've got a local guy that I'd be comfortable with if he wielded a scalpel for surgical work - he's that good!

[jerrywh]

 Two day ago I saw a utube video where a guy welded two razor blades together.

[WadePatton]

Where do we source suitable wire? I have copper and brass, but no iron or steel wire. 

I do have some broken logging cables-those strands would be small, but medium carbon content? Bailing wire?

[davec2]

Jerry can probably give you the best answer, but I have used what is called " black-annealed wire".  It is not really iron but rather low carbon steel in the annealed state.  it comes in many diameters (McMaster Carr Supply Company) and is soft enough to use for filling in as described above.  It is the same type of wire that is used to wire together rebar in concrete.  I have also used some steel wire sold in the hardware store for hanging pictures with good success.

[jerrywh]

ACE hardware sells a few different sizes of iron wire that is very soft. I collect every piece of small iron wire I can find because I use it to fix small mistakes in engraving.  I have inlaid some pieces as small as .010 in diameter and less than a 1/16 in length. The main thing about inlaying iron is the cavity needs to have vertical walls Gold or silver can be inlaid in almost any type of cavity or even overlaid with no cavity at all.

[WadePatton]

ACE hardware sells a few different sizes of iron wire that is very soft. I collect every piece of small iron wire I can find because I use it to fix small mistakes in engraving.  I have inlaid some pieces as small as .010 in diameter and less than a 1/16 in length. The main thing about inlaying iron is the cavity needs to have vertical walls Gold or silver can be inlaid in almost any type of cavity or even overlaid with no cavity at all.

Great then. My tiny town actually has an Ace (now) and I'm a regular there. Thanks for the note on cavity shape, I'm sure I'll learn a lot more when I try it.  Thanks  2 Dave as well.   

[Dave B]

I was told that the wire in the WINCO bag ties is very soft mild steel wire. Its just a bit of a pain to extract it from the paper coating. The Orange citric gunk remover gets you down to bare wire. Its pretty small though you are going to need it thicker. I did some acetylene welding on a cracked tang using some what I call bailing wire but it came from Ace hardware in a 50 ft...? roll. it is dead soft not sure you would call it mild steel.  Just google it. They show wire with 4% carbon designated 1004. I didn't think there was lower carbon steel than that of 1018 available. if going with the bailing wire make sure to degrease it. They coat the stuff with an oil of some type and not sure if you tried to Blue/brown over the inlet if the degreaser you use will get the deeper coated area clean? Maybe a non issue.

[David Rase]

They show wire with 4% carbon designated 1004. I didn't think there was lower carbon steel than that of 1018 available.

1004 would have .04% carbon.  I am sure that is what you met.   
David

[Dave B]

oops yes....you are correct David, my bad. I was always struggled with getting that slippery decimal in the right place. I guess my stated amount would have been equal to 40%! Yikes its good I am not building rocket engines