doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rejointing

How do you guys go about rejointing?
Mike Orlen did a very good piece showing how to shim a joint.
I am talking about building up the hook with weld or metal spray, which do you prefer? How do you go about it?
I normally remove the hinge pin, Tig weld the hook and clean the side faces up, then fit barrels to action and clamp in place, drill through hinge pin hole (undersize) and then using pilots ream through, finally I smoke down into a final fit with careful filing, but I do have to say I find it a real ball ache.
Any views or thoughts?

Dovetail the hook....

Phil, surely dovetailing is only an option to those who do not have good welding facilities.I am talking about invisible mending preferably.Also I would think there is more filing and fitting involved in dovetailing, and I also recognise that dovetailing is a time honoured method of repair.Thanks for your reply.

Several years ago, a similar discussion took place on this board. John Foster wrote that his prefered method was now to build up the hook with weld and refit. Mr. Foster's expertise is well established so the subject seemed to me to be closed. For the amatuer, shimming still seems to be the simplest and best method.

Cary

The best way is to replace the cross pin, square everything up, and put the gun back on the face.

If you can't replace the pin, you can spray weld the hook. The only problem with this is that there's no way to square off the pin, so you can't build up a proper joint (if that's the term).


OWD

Salopian don't you fellows have any professional Gunsmiths left in England/Great Britain ?

Homeless jOe,
If you read the post correctly, the first line is a question.Thereby opening up a discussion.Thank you for nil input.In answer to your question, yes, and many brilliant ones.

SALOPIAN,
whilst i have no direct or immediate interest in your rejointing question i read as many posts as possible, to increase my general understanding and information, on all aspects of shotguns.
i have always beleived that internet boards such as this are a marvellous tool to embrace international knowledge 24 hours per day,and i find that help and information is normally exchanged across borders freely.
i am sorry i cannot have any input re your topic but i hope we can both continue to seek help and advice from all available sources.
cheers

Well Sir, I never thought I would agree with anything OWD said but he 's right on this. Your method would concern me as to how you set up the action in a milling machine and then feed an undersized reamer thru the hinge pin hole and not have it run off the weld material. I'm not saying it couldn't be done but if I had to do it I want to set up some kind of pilot for the reamer. Not to mention that a lot guns have a threaded hinge pin with a few different diameter shoulders that ideally should all bear tightly in the action. Furthermore the average loose gun only requires a pin a few thousands to about twelve thousands fatter than the old one and the hook squared up to be as good as new again and the squaring can best be done by hand. In the case of those crummy guns where removing the hinge pin is a federal case well of course welding is the best way to go. Dress the weld down as best you can to fit it to the old pin and know that it will never be perfect. Chances are the pin has worn slightly out of round so you will never get full contact between hook and pin. Fitting a dovetail in the hook is a terrible idea. I know it's done but it introduces two stress risers where none should be. Perhaps a radiused insert could be used instead of a dovetail to avoid sharp angles. That's how I would do it.
Nial

nialmac
I dont think there is any thing to worry about with regard to a stress riser in the area of the hook. As far as I can tell its mostly in compression in this area and the steel is of very low hardness.

If you just want to worry about sharp corners causing stress risers, think of any guns you might have that have engraved barrels. this area is truly in tension.