The best way to do any work on the barrel at the breech end is to hold the barrel in a proper barrel vice. If the one I had wasn't stolen I could take a photo of it for you. However, I will knock up a CAD drawing of it and put a photo of the drawing onto the web for you. I assume the barrel is parallel and that will make things so much easier for you. The only problem in making the barrel vice is that you need a lathe to bore the clamp blocks out to the correct size. I had a set of 9 or 10 blocks with mine that I had made to suit a great range of barrels that were both tapered and/or parallel. The only way to mount this vice is to bolt it down onto a steel framed bench. My bench was framed up from 3 x 1 1/2 hot rolled steel channel about 1/4" thick. This was the only thing that wasn't stolen.
The basics of the vice consist of two pieces of 2" x 2" square black mild steel, 10" long. This was bolted to the side of the channel with a 1/2" HT bolt at each end. The two bars were drilled out with a 25/32 drill to enable two 3/4" HT bolts to be inserted, one at each end. Two more blocks, 2" x 2" square x 3" long were bored out to fit the barrel and positioned between the 2 main bars. The 3/4" bolts were then tightend as tight as possible and the action was then unscrewed. This is the style of vice you need for stubborn breech plugs. The two small blocks are bored out to about 0.040" bigger than the the barrel. Two copper strips, 1/16" thick, are placed across the blocks and the barrel in-between. This gives about 0.020" "crush" around the barrel and holds perfectly WITHOUT DAMAGE to the barrel. You MUST use soft copper strips, 2" wide to inlay around the barrel.These strips are fitted to leave a 1/4" to 3/8" gap on both sides of the join of the two small blocks. If you dont have a lathe or a mate with one to help you out, you will have to get them bored out at a w/shop. Smile when you hand over the cash 'cos you can now take any barrel or plug etc, apart.
Modern steels are capable of freezing and then applying a torque load to unscrew a barrel or whatever. But! Be careful that you dont freeze the wrong type of steel. Some steels become very brittle when frozen. The best known example of this is the ship "Titanic". Modern steels should perform with no danger but do be careful. (Yeah-yeah, I know that barrells work fine in sub arctic temps but still take care). The steel used for the Titanic was exceptionaly poor quallity.
An excellent penetrant to soak the plug with is diesel fuel. Simply stand the barrel verticaly and fill the barrel about 2 or 3 inches deep with the fuel. Leave overnight. Diesel fuel will soak through an inch of solid cast iron and drip onto the floor. The cast iron needs to have the outer hard skin removed first but it will soak through very easily. If diesel wont disolve the gunk, try acetone or any hydocarbon type of thinner.
I will send the drawing/s to Zonie to try and load onto the site but dont hold your breath hoping the drawings will download. A specific CAD program may be needed.
Joe / Wedge
The basics of the vice consist of two pieces of 2" x 2" square black mild steel, 10" long. This was bolted to the side of the channel with a 1/2" HT bolt at each end. The two bars were drilled out with a 25/32 drill to enable two 3/4" HT bolts to be inserted, one at each end. Two more blocks, 2" x 2" square x 3" long were bored out to fit the barrel and positioned between the 2 main bars. The 3/4" bolts were then tightend as tight as possible and the action was then unscrewed. This is the style of vice you need for stubborn breech plugs. The two small blocks are bored out to about 0.040" bigger than the the barrel. Two copper strips, 1/16" thick, are placed across the blocks and the barrel in-between. This gives about 0.020" "crush" around the barrel and holds perfectly WITHOUT DAMAGE to the barrel. You MUST use soft copper strips, 2" wide to inlay around the barrel.These strips are fitted to leave a 1/4" to 3/8" gap on both sides of the join of the two small blocks. If you dont have a lathe or a mate with one to help you out, you will have to get them bored out at a w/shop. Smile when you hand over the cash 'cos you can now take any barrel or plug etc, apart.
Modern steels are capable of freezing and then applying a torque load to unscrew a barrel or whatever. But! Be careful that you dont freeze the wrong type of steel. Some steels become very brittle when frozen. The best known example of this is the ship "Titanic". Modern steels should perform with no danger but do be careful. (Yeah-yeah, I know that barrells work fine in sub arctic temps but still take care). The steel used for the Titanic was exceptionaly poor quallity.
An excellent penetrant to soak the plug with is diesel fuel. Simply stand the barrel verticaly and fill the barrel about 2 or 3 inches deep with the fuel. Leave overnight. Diesel fuel will soak through an inch of solid cast iron and drip onto the floor. The cast iron needs to have the outer hard skin removed first but it will soak through very easily. If diesel wont disolve the gunk, try acetone or any hydocarbon type of thinner.
I will send the drawing/s to Zonie to try and load onto the site but dont hold your breath hoping the drawings will download. A specific CAD program may be needed.
Joe / Wedge
