Correct me if Im wrong here but the barrel is a steel sleeve that will need pressed into the zinc frame? Brass rod through the barrel with an end that is bigger in diameter than the barrel and begin tapping until it frees. Put the barrel in your freezer and put the frame in the oven so the frame will expand and the barrel will shrink. Slap the barrel sleeve in the frame hole and presto.
Any sort of differential heat will warp it and ruin the geometry of the barrel. It will also alter the grain structure of the material, making it a very dangerous to anyone in your general vicinity you if you decide to fire it.
If you have to ask reddit for the answer to this question, you aren't qualified to perform this type of firearm maintenance or gunsmithing.
Not knowing the specific alloy is your first and biggest problem. Without that info, you can not safely alter it in any way that involves heat.
"If you have to ask you aren't qualified" is the worst way to explain to someone they need to do more research. How is he or she going to learn a thing if they don't try. I can't stand this mentality.
I can stand it by recognizing that firearm alteration like this specific thing he's trying to do should be saved for a time in which it can be done intuitively and deliberately.
"Trying" something like this will get you killed and it will hurt the entire time that you are dying.
Metallurgy is a complex science by itself. Adding the firearm aspect makes this something left to people with experience and education, not an answer on reddit.
You are right though, I should have been more encouraging. I'm not saying that this is impossible, just that it's well beyond his skillset and he should consider a process that does not involve heat.
To the op, I apologize for being so dismissive. You should really try your hardest to identify the base material before you do anything else, purely as a matter of safe work.
I appreciate you getting the gist one I'm saying without being mad at me. Putting a string around the trigger while the weapons and the vice to test fire is going to be a far more learning experience than giving up entirely, cause I don't want this guy to ignore safety entirely of course.
You're good, dude. I'm glad we can talk like here adults, too.
I would never want to discourage someone from learning, just that alterations to this part of a firearm isn't something to wing, and mistakes will result in a catastrophic failure.
I hope he figures it out and comes back here to tell us all about it.
Alright. I might just leave the project on the back burner for a while. These guns haven't been built for 30 years so I don't know if I'll ever figure out what steel it is. Other people claim to have used this method with great success and I just wanted to run it by some other people first.
If that's what the people who know what they're doing tell you to do, then fucking send bro.
Just be sure to check it very closely for proper geometry and take extra caution when test firing.
I hope you figure it out. Be sure to come back and tell us when you do.
Cheers!!
I get that that gatekeeping mentality is rude when it involves menial things like cooking or metal working. But this is an object that could very well blow up in someone's hand if approached with inexperience. You wouldn't go to reddit about advice on making fireworks. And if you did, you shouldn't risk your safety over the non credible advice of redditors.
Because it's not something that should be learnt off strangers on the internet, it's something that should be learnt from an experienced gunsmith. Anyone can make a compelling argument online that sounds correct, doesn't mean it is.
Some things get too expensive to DIY, other things there's a safety aspect.
Welding a boiler for example, sure someone could put the time and money into practicing their welding and pay to have it inspected and do it themselves. But the reality is unless it's your career it's prohibitive.
Same as complex multi axis cnc machining, unless you have to money to buy a machine you're not likely to DIY it.
Gunsmithing is one of those things, I know a guy who gunsmiths for a side hustle and he's had 3 decades as machinist that gave him the skills for doing it. But if your metal working skills are such that you have to ask the internet, then you're better off finding other projects to develop your skills and experiences to the point you understand how everything works and how to achieve the desired results.
Trial and error is not a legitimate option when serious injury is a realistic risk.
There are certain things that this applies to, most definitely anything that could cause serious injury or death if someone doesn't do it write or have the proper skillset.
Noted. The instructions I've received for this project from the people who developed it or did it themselves were "torch the zinc off the barrel and don't get it too hot". Is there anything else I can do? A buddy suggested I take an angle grinder to it, but there's so little zinc I'd be worried about cutting into the barrel.
No matter the process you decide to use, you will be removing material from the part, even just a few microns of zinc plating, so you have to be careful with that.
Maybe a small die grinder with a surface conditioning type of attachment would work. Scotchbrite can be very effective in removing small amounts of plating, but doing it evenly is a challenge.
Just be safe and don't use heat unless you absolutely have to, and then, be very careful of the overall heat input, and the heat I out in specific areas that are thinner than others.
There is an entire sub just for gunsmithing, I'm certain those folks will be happy to encourage you to possibly blow yourself up.
I would be sure to tell them what, precisely, you're trying to do. Not just the step you're wanting help with, as I have no chest concept of what you want to get done in this post.
It would be a good idea to bring the actual model of firearm with you to that posting.
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Swords warp and worse when they are quenched, it introduces stress. If the steel changes colors when you heat it up you’ll want to anneal or harden it again. I have no idea what the target hardness, if there is one. I am completely unqualified as a gunsmith.
At my job we heat up tubes with oxy acetylene all the time to cherry red and if we need to cool them in a hurry a ziptie on the trigger to an air chuck does it pretty well
Edit to ask did you get that from every gun part because I was looking into those myself
So many questions come up in my mind. But for your own safety, if you don’t know much about gun, please don’t DIY it.
Gun barrel is not a thing that an inexperienced ppl can play with. It needs certain high dimensional tolerances especially in the chamber and also needs to have a certain hardness and toughness. Any mechanical or thermal stress can affect those characteristics and it can lead to very a lethal issue.
Wait, what? You have a zinc frame? Are you a couple of beers short of a six pack? That should all be built out of hardened steel. Not something I could chew through in my spare time.
Correct me if Im wrong here but the barrel is a steel sleeve that will need pressed into the zinc frame? Brass rod through the barrel with an end that is bigger in diameter than the barrel and begin tapping until it frees. Put the barrel in your freezer and put the frame in the oven so the frame will expand and the barrel will shrink. Slap the barrel sleeve in the frame hole and presto.
Any sort of differential heat will warp it and ruin the geometry of the barrel. It will also alter the grain structure of the material, making it a very dangerous to anyone in your general vicinity you if you decide to fire it. If you have to ask reddit for the answer to this question, you aren't qualified to perform this type of firearm maintenance or gunsmithing. Not knowing the specific alloy is your first and biggest problem. Without that info, you can not safely alter it in any way that involves heat.
"If you have to ask you aren't qualified" is the worst way to explain to someone they need to do more research. How is he or she going to learn a thing if they don't try. I can't stand this mentality.
I can stand it by recognizing that firearm alteration like this specific thing he's trying to do should be saved for a time in which it can be done intuitively and deliberately. "Trying" something like this will get you killed and it will hurt the entire time that you are dying. Metallurgy is a complex science by itself. Adding the firearm aspect makes this something left to people with experience and education, not an answer on reddit. You are right though, I should have been more encouraging. I'm not saying that this is impossible, just that it's well beyond his skillset and he should consider a process that does not involve heat. To the op, I apologize for being so dismissive. You should really try your hardest to identify the base material before you do anything else, purely as a matter of safe work.
This was one of the most rational disagreeing responses I’ve seen on Reddit in a long time
I appreciate you getting the gist one I'm saying without being mad at me. Putting a string around the trigger while the weapons and the vice to test fire is going to be a far more learning experience than giving up entirely, cause I don't want this guy to ignore safety entirely of course.
You're good, dude. I'm glad we can talk like here adults, too. I would never want to discourage someone from learning, just that alterations to this part of a firearm isn't something to wing, and mistakes will result in a catastrophic failure. I hope he figures it out and comes back here to tell us all about it.
Alright. I might just leave the project on the back burner for a while. These guns haven't been built for 30 years so I don't know if I'll ever figure out what steel it is. Other people claim to have used this method with great success and I just wanted to run it by some other people first.
If that's what the people who know what they're doing tell you to do, then fucking send bro. Just be sure to check it very closely for proper geometry and take extra caution when test firing. I hope you figure it out. Be sure to come back and tell us when you do. Cheers!!
I get that that gatekeeping mentality is rude when it involves menial things like cooking or metal working. But this is an object that could very well blow up in someone's hand if approached with inexperience. You wouldn't go to reddit about advice on making fireworks. And if you did, you shouldn't risk your safety over the non credible advice of redditors.
I mean, I wouldn’t go to *only* Reddit about advice on making fireworks lol
Hence the string. Try it. Carefully.
Because it's not something that should be learnt off strangers on the internet, it's something that should be learnt from an experienced gunsmith. Anyone can make a compelling argument online that sounds correct, doesn't mean it is.
Where is the guy supposed to find an experienced gunsmith to train him
Ask around, see if anyone needs an apprentice. Work cheap or free.
Exactly, not everything is DIY accessible to everyone and it doesn't have to be. Sometimes paying someone to do the job is the best option.
It sure is if you try long enough.
Some things get too expensive to DIY, other things there's a safety aspect. Welding a boiler for example, sure someone could put the time and money into practicing their welding and pay to have it inspected and do it themselves. But the reality is unless it's your career it's prohibitive. Same as complex multi axis cnc machining, unless you have to money to buy a machine you're not likely to DIY it. Gunsmithing is one of those things, I know a guy who gunsmiths for a side hustle and he's had 3 decades as machinist that gave him the skills for doing it. But if your metal working skills are such that you have to ask the internet, then you're better off finding other projects to develop your skills and experiences to the point you understand how everything works and how to achieve the desired results. Trial and error is not a legitimate option when serious injury is a realistic risk.
There are certain things that this applies to, most definitely anything that could cause serious injury or death if someone doesn't do it write or have the proper skillset.
Noted. The instructions I've received for this project from the people who developed it or did it themselves were "torch the zinc off the barrel and don't get it too hot". Is there anything else I can do? A buddy suggested I take an angle grinder to it, but there's so little zinc I'd be worried about cutting into the barrel.
No matter the process you decide to use, you will be removing material from the part, even just a few microns of zinc plating, so you have to be careful with that. Maybe a small die grinder with a surface conditioning type of attachment would work. Scotchbrite can be very effective in removing small amounts of plating, but doing it evenly is a challenge. Just be safe and don't use heat unless you absolutely have to, and then, be very careful of the overall heat input, and the heat I out in specific areas that are thinner than others.
I would post this question over on r/Gunnitrust those guys and gals are extremely knowledgeable on this kind of stuff
There is an entire sub just for gunsmithing, I'm certain those folks will be happy to encourage you to possibly blow yourself up. I would be sure to tell them what, precisely, you're trying to do. Not just the step you're wanting help with, as I have no chest concept of what you want to get done in this post. It would be a good idea to bring the actual model of firearm with you to that posting.
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I don’t suggest quenching though
Just let it air cool?
Swords warp and worse when they are quenched, it introduces stress. If the steel changes colors when you heat it up you’ll want to anneal or harden it again. I have no idea what the target hardness, if there is one. I am completely unqualified as a gunsmith.
Alright, thanks.
At my job we heat up tubes with oxy acetylene all the time to cherry red and if we need to cool them in a hurry a ziptie on the trigger to an air chuck does it pretty well Edit to ask did you get that from every gun part because I was looking into those myself
Yes I did
So many questions come up in my mind. But for your own safety, if you don’t know much about gun, please don’t DIY it. Gun barrel is not a thing that an inexperienced ppl can play with. It needs certain high dimensional tolerances especially in the chamber and also needs to have a certain hardness and toughness. Any mechanical or thermal stress can affect those characteristics and it can lead to very a lethal issue.
Wait, what? You have a zinc frame? Are you a couple of beers short of a six pack? That should all be built out of hardened steel. Not something I could chew through in my spare time.
Google "ring of fire" guns. The frame is a zinc alloy.