parker collection for sale

[edgarspencer]

Tig welding (GTAW, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) is not a new process, and was developed in the 1940s. Good gas welding was pretty much made obsolete by GTAW, but how many airframes were gas welded prior to that? I daresay, in the hands of a good gas welder with an AB torch and proper filler material, most gun frame cracks can be repaired and re-heat treated.
Cracks most often propagate from a localized stress riser. A crack which shows up after case hardening likely existed prior to that heat treatment, but opened up on heat treatment. Secondary cracking from welding usually shows up in the HAZ (heat affected zone, between base and weld metal), and is directly related to either impurities, or inclusions in the weld (gas, slag) or improper post-weld heat treatment.
Welding is a normal process in manufacturing of steel and steel products. Entire departments in companies like Electric Boat, are devoted to developing weld procedures and procedure qualifications. If it were such a risky process, I doubt we would build submarines from rolled and welded rings, 44' (Ohio Class Trident) in diameter, and welded together to make a tube called the pressure hull.
If my customers were as skeptical of welding as you seem to be, I sincerely doubt I would have been able to pawn off $10 million worth of castings a year.
I'll buy every cracked high grade Parker frame you can lay your hands on. You can throw in all those cracked Winchester lever frames while you're at it.
Oh My god, you mean they weld new barrels into old breech blocks? Don't they blow up?

[edgarspencer]

King, that must have been pretty traumatic, if not outright scary. If you want to pursue re-caseing your Fox, I'd suggest you speak to some of the other respected gunsmiths who are doing this process. I wouldn't roll over on only one person's say-so.
Destry, If I weren't house-bound, I would have tired of this a long time ago also, and as it is, getting a little weary swatting a myths and urban legends. If I have to say so myself, I have far too many years working with steels and most of their subsequent manufacturing operations to know what a qualified person is able to do. I also know what can happen in the hands of some who are not so qualified. As is usually the case, the failures get lots of press, but the men who know their stuff just keep doing what they're doing, quite simply, because success breeds more business.

[Paul Harm]

I'd like to thank Edger for sharing his knowledge. I wouldn't be afraid to send any work to Brad - and he's NOT a newbee. Myself, and two friends have probably had 15 to 20 Parkers and Remingtons worked on by him and have always been pleased. If something wasn't right the first time, he corrected it at no charge. This rarely happened. Paul

[ed good]

edgar: if i ever see another cracked shotgun receiver, it will be one to many...

as for sleeving shotgun breeches, the new tubes are not welded to the breeches, but are soldered instead...do a google search for shotgun barrel sleeving. you should find at least one good discussion of the process...and while you are at it, do a google search for shotgun receiver case hardening as well...this is not the first time this subject has been discussed.

sorry to hear you are house bound.

[edgarspencer]

Soldered or Silver Soldered?
I was making a joke re: the welding in light of your skepticism concerning welding.
I've had a few sleeved guns, only English ones. I have a friend in England who does a pretty nice job of it.

[ed good]

edgar: not sure if barrel sleeving is accomplished with lead or silver solder. job could also be accomplished with brazing?....if i make a joke about something serious, i will be sure to let you know it is a joke.

i do not know enough about welding to be skeptical one way or the other...

however, here is a tig welding question for you. i have a set of parker trojan barrels that have been fit to a parker ph receiver. do you see any problem with tig welding material onto the barrel top rib extension and then dressing it down with a file to fit the receiver slot, so it looks nicer? i am concerned about damage to the barrels during the welding process. to view a picture of barrels on receiver, please see gunsamerica item #904174340.

other expert opinions are encouraged.

[edgarspencer]

That's probably a question better put to one of the better known gunsmiths, as most all have GTAW capabilities. I presume you're refering to the dolls head fit.
What I would be most concerned with is keeping the heat input to a minimum, with quick arcs, since the ribs are soft soldered to the barrels. Additionally, he might use heat sinking materials wrapped in the area to absorb the heat. It might be better done removed, and then reattached prior to file fitting. My experience with welding processes is extensive, but far removed from this, a more delicate detail than steel components we made. Welding is often more than simply joining two pieces of ferrous metals. It can, and often is used to correct machining errors. Two $70,000 steam turbine diffuser diaphragms we made we over machined, by a mere .005", at the joints, which wasn't detected until they were completely fitted into the turbine. The rotor was lifted out, the joint faces were 'buttered' by GMAW, and the entire turbine cases were put on a planer mill ( Table was 12'x80') and milled back down till they were kissing the joint face. High temp ceramic blanket stress relief for PWHT. Even though it was GE's error, I didn't want to have to make them over again.
If you know anyone over in Newport at Ruger you might get into Pine Tree Casting; their investment casting foundry, on the property of the gun company. Pine tree is a substantially captive operation, making investment castings for the gun manufacturing, though they do outside work also. All the Vaquero parts, right down to the triggers, are investment castings, and they do in-house, cosmetic TIG on the many parts which have small surface defects.

[ed good]

edgar: sounds like tig welding around solder joints is a risky thing...as the dolls head serves no functional purpose, i thing the best course is to just leave it as is, even though it would like nicer expanded to fill the receiver slot.