doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Incomplete Rib Solder

Looks like the remains of rosin flux to me. Chopper

Jim From T, we have paste solder here that uses Rosin flux, being a technically advanced nation. And we also have decent non-acidic fluxes that can be used for tinning that don't eat the blue. Further, if you talc the bbls above the solder line, it will keep any excess solder from sticking to them. Or you can run a swab of hot steel wool down the groove as you go and that will move any molten solder on down and of the way. I learned all this from Keith Kearcher and Ken Owen, both of whom are well known in doubles circles here and charge less than the figures you quote to relay a rib. To wit "Relay rib - Top - $120.00; Bottom - $95.00; Lump - $50.00"

Now if the blueing is gone, go ahead and make a mess, you have to emery the bbls anyway. But if the blue is good, no need to turn the rib repair into a reblue job.

The paste solder you refer to using rosin flux is of no use unless the area is tinned first, since the rosin won't allow adherence to steel. If you had adherence in the first place, there would be no problem.
The talc, I've thought of, but am concerned should the talc somehow get below the solder line. If you don't get it close enough to have that worry, clean up is no better or worse, because the solder won't stick to any area that hasn't been fluxed.
The non-acidic fluxes may work well, my concern is not so much the blue, as future oxidation and pitting. These may work quite well, just stating my thoughts on that.
As far as cost goes, Galazan gets $1100 or so, I truly forget who had the $650 price listed, may have been Orlen. Brownell's catalogue lists the price at hourly rate + blueing. I've done a little of this, learned from a man who's done it for quite some time, and has seen it done even more. From what I've seen, done, and heard, it's never a simple thing. I'm not going to stand here and say that what you quote, or whom you quote, is incorrect. I will say that I'd like to see and test the end result. I'm not sure we're talking the same product, or at least not performed for the same reasons. I'll leave the price issue at that.
Jim

I too was trained to do and have done rib relaying and it is never, ever simple or easy! That is why I ship mine off to Briley for $650.00 - FFl discount, includes rebluing, and have the barrels back to the customer in 3-4 weeks. Time is money. I can be more productive doing other thing and certainly less frustrated! Best, Dr. BILL

Parker tinned their barrels before they soldered them. Not tinned in the clasic soldering way but actually covered them with tin.
bill

Briley and Galazan are the two most expensive outfits in NA (well short of Turnbull but he's not really a double gun guy).

The price I quoted was from Keith Kearcher's website, and doesn't include reblueing/browning. With those in addition (if you want Keith to polish the bbls rather than doing it yourself), you are looking at "Strip and relay ribs with reblue or brown $500.00 - $600.00" and that's for both ribs. KK is considered the go-to double gunsmith in the NW.

However, don't let me stop anyone from specifying and paying for the full monte!

is there any books on re-laying rib, I,m not going to do it, just wondering if its worth doing at all. and just cant figure how they get the solder in there.

KK used acid flux on my gun and it was weeping rust from the day I got it back, it had to be redone. It's been my experience you get what you pay for. Relaying ribs is never a quick fix proposition nor a cheap one.

My understanding of the process, and what I've done, is to use the acid flux to tin the rib and barrels, then remove/neutralize the acid flux residue, then join the parts with rosin flux.

Jim,
When a rib separates, if it still has the solder tinning intact on both surfaces, can it be simply resoldered with rosin flux and be sound?

"KK is considered the go-to double gunsmith in the NW."

I put over 1,000 rounds through a set of barrels and sent them to Kearcher for a rust blue. They were returned nicely blued but with other issues....including, but not limited to, 4 inches of rib separation. He disavowed all responsibility but offered to repair them for $90. I declined his generous offer and sent them to the shop where(I was told by an employee)Turnbull sends his. They were made right again, quickly and very economically.