Void in Butt Plate Casting

[Staggerwing]

Need some advice, please. I'm in the middle of building a Chambers Pennsylvania Fowler kit. I'm finishing up the butt plate inlet. Filed off the casting sprew (not sure if that's what you call it) and a void appeared. I've filed out some small voids in cast parts before but this seems to be getting bigger instead of smaller. So my question is, can this be repaired? Can I fill it with solder and file it down? Or do I need to start over with a new plate? The problem is it's right at the crest of the butt plate and in full view. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[alex efremenko]

Call Chambers, I'd be surprised if they don't give you a new one.

 

[Staggerwing]

Sorry,trying to post a few pics. Been a while since I've posted pics.

 

[Staggerwing]

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[Stophel]

If it were me, even being the perfectionist that I am (in my own way), I'd fill it and go on. 220 years ago, they would not have tossed a buttplate (especially after inletting) that showed a casting pit. I remember seeing the "George Washington" Beck rifle years ago, and as I recall, there were several rather obvious casting pits in the buttplate. As long as it's structurally sound, it's good. :wink: (and as long as you can get clean metal to stick to)

Sure, you will be able to see a gray splotch in the buttplate, but it wouldn't bother me. You could fill it with tin, and I suppose it would be fine, but silver solder would be harder and wear like the brass (and when I say "silver solder" I actually mean silver solder).

 

[Vaino]

An alternative to silver solder would be a "dentist's filling". I'd go in w/ a small cutter in a Dremel and undercut a cavity and peen a piece of brass into the cavity and file smooth. Actually that's not much of a void that some soft solder wouldn't correct.....Fred

 

[Staggerwing]

I'm not out anything by trying to fill it. I don't want to continue to file because it will soon compromise the proper shape.
I'm a perfectionist as well, to a degree. And this is only my second build so I know this isn't going to be a "collecters item" when I'm done. But I still want it to look good. Since I have already drilled the holes it would be difficult to start with a new plate and try and get it lined up perfectly.
I have some silver bearing solder paste. Would that be worth trying or should I try and peen some solder in place and file that?

 

[Vaino]

If the silver solder bearing paste is low temp {approx. 450 degrees}, then try to heat the Bplate which is a pretty good sized chuck of metal and requires a "hot" heat source.....that would be the simplest solution.

Otherwise, peening a piece of yellow brass into the "prepared" void would also get the job done.....Fred

 

[Vaino]

Forgot to mention that the piece of brass for peening should be annealed....Fred

 

[Staggerwing]

Thanks, Fred! I'll report my results!

 

[ohio ramrod]

I had a butt plate once with a large void in it along the top. My solution was to take a fine chisel and "engrave a heart" around the void then fill it with solder giving a inlayed heart. It wasn't a defect it was a design element! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Gustavo Hoefs]

If you got a replacement would it fit the same as the one that is already fitted? If the new one won't be an exact match I could repair that one by filling or fuseing brass back into the porosity. It would take a bit of torch work but it's most likely it would blend in the same color because I would be using brass on brass.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

I looked up in my books a lot of examples of engraving where his recess is, in particular on early fowlers, but did not know if he was trying to emulate a particular school or maker in Pennsylvania.

 

[M. De Land]

Why can't you braze fill it shut with and acetylene welder and strike of the excess.

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

Why can't you braze fill it shut with and acetylene welder and strike of the excess.

Does anybody have any experience with this stuff?
https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Brass-Wire-Solder-20-Ga/132201

 

[Gustavo Hoefs]

I've had really bad experiences mixing brass and silver one seems to dissolve the other and this solder contains 20% silver so I don't know how it would work, just have to pay your money and take your chance.

 

[M. De Land]

I'd just use regular brass filler rod and Borax for flux.

 

[Staggerwing]

I don't have an acetylene torch (yet). My thoughts are to clean it up and try some silver bearing solder paste. Hopefully I can get it clean enough and the solder will fill the porosity and I can file it down. If that doesn't work I am going to try Fred's idea of undercutting the area and peening in some brass.
Would love to someday have the ability to engrave that area but I'm nowhere near ready to engrave.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I had a butt plate once with a large void in it along the top. My solution was to take a fine chisel and "engrave a heart" around the void then fill it with solder giving a inlayed heart. It wasn't a defect it was a design element! :idunno: :idunno:

I was going to suggest something similar. Turn a lemon into lemonade. Or even better tequila sours. :wink: When my Jaeger was being built the builder found a void in the trigger guard. He cleaned it up, filled with silver and made this:

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[Vaino]

Quite the idea...reminds me of a fishing jig or a spermatozoon.....or the builder could have left it "as is"?.....Fred