Trigger guard fabrication?

[Scota4570]

When making a steel trigger guard as shown, is it a one or two piece of fabrication?  I do not own a tig welder....  How would  Joe Manton have done it?   I want to approximate the guard in the picture. 

[flinchrocket]

Joe would have used a forge, or at least someone he knew did.

[Daryl]

Forged, the struck.(filed)

[Scota4570]

I don't own a  forge.

 I should have been more direct.  How would you do it?  I can see making two pieces and silver soldering them together.  I could also bend it, and beat in it into shape.  I am thinking that if I try to bend and beat it the fold with get very long and the trigger guard might some apart when filing. 

[Rolf]

Here is a tutorial on how I "forged" steel trigger guards without a forge.  Hope it helps.

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=22536.0

Best regards
Rolf

[Nordnecker]

How would Joe Manton have done it?
I imagine he would have one of his many skilled blacksmiths forge it out pretty quick, then one of his filers finish it.
But, more seriously, When I first looked at your picture, I thought, That would be fairly simple to do- Then I looked at Rolf’s tutorial and had to rethink. The connections between the forward and rear extensions could easily be done by “faggot welding”, which is when a piece is simply bent back on itself and brought to welding heat and hammered together. However, this would have to be done at exactly the right distance between the two welds. This is not without it’s problems.
Then, if a “tab” or tennon for the front or rear extension had to be included in this forging, that would complicate things. Also,it would be very difficult to hold the whole thing in order to file the shape onto the front extension because the bow projects forward and would prevent access to the finial. It would certainly be easier without the tab.
Does it attach with a screw or a tab? I suppose it would be a lot easier to braze the tab on.
I have forged guards for Tennessee type rifles, but never thought about a fancy one for a pistol.
Intriguing for sure.

[BJH]

I have silver soldered pistol guards together. I’ve also soft soldered them together. Though I’m certain that any of the old time English makers would be using forgings. Soft soldered joints if tight will not be too evident if the work is kept in the white. When I get down to my shop I’ll post a picture of a rough fabricated guard I made and never got around to the rifle that went with it. BJH

[BJH]

Here’s the first batch.

[BJH]

This guard was fabricated from four pieces, silver soldered up. I built this pistol back in 1998. I was under the mentorship of Bill Kennedy at the time. This gun was a ribbon winner at Dixon’s that year to my amazement. I’d have never entered it with out his encouragement. BJH

[Curtis]

This old post may help some: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=34355.msg329864#msg329864

This guard is for a rifle but the process of making it was very similar.  https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=34355.msg329864#msg329864

Curtis

[Scota4570]

It worked out pretty well.  The joint is pretty tight.  There is lots more to do but I have a rough blank.

[rich pierce]

In situations like this I like to set up some sort of mortise and tenon or dovetail to further lock the parts together before brazing. Or rivet. It keeps things aligned and provides more surface area to bond to.

[BJH]

The rifle guard has two joints held together with 8-32 “rivets”. Everything including the threaded holes was cleaned and fluxed before assembly. Then I tweaked everything into alignment and applied heat and solder. In the case of the rifle guard I used soft solder. It even wicked into the threaded joints. But the same technique would work with silversolder too. I’ve never brazed so I can’t say anything about that. I only own hardware store propane torches so I can barely make silver soldering heat for small items. I like to have a bigger set up sometime. BJH

[Scota4570]

I jigged the two pieced using the trigger plate itself .  I installed the threaded stud and fitted the bow to the plate so it drew up snug.    I heated the trigger plate to just under red hot and dunked it in canola oil, a couple of times to make a no stick for silver solder coating. The finger rail to bow joint has a hidden shoulder that makes the fit between the two exact. The finger rail was clamped to the trigger plate with thin wire spacers to prevent heat transfer.  I used two propane torches to get adequate heat.  I fluxed before assembly,  the silver solder flowed in super easy.  It worked  better than expected, first time. 

I am working this project at a glacial pace.  That seems to be paying off in less mistakes and back tracking. 

[BJH]

Cool, please let us see your work when your ready. BJH

[Craig Wilcox]

What type and thickness of steel are you using for these TG's?  Only stock I have on hand is either 0.095 or my tool steel (O-1) of 3/16" or so.  I would think 0.125 would be OK.

[Scota4570]

1/8" mild steel from the hardware store.