Arrgh! I overcut the front site dovetail!!!!

[FatJackDurham]

Dangnabit! I over cut the front dovetail on my Lemonblock. I even stopped cutting the dove tail and worked the sight smaller to prevent this, but, even after leveling constantly, when I mounted the sight, it was tilted left! I had to level the dovetail in the barrel, and after it was done, its too big for even a normal 3/8!!!!

I hate that! I feel like such an idiot. I shimmed the beech front site I planned to use, and its all level now, but later, when I want to get a Soule sight and globe, I'll have to get a .450 front sight and carefully open up the slot.

I took this really slow too. But I swear, something is wrong with my eyes, or with my ability to measure. I cut notches in the barrel, filed it out square and level, then worked it with a safe triangle file till the sight could start to go in. Every 20 strokes with the file, level the receiver, level the slot, adjust, check the slot for square, adjust. Then when the sight can just start to go in, I stopped working the slot, and started working the sight. Get it in nice and snug, check it.... TILTED!!!!!! Dang it!!!!!

[Tycer]

Since it's all still in the white, can't you have it built back up and then recut it? Mig tig braze....

[FatJackDurham]

I dunno.... Can I? Would brazing or mig tig deform the bore right at the end? If not, sure, I could weld it up or have it done....

Weigh in, let me know.

[FatJackDurham]

I just did a search on weldingweb, and they say NO NO NO NO NO!!! to welding a barrel. However, they did suggest silver soldering the sight up and recutting to fill the gap! That is an idea, and the sight was (comparitively) cheap enough that I might consider it.

However, I don't have a silver solder setup, but me mum did silver work and maybe I could use her stuff.....

[rbertalotto]

No welding on the muzzle.........Period!

Cut the barrel back and start over...??

[FatJackDurham]

Barrel is pretty short already, just 26 inches. Like I said, I can expand the slot to a .450 dovetail, it just irritates me, because I have the worst time cutting straight lines level things etc. Its like I have dislexia with tools.

[Mainehunter]

No welding on the muzzle.........Period!

Cut the barrel back and start over...??

+1 on the welding. BIG NO,NO! Since it's not blued the only option I see is sliver solder. Done it a couple of times myself and it came out good.

Mainehunter

[BrianSH]

How about dimpling the bottom of the site with a arrogant idiot-punch to raise "craters" on the surface that mates with the barrel, this should take up more room. this was done on old pistols when the site loosened up over the years.

Also, get one of those knife blade type feeler gauges, pick out which 10-thousanths thickness you need, and solder that onto the site bottom, then file to shape. Nary a torch comes near the barrel.

And lastly, line it up real well and J-B Weld it. - Brian

[FatJackDurham]

No welding on the muzzle.........Period!

Cut the barrel back and start over...??

+1 on the welding. BIG NO,NO! Since it's not blued the only option I see is sliver solder. Done it a couple of times myself and it came out good.

Mainehunter

Can you silver solder in the dove tail? Isnt that as bad as welding? I was thinking of silver soldering on the sight.

Cant stipple, at least not the beech site as I already worked it smaller. i ahve a pretty big shim in there. For now, I'll leave it and get a .450 globe site one of these days when i have the money.

[AJMD429]

WHAT if you took a separate piece of metal, carefully dovetailed it to fit your sight (or purchased a pre-dovetailed ramp or chunk of scrap barrel), and enlarged your cut enough to set in THAT piece of metal into your barrel...?

[FatJackDurham]

WHAT if you took a separate piece of metal, carefully dovetailed it to fit your sight (or purchased a pre-dovetailed ramp or chunk of scrap barrel), and enlarged your cut enough to set in THAT piece of metal into your barrel...?

And then dovetailed that? Dont think I havent considered that... unless you were kidding....

[El Chivo]

make yourself a custom sight out of stock metal, make it just right to fit your new dovetail.

Skinner sights used to do custom front sights, I sent in a drawing and he did it for me. This was before he sold the business, but I would bet the new guy will do it too. Just tell them the new dimensions of your new dovetail.

When you sell the rifle, tell them it's the European standard dovetail.

[Sixgun]

Man, you worry too much. Screwing up only makes you better the next time.

Look here, the gun is not a 300 Weatherby with massive recoil. Clean everything up real good and make sure its degreased.

Mix up some 2 part PC-7 epoxy and a small batch of 2 part 5 minute epoxy. Then mix the whole mess together and fill in the dovetail. Set your sight in there and level it with a small square. Using a tool of some sort, fill in the gaps. Let it dry.

The reason you add the other 5 minute epoxy to the PC-7 is because it will end up real smooth, like steel, unlike using PC-7 by itself. There will be no tiny holes to suck in oil or paint...it will be smoooooothhhh.

Let it harden for a day, then get out your artists paint brush and paint the glued area semi-gloss black---you may not have to do this as PC-7 is black.

If you get tired of or have a need to change the front sight, just hit the area with a propane torch and you will be back where you started.......your angled dovetail.

I've built up front sights with PC-7 on 44 magnums and they lasted for years or until I had the proper higher sight put on.----------------------------------------------------------Sixgun

[FatJackDurham]

Sixgun, that sounds like a good trick, but I am so sloppy as it is, I shudder to think how that would look....

But, I have a couple of old barrels now, the mauser I practiced the dovetails on and the old barrel from this gun. I'd like to practice this. Where do you get this type of epoxy? I have never heard of it. If I can do it well, maybe I'll try it on my Steven's which has that slightly over sized dovetail of .460 and doesnt even fit the .450 front sights.

[AJMD429]

The reason you add the other 5 minute epoxy to the PC-7 is because it will end up real smooth, like steel, unlike using PC-7 by itself. There will be no tiny holes to suck in oil or paint...it will be smoooooothhhh.

How does that make it so much smoother - is it just because it sets faster...???

Man, you worry too much. Screwing up only makes you better the next time.

I try to be sure and screw up a couple times a week, just to keep myself in top performance...

And then dovetailed that? Dont think I havent considered that... unless you were kidding....

Not exactly - Dovetail the add-on piece FIRST, so if you screw it up, you haven't messed up the 'gun' yet.

I like Sixgun's epoxy idea though, particularly if you can do a good color-match.

[Dave]

A lot of times you can dimple the bottom of the dovetail to tighten it up. Also you can tap the ears down to tighten it up.

[1894c]

Man, you worry too much. Screwing up only makes you better the next time.

that's the best quote I've seen in along time...made my day... :)

[handirifle]

A lot of times you can dimple the bottom of the dovetail to tighten it up. Also you can tap the ears down to tighten it up.

But if it's angled, I think the sight would lean if be bent the ears down.

Nothing special needed to silver solder, just the proper flux and solder, and a propane torch. You might also get by with an old autobody trick and use lead to fill the angled area, and re-file.

[Chuck 100 yd]

If you don`t have one of these,GET ONE !!
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools ... d5769.aspx
I use the #5 lens in mine. If you use dime store readers to see detailed work know that those cheap lenses distort the view. I use them but when doing high detail work for precision I always use my Optivisor. Kinda expensive now and they were spendy back about 30 years ago when I bought mine.
You will never do detail work without them once you try them.

That said, I would make a new front sight from scratch to fit the oversize dovetail after you true it up.
Here is one I made for my Ruger SP101 .22 a couple weeks ago.

[FatJackDurham]

Wow nice! Dod you do all that by hand?

[Chuck 100 yd]

No, I used my milling machine BUT the final fitting is done with jewelers files.
The mill just hogs the waste off and keeps things straight.

[FatJackDurham]

No, I used my milling machine BUT the final fitting is done with jewelers files.
The mill just hogs the waste off and keeps things straight.

Ah. I dont have a mill. Yet.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Just solder a shim to the bottom of the sight. Make it thick enough so you can shape it to fit the larger dovetail but also thick enough to correct the leaning sight.

BTW, Solder it on then shape.

[FatJackDurham]

Just solder a shim to the bottom of the sight. Make it thick enough so you can shape it to fit the larger dovetail but also thick enough to correct the leaning sight.

BTW, Solder it on then shape.

Thanks, that is what I was thinking.

I have a question, though. everyone talks about "Silver" soldering, but silver melts at 1763 F, while I read that some "silver" solders melt as low as 1145 F. Lead/Tin plumbing solder melts as low as 361 F, but that cant be what you recommend. But, at 1000 is the alloy on the sight itself good enoug?

What kind of torch do I need for gunsmith silver soldering. I have a regular oxycetaline rig, but is that too hot?

i have been wondering about silver soldering for a while. It seems like something I should do. I have done brazing on steel with the oxy torch, but again that is so hot. wonder what kind of equipment is used on silver soldering. Can someone give me a quick downlow?

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Just solder a shim to the bottom of the sight. Make it thick enough so you can shape it to fit the larger dovetail but also thick enough to correct the leaning sight.

BTW, Solder it on then shape.

Thanks, that is what I was thinking.

I have a question, though. everyone talks about "Silver" soldering, but silver melts at 1763 F, while I read that some "silver" solders melt as low as 1145 F. Lead/Tin plumbing solder melts as low as 361 F, but that cant be what you recommend. But, at 1000 is the alloy on the sight itself good enoug?

What kind of torch do I need for gunsmith silver soldering. I have a regular oxycetaline rig, but is that too hot?

i have been wondering about silver soldering for a while. It seems like something I should do. I have done brazing on steel with the oxy torch, but again that is so hot. wonder what kind of equipment is used on silver soldering. Can someone give me a quick downlow?

Check these out.

Hi-Force 44 Solder

Hi-Temp Hi-Force 44 Solder

[piller]

Just a tiny bit of advice. If you are unfamiliar with silver solder, get some relatively inexpensive pieces of copper at a hardware store in the plumbing section, and practice on them. Silver solder can be chased around the object it is on and when you stop the heat, it is sucked into the crack or crevice of the mating surfaces. It is not terribly easy to get the hang of, but it doesn't take too much to learn. I put in my water heater and had to learn silver soldering that way. No leaks in almost 10 years, so it is apparently done correctly. A little bit of flux goes a long way and both parts need to be very clean.

[AJMD429]

I did not realize I had been 'sweat' or 'silver' soldering for years, every time I fired up the propane torch to do some plumbing.

[FatJackDurham]

Okay, i see. Based on the temps listed, it seems these are similar to lead tin solder, but not pure silver. Since it says to heat the part, not the solder, would you use a small torch, say like a hand held butane torch?

[piller]

I bought one of the ones that can also use MAPP gas, and the tip swirls the flame. It is plenty hot enough to do the job.

[FatJackDurham]

I bought one of the ones that can also use MAPP gas, and the tip swirls the flame. It is plenty hot enough to do the job.

What model is that?