Ideas to solder a trigger guard extension without pinning

[HighUintas]

When bending the bow on my trigger guard to create a place to pin an extension on, it broke. Bent it too far without annealing a second time.

I don't have enough bow material to bend in a shelf to pin the extension before soldering it.

Any suggestions on how to do this? Get a second steady hand to hold the extension in place while I solder?

[Carl Young]

Build a simple jig out of scrap wood to hold it while soldering?

Carl

[smart dog]

Hi,
A solder joint there is going to be very weak.  I suspect that needs to be welded with a fillet like below.






dave

[HighUintas]

I like the jig idea.

Smart dog, I have wondered if maybe this was going to have to be welded to be strong enough. Do you think a higher temp braze would do okay?

Unfortunately, this is the very last late English rifle scroll trigger guard I could find in stock anywhere and it was a good bit of work getting it all bent to the shape I wanted.

[P.W.Berkuta]

Take it to someone that does TIG welding and have them weld it up. Don't try to braze it even if you get it to "stick" that joint will be very weak and the braze will show. Once you contaminate the metal with the braze you may not get a weld to stick if you want to try welding it.

[kutter]

File the end of the bow to a dovetail shape. But only to a length that is the thickness of your extension plate.

Then cut a matching dovetail in the end face of the extension plate for the bow to slide into.

The angle of the dovetail cut into the plate will have to be so that it matches the angle that the dovetail on the bow . When assembled you want the parts to be in allaignment as far as the bottom line of the stock is concerned.

Also being as you are bringing the plate down onto the bow and not attaching it onto the tip of it, you will likely have to bring/bend the bow up slightly for the extension plate to once again meet the stock line.

All this you have to figure into the fitting up.
Once the parts are assembled dry, you can lightly stake them into place to better hold them in that position.

Then Hard Solder the joint. You shouldn't need any extra hands in doing so with it fitted well and then staked.

The only solder line will be on the inside of the bow at the end of the extension plate and any small amt of solder you can't clear away from where the bow front edge meets the plate.

The dovetailed joint plus hard solder attachment will be plenty strong unless you are going into combat.

Or you can fixture it all up and have somene weld it.
I just like to figure out how to fix  things w/o any outside help.

[HighUintas]

I had thought of that, Kutter. I'm glad you mention it as a viable option. I question if I have the ability to make a tight fitting dovetail that will line up the pieces correctly

[Fly Navy]

+1 on the TIG welding. That would be a very strong joint.

[kutter]

I had thought of that, Kutter. I'm glad you mention it as a viable option. I question if I have the ability to make a tight fitting dovetail that will line up the pieces correctly

You make the best fitting dovetail you can. Then the staking/peening of the parts tightens the dovetail up and holds the 2 pieces in place for soldering.
It's the actual hard soldered joint and the fact that the contact area betw the 2 parts is now much greater than a simple butt joint that gives it it's strength.

Once done, I'd doubt you could break it if soldered correctly.
If it did break, it would likely be the guard bow that breaks and it'd be below the soldered/dovetailed joint and that'd take a bunch of effort to do.

[Steeltrap]

I'm sure thought was given to just buy a replacement one if you can?  From the look of the build stage is that something that's possible?

[t.caster]

Not having access to a TIG, I think kutter's idea is a good way to go.

[HighUintas]

I'm sure thought was given to just buy a replacement one if you can?  From the look of the build stage is that something that's possible?

Very last one in stock from any of the parts suppliers and the guy I spoke to said he doesn't think they'll ever get more in. So... May not an option for a long time.

[HighUintas]

There's a guy in my neighborhood who has done some welding for me before but I'm not sure if he has a tig welder. I'll ask about it as he said that he could do the weld. If he doesn't have a tig welder I may try the dovetail. The only issue with the dovetail is having to bend the bow upward more to behave it meet the stock line again.

[T*O*F]

What did the guard look like before you started fooling with it? I have several different styles on hand.

[P.W.Berkuta]

Your skill at doing small intricate dovetails must be phenomenal to even consider this approach - I commend you . TIG or MIG will work if the person doing it KNOWS what he is doing .

[HighUintas]

What did the guard look like before you started fooling with it? I have several different styles on hand.

I bought mine from gun works muzzleloading emporium, but it's the same a TOW and the one MBS used to carry.

[HighUintas]

Your skill at doing small intricate dovetails must be phenomenal to even consider this approach - I commend you . TIG or MIG will work if the person doing it KNOWS what he is doing .

He's a welder by trade and does a lot of work on the side, so I bet he's much more likely to make a solid weld on it than I am to cut a good dovetail.

[xx54]

You can soft solder some lugs to your trigger guard pieces so that you can grip them in the vise. You can adjust to any angle you want to attach them together. I have fixed broken trigger guards in the past using this rotary trigger guard vise. Hope this helps.
Xx54

[T*O*F]

What did the guard look like before you started fooling with it? I have several different styles on hand.

I bought mine from gun works muzzleloading emporium, but it's the same a TOW and the one MBS used to carry.

I've got one if you're interested in buying a new one.  PM me.  What you should have done was not cut off the threads.  Drill and thread a hole in the extension and thread it on.  Hit it with some solder to hold it in place and file it up.  Stronger and better than a rivet or weld after the fact.

[HighUintas]

What did the guard look like before you started fooling with it? I have several different styles on hand.

I bought mine from gun works muzzleloading emporium, but it's the same a TOW and the one MBS used to carry.

I've got one if you're interested in buying a new one.  PM me.  What you should have done was not cut off the threads.  Drill and thread a hole in the extension and thread it on.  Hit it with some solder to hold it in place and file it up.  Stronger and better than a rivet or weld after the fact.

Thanks for the offer! I'll let you know if this doesn't work out or if I just decide to start fresh.

I had initially planned on what you suggest, but therw was just too much length in the bow for it to look how I wanted with the placement of that stud.

[Goo]

If you have an OXY Acetylene set up Go to your local welding supply and ask them what gas welding rods they have for mild steel. Use a small tip and turn the fame down. Not all of the welding rods available work out for gas welding, some will pop and shower off excessive sparks and produce a brittle weld joint.     I have tried different materials for cold rolled steel welds surprisingly I obtained some decent results once using tie wire when i was in a tight spot and needed a quick solution.  This does not mean it will work every time because there are no controls on that product I just got lucky.