Can this be fixed ?
 

One leg of the safety slide spring broke off on my Belgium 410 SxS and I haven't been able to find a replacement spring yet.

Is it possible that the parts could be welded back together ?

Any help on repairs or leads on a spring would be appreciated.

Thanks, Karl

It could definitely be welded by someone good enough, but I would almost gaurantee that it would either be soft of hard as a rock and brittle when done unless someone who knows how puts it through an annealing and hardening process.

Contact Abe Chaber in CT. He is an expert at making springs and was trained as a gunsmith back in Germany.





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what Dean said - that's an easy one for some one who makes springs-

be a good one to learn on if you are good with a jeweler's saw and a file

https://www.gunspares.co.uk/shopdisp...ch=Yes&sppp=50

This site in the UK has a lot of springs. I bought a V main spring for an early Greener from them once. They have a few safety springs.
People talk about Tig like it’s a magic wand, but a spring that thin will probably disintegrate.

It can probably be laser welded back. Contact Tony South at Micro Precision Welding, 269-668-2760

Tony has done many such flat springs for me. And they're ALL still going strong.

I would find a replacement before I would repair it. Can we see a picture of your Belgian Browning side by side?

Bill, It's a 1931 Belgium Guild gun 410 SxS with no makers stamp but looks nearly identical to my brothers Francotte 410.

I put the spring back in and the safety appears to work just fine... Is there any reason why it shouldn't keep on working with just one side of the spring ?

Thanks, Karl

I may be overthinking this, but I don't see why it wouldn't function as is, with a lighter spring detent. If it trying to cock sideways, a thin strip of flat stock the right width and thickness and a touch of SuperGlue under the safety slider where the piece used to set might be a temporary fix to give that side of the slide support. If it worked OK, a strip of Brownells 300deg Silver Solder could be added.

Excuse me, I thought I had read "Browning". What a nice gun that must be.

Karl, I'd use it as is, as long as it lasts. You will soon learn that it "works" with less effort than your other guns, and it won't even require thinking about.

BTW, I know a man who, when his eyesight was 100%, could weld aluminum foil together. Thinness is not a death knell for welding.

SRH

Bill, I was hoping that I could find "AF" stamped somewhere on the flats but no luck... but it's still a very nice petite 28" 410 weighing 4 lb 8 oz.

If it's functioning as is I'd say use it as long as it lasts. Before I learned to ignore most of them I used to take my MG to a local mechanic whenever there was a minor clunk or something I couldn't identify and he'd usually say, "Just drive it, it'll either get worse or it won't."

a skilled and experienced British car mechanic :corn:

Why do the Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refrigerators

I spent the large part of my working life as a welder with the first half dozen learning my skills on a TIG welder.

I feel a competent gunsmith with a TIG welder could do a good job of putting that back together for you without over heat stressing the metal. A quick quench in oil afterwards to preserve some of the springyness of the steel. That's not a high stress or pressure part.. Don

I can make you a new spring. Welding springs is not a good idea since the heat involved tends to destroy the heat treat which makes it a spring

UPDATE : Thank you to David Penland for taking the time to go thru his parts bin and find me a safety spring that he thought might work... Got it installed today and works great.

What a great bunch of gentleman here on the forum ! !

For future reference, YouTube has 3 or 4 excellent videos dealing with making, rehardening and retempering small flat springs identical to the type shown by the OP. I just yesterday rehardened and retempered the original small flat spring which holds tension on the "snap on" type forend latch of a 1909 Fox Sterlingworth. Pay close attention to the different color hues as the work is heated; the color changes signify the proper time for quenching as well as retempering. It is not at all complicated if you follow these rules.