The heat went down from 113 yesterday to 101 today. The shop is a cool 97.....so I went out and decided to make one of the miniature muzzle caps I need for the little rifles. Here goes......
First step, cut out a piece of 0.032" thick brass sheet and anneal
![](https://i.ibb.co/pfKD2Th/IMG-0605.jpg)
Second, do an initial form around a piece of EMT tubing
![](https://i.ibb.co/VxSv23S/IMG-0606.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/rpjgDfV/IMG-0607.jpg)
Next, refine the curvature as the cap rolls in to contact the barrel sides. This is done with a nylon hammer and a steel mandrel.....
![](https://i.ibb.co/FDf3pqm/IMG-0608.jpg)
The lips of the cap were left intentionally a little long, so here they are trimmed to proper height
![](https://i.ibb.co/T8jQ0wq/IMG-0609.jpg)
The height is checked on the barrel (upside down from where it will be installed, but a good place to check at this stage in the fabrication process)
![](https://i.ibb.co/PZHbfKy/IMG-0610.jpg)
After cutting a small piece of brass for the front of the cap, both pieces are cleaned of oxide and surface dirt, fluxed, and set up for silver brazing
![](https://i.ibb.co/GPBYZ5r/IMG-0611.jpg)
Here I have cut a couple of small pieces of silver braze alloy and will melt them into a ball and pick them up while still molten on my soldering point
![](https://i.ibb.co/cxgQN5p/IMG-0612.jpg)
The parts are heated to brazing temperature from the outside and then I have placed the solder on the inside of the joint. It runs immediately and the second piece of solder insures that the entire joint is complete.
![](https://i.ibb.co/HrqrrWP/IMG-0613.jpg)
After brazing, a quick pickle in dilute hydrochloric acid to remove scale and flux residue
![](https://i.ibb.co/5sK7gD1/IMG-0615.jpg)
A quick inspection of the joint shows it to be tight and completely brazed
![](https://i.ibb.co/N629M4c/IMG-0617.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/MgNFwnC/IMG-0619.jpg)
Most of the excess brass on the face piece is clipped of with tin snips
![](https://i.ibb.co/LnnvG1x/IMG-0620.jpg)
A few file strokes and the face piece is brought to near final contour
![](https://i.ibb.co/S3YSNNG/IMG-0621.jpg)
Now I smoked the end of the barrel and put the cap in place so I can tap on the face piece with the nylon hammer
![](https://i.ibb.co/0sjfk2x/IMG-0623.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/ZNps3Sk/IMG-0625.jpg)
The result is a smoke print of the muzzle on the inside of the cap. The barrel flats are beveled slightly at the muzzle so the print is a little undersized but it will allow me to get very close before the final fitting.
![](https://i.ibb.co/JR6qJLJ/IMG-0622.jpg)
Most of the face piece brass is cut away with files and some back and forth check to get a tight final fit
![](https://i.ibb.co/8rsBDNx/IMG-0627.jpg)
Final check on fit and the completed tiny cap
![](https://i.ibb.co/Mnjp48R/IMG-0628.jpg)
![](https://i.ibb.co/J3jYC3v/IMG-0629.jpg)