Front sight advice PLEASE

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Rató:rats

Rató:rats

45 Cal.
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So it seems my ex was right and whenever I try to fix something I make it worse.
I partially knocked my front sight off over the weekend, it was hanging on by a thread of solder. I read on here superglue might do the job and voila. I now have two areas on my browned Colerain barrel.
Any idea how to remove without damaging the browning?
Also now the front sight is COMPLETELY off so suggestions on a simple fix for that also welcome.
Many thanks
IMG_3455.jpeg
IMG_3457.jpeg
IMG_3456.jpeg
 
Now for the barrel. Simple fix, JB Weld.
Correct fix, resolder rebrown. That is after the barrel is cleaned and freshened up. It appears there was never a good solder joint there. To do this correctly, wire brush and sand clean that area, and on the bottom of the sight to be replaced, then flux and resolder.
 
(re acetone)
Rató:rats said:
But it is it safe on a browned barrel?
Click to expand...
It should be. I use acetone all the time on blued gun metal and it has no effect.

If you have to wire brush, that may reduce the rust browning. You'll probably have to touch it up and blend it back in. Tedious and touchy but can be done so as nobody but you will notice.
 
CuNosecap said:
Now for the barrel. Simple fix, JB Weld.
Correct fix, resolder rebrown. That is after the barrel is cleaned and freshened up. It appears there was never a good solder joint there. To do this correctly, wire brush and sand clean that area, and on the bottom of the sight to be replaced, then flux and resolder.
Click to expand...
F word I really really don’t want to re brown this barrel. It is a TVM Fowler I bought second hand off the gentlemen who built it from kit after he’d shot it for 12 years and I think his skills far surpass what I could do as you can probably guess from these results of my own amateurish bumbling
 
To re-solder without damaging the metal finish: you need bare clean metal on the mating surfaces. Create a perimeter line on the barrel with a light scribe by tracing around the sight base. Sand up to but not over the line. Clamp the sight to the barrel in its precise location. Generously but gently rub soap stone (welding supply) all over the barrel around and up to the sight base. Coat the entire circumference of the barrel in a generous area around the sight. Solder won't stick to the soap stone so make sure everything is well covered around the sight. Remove the clamped sight and "tin" the sight base with regular low temp plumber's solder. "Tin" the area on the barrel where the sight will set. Clamp the sight to the barrel again in its correct location. Heat one side of the sight/barrel only and touch the other side with the solder until its JUST hot enough to draw a small bit of solder into the joint. Between that and the small amount of "tinning" you did, it should be sufficient to hold the sight on. Leave clamped until cool.

If you're now lost, pay a professional to do it for you.
 
The Appalachian said:
To re-solder without damaging the metal finish: you need bare clean metal on the mating surfaces. Create a perimeter line on the barrel with a light scribe by tracing around the sight base. Sand up to but not over the line. Clamp the sight to the barrel in its precise location. Generously but gently rub soap stone (welding supply) all over the barrel around and up to the sight base. Coat the entire circumference of the barrel in a generous area around the sight. Solder won't stick to the soap stone so make sure everything is well covered around the sight. Remove the clamped sight and "tin" the sight base with regular low temp plumber's solder. "Tin" the area on the barrel where the sight will set. Clamp the sight to the barrel again in its correct location. Heat one side of the sight/barrel only and touch the other side with the solder until its JUST hot enough to draw a small bit of solder into the joint. Between that and the small amount of "tinning" you did, it should be sufficient to hold the sight on. Leave clamped until cool.

If you're now lost, pay a professional to do it for you.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking i might do the latter suggestion
Thank you for your detailed response
 
You can do it bud , you just gotta be careful . Small file and just hit where the sight originally sat . Go slow , when its silver your good ... Keep that silver streak narrow !! Sight in a vice and few strokes with the file on it , square on bottom of sight ... Barrel in vice , secured ..Paste flux on the clean barrel and bottom of sight .... 50/50 solder , pound it flat with hammer and cut that in half ....nice and thin . Lay sight in its spot ...Heating barrel around sight not on it ... Always moving , dont stop , never let the flame stop on the barrel ,always moving , back and forth and all sides .... Keep touching the thin solder to the edgesvof the sight . It takes awhile but you'll start seeing the solder start to flow under the sight , it'll suck it under the sight ...just keep touching the base where the sight and barrel meet . Eventually youll see solder all around , just thin , barely see the silver solder on all four sides of sight base ....then look down barrel , make sure sight is centered. Should be since its in its spot but make sure ... Then .... Let it sit and cool ...it takes some time !!! Dont try to hurry it , dont let that flame spot on the barrel , keep.moving it around .... Best of luck ! !
 
Tinning the bottom of the front sight as Appalachian explians is a great idea too . Tin the bottom of the sight , file it flat , it'll be rounded ... flux it and the barrel spot that has been filed clean ... A spring pushing down on the front sight is great if you can do that . I have a long spring and have used hacksaw blades too ... With spots fluxed , sight tinned in 50/50 , spring on sight , sight centered .... Then start that always moving flame with your torch , never stopping .... You see the edges of the sight get real shiney ... Eventually ...the solder has flowed ... take heat away and let it cool ....best of luck !!
 
With all respect to your request for help for a simple fix. A bandaid approach only works when you need to releive the pain and trickle of blood on a kids boo-boo. You have an issue that requires straght forward repair. If it were mine, I would clean the super glue off and solder another sight on. If I mess up the browning, then that has to be re done. Others may disagree, but that is what I would do. A good solder job will stand unless you smack it pretty good. Super glue is OK if ya just want a wall hanger!
Good luck
Larry
 
Not that I disagree that a solder job is the correct fix but there is a LocTite product called Black Max. OEM's are using it to attach front sight bases, ribs and ramps on shotguns.
It is also used in laser manufacturing.
Its impressive and if the surfaces are prepped and primed properly it aint coming off
 

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