Pistol Help Needed

[Pork Chop]

Hi all,

I have a couple of pistols that I want to finish. They have sentimental value, so don't laugh too loud.

The first is a CVA Philadelphia Derringer. I have broken 3 trigger guards trying to make one fit. Does anyone know where I can get one that is not drilled so that it may be shaped? Tips on shaping sand cast aluminum?

The second is a Markwell Arms Kentucky pistol. I am missing the trigger guard, the thimbles, and the pushrod parts. Where can I source these?? Thanks!

 

For securing parts, go to the links section and look under suppliers. You will find several sources for your parts needs. They will not have the exact replacement part, but you should find something that will work.

For shaping sand cast brass.

Heat the part to glowing temp and dunk in water. This will soften the part enough to bend it. If you bend it several times it will harden again on its own and you will have to heat and dunk it again. This process is called annealing.

Do not heat and allow to cool slowly. This hardens brass.

Brass works just the opposite of iron.

You are working on some of the cheapest kits ever produced. Most were inlet badly and the parts are not going to snap-in or fit well. Have you considered removing some wood so that the TG will fit without bending it excessivly? That is allowed, it's called kit building. It's part of the 10% of the 90% finished gun that they leave for us to do.

:thumbsup:

 

[Pork Chop]

Yeah, I can tell that the Markwell kit was not that great. The stock is really nice, but the metal work leaves something to be desired. I had to correct some errors to get things to fit, but it is now assembled and will shoot. The remaining details are the trigger guard and the ramrod. Thanks for the shaping tips! That will help a lot!!

On the CVA, the stock is finished. I don't want to hack into it because it was finished by my father. I would rather keep breaking trigger guards until I get it right.

Any suggestions on where I can get the broken trigger guards brazed? Would a welder be able to do that?

 

[Zonie]

If you have a good weld shop, they can repair the trigger guard.
If you have this done, ask them to anneal the whole thing. It will only take a few seconds for a welder to heat it up to the bright red color and drop it into a bucket of water. (this assumes it is brass. You mentioned something about aluminum.)

The unfortunate thing about most weld shops is they usually want about $20 for a $3 job, but when they have what you need, just smile and pay them.
If you can get another part cheaper, then do it. Just anneal it as described with a propane torch and water before you bend anything.

 

[flaming canvas]

pork chop

If you have to do much annealing, you can buy a Mapp gas torch at Wally World for about $35. These are self starting and come with one cylinder. The Mapp gas will be in a yellow cylinder and costs about $8 per. This will get hot enough to work with brass and you can use regular propane for other stuff.

 

[Pork Chop]

Thanks for the tip on the Map gas. I used to have a propane torch but not the Map gas. Does that get hot enough to braze the brass?

The last time I used the propane torch is an interesting story. It was chugging away one day while I was replacing the shower fixture - having to sweat the solder - when it decided that the seals really did not need to work anymore. I was in a closet holding a 2 1/2 foot diameter fireball with my buddy between me and the door. Of course the extinguisher was behind him too. Somehow we got out of the closet and chucked that grenade on to the porch and then put it out with the extinguisher before it blew. What a trip! Needless to say, I called for someone else to finish the fixture replacement....

 

[broken arrow]

If you're talking about repairing a brass trigger guard, you can get some sheet brass from a hobby shop and silver solder a decoratively cut piece of it over the break. I saw this done in an old book on repairing firearms.

 

[Zonie]

Pork Chop: The MAP gas won't give enough heat to braze brass with a brass filler rod. It is basically Acetylene and Propane mixed together so it is hotter than propane, but because most torchs it uses are built like a propane torch, just uses air for the oxygen.

Bernz-O-Matic has a little welding rig which uses MAP and pure oxygen. It is kind of a crude Oxy-Acetylene torch with two hoses and it will generate enough heat to weld steel or braze bronze or brass. It comes with the torch and hoses, a cylinder each of MEP and Oxygen, a plastic cradle for the cylinders and a striker to light it with.

The only problem I've had is it is difficult to get the oxygen mixture adjusted and it eats oxygen fast.
The oxygen comes in a redish orange cylinder that looks like a propane cylinder. The last one I bought were over $8 each.
The last time I looked, ACE Hardware had both the MEP and the Oxygen cylinders for sale.

I bought the Bernz-O-Matic at Home Depot for about $38 a few years ago.
I didn't have any welding glasses and the only welding glasses Home Depot had were for arc welding (much too dark), so I traipsed down to the Drug store and bought the darkest (funkiest) sun glasses they had. They work great!

 

[Pork Chop]

I don't know who I am kidding. I won't braze that guard. I will try to find someone to do it for me though. I will order two new ones, but one needs to have a longer rear tang. I will have a piece of the broken one brazed onto one of the new ones and then have fun with the saws and files.

Wanna braze a guard? ::