Brass wire solder for butt plate

[Lone Wolf]

I have a small crack in the tang of my butt plate as the result of bending and shaping.  Is it worth repairing the crack with brass wire solder, or would even that be noticeable?

In an unrelated question, can brass solder be used along the edge to correct gaps in inletting?

By brass wire solder I am referring to the stuff that is yellow brass color as opposed to typical "tin" solder.

[Stonehouse john]

First I'd ask if your butt plate is brass or iron.  Since your second question asks about adding brass to the edge to effectively make the plate wider I'm guessing that the plate itself is brass. 

I believe "brass wire solder" is really silver-bearing solder that is alloyed to be a better color match with a brass base metal.  It would make a sound repair for the area that's cracked but there's no guarantee it'll be an invisible color match.  It might also be a bit difficult to get good "build" with it on the plate edge but could probably be done.

If you are (or are friends with) a competent torch welder, both of the areas you ask about would be straightforward repairs using brazing rod. 
The process of using brazing rod on an iron plate is "brazing" but using the same rod on a brass one is technically "welding" since the rod and base metal would both melt during the process.  Anyway, doesn't matter what it's called, if I were making those repairs I would do it with an oxy/acetylene torch and brazing rod. 

Just my 2 cents.  The brass wire solder might also do a fine job.  You could apply a test patch and check for color match.  If it's not good you could easily file it back off.

Let us know how you make out.

John

[Bill Raby]

You can make a good brass solder by mixing 85% brass with 15% silver.

[Frozen Run]

You can make a good brass solder by mixing 85% brass with 15% silver.

How is this done? Thank you.

[Bill Raby]

Melt the metal with a torch and stir together. I pour it into a small bar and form it into a wire with rolling mill and draw plates. Simpler way is to pour a small amount onto a metal plate then press another metal plate on top of it to make it into a this sheet. Then hammer it to whatever thickness is easy to cut. You get a solder with a melting point that is slightly lower than brass and will match the color. It will also tarnish to the same color as the surrounding brass. You can also buy brass solder from Rio Grande. It works good but the color is off a bit when the metal tarnishes. You have to use it with a high temperature flux.

[Stonehouse john]

 I've never considered mixing my own rod material.  That's a great tip Bill!

[flehto]

I  use brass wire solder on yellow brass  RR pipes to fill in the inside  groove and closing the tab after forming and it's a perfect color match. Filling in the groove enables a 1/2" long tab in lieu of a full length tab which requires a long slot in the web. Borax works fine for the flux.....Fred

[Mike Brooks]

I fill small voids and cracks with 50/50 soft solder. As far as Inletting gaps go id opt for better inletting skills.

[Otto]

Stone house john has good advice. Silver bearing solders are great for thin patch work (cracks, etc) or joining pieces with a distinct edge (such as adding finials to TGs or piecing together side plates, etc) BUT they come in several varieties and some match better than others. The problem is compounded by the "brass" in your part being a spectrum, so not all solder colors will match all "brasses".  He's also correct in that it is very difficult to "Build" material with solder. Some of the  same issues will exist with brass "welding" but usually will not be so dramatic and will "build" better. Keep in mind too that a lot of "Brass" gun furniture is more of a silicon bronze  and who knows what alloys. So a perfect match is certainly achievable but may take several attempts to match.  I've not had issues with it ageing differently but that also could be an issue down the road. Very interesting concept to make your own small batch by using a bit of whatever your brass is made of and adjusting the silver content. I've never done that but its a very interesting idea.

[Bill Raby]

I was a goldsmith for a long time. You can save a fortune by mixing your own alloys and making your own solder. Results are better if you use a propane or natural gas torch instead of acetylene. The higher carbon content in acetylene can cause problems. Ideal fuel is hydrogen. It is pretty much required for platinum group metals. You can get hydrogen tanks but it is almost always going to be special order thing and hydrogen tanks always leak. Best to get a torch that uses water for fuel. It breaks it into hydrogen and oxygen as you go and burns that. Expensive. Platinum group metals don't really apply for gun building anyway.

[smart dog]

Hi Bill,
Thank you so much for that information.  That is really helpful!

dave

[Dphariss]

I order gold/brass colored high temp solder from Rio Grande.
The last one I cracked in reforming ( was beating it out wider)  I brazed (very carefully) with a scrap of brass, some 20 Mule Team Borax and a small tip on my acetylene torch.
Today I would use the high temp solder and one or two propane torches depending on how big the part was.

[Lone Wolf]

Thanks for all the replies.  Unfortunately, making my own solder would be a bit beyond my present resources.  The good news is that the cracking on the butt plate tang was evidently very shallow and I believe I will be able to file it out. 

I'm still wondering if adding solder to the edge of a brass inlay would be an effective way to correct small inletting gaps where you might otherwise glue in a tiny piece of wood.  The thought being that you could add a bead along the edge and file it down.  This idea comes from the process I use to solder on barrel lugs where a puddle of solder is formed on the barrel, filed down flat once cooled, then the lug is sweated on.  Obviously you wouldn't want to do this to fill a gap so significant that the added solder distorts the shape of the inlay, but I'm talking about those tiny hairlines between metal and wood that can't be corrected by peening. 

If the solder could be formed in this manner, I wonder how it will look once the brass begins to age. I get mixed results when attempting to glue wood in these situations with the stain being off, so perhaps trading one problem for another if the brass won't match perfectly.

[bluenoser]

You might try pressing with a hot iron and wet cotton cloth to close or reduce those minor gaps.

[Bob Rearley]

Speaking of repairing brass, I have a brass but plate that fits perfectly excepting the inside angle where the heal  is is, is not acute enough for the stock.  Can I bend it to the desired angle and I guess I would anneal it.
Thanks, Bob