I often see reference to welding a 1911 frame or barrel lugs. What kind of welder would I use? I have a flux wire welder. What that work or do I need something like a TIG welder? I have several 1911 barrels that need welding up to fit right. I hate just throwing them away and buying new from someone else.
I'm more curious about the welding where slides and frames are conscerned, say slide rails for instance. Are the frames annealed first? Then what's the process from there?
Frames are about 28-32 Rockwell and require no annealing to weld.
The process is weld, machine, fit, shoot
Clark will weld up the barrels for 35 a piece. I had a few welded up and am happy with their work.
Quote:
I often see reference to welding a 1911 frame or barrel lugs. What kind of
welder would I use? I have a flux wire welder. What that work or do I need
something like a TIG welder? I have several 1911 barrels that need welding up
to fit right. I hate just throwing them away and buying new from someone
else.
Somewhere... I had a book written by a looong ago smith that welded barrel hoods and lugs with Oxy/Acetylene... imagine that, but that's all they had back then. I am super reluctant to weld on barrels, but if I do, it is TIG only... and lots of copper heat dams. Cracked/broken hoods and cracked lower lugs in the pin hole area are not that rare. HAZ and admixture are major considerations. If doing dovetails, I machine the edges off to reduce admixture. The thinner edges of the dovetail melt and mixes rapidly with the weld deposit. Not desireable. Also, a tig machine with a pulse feature is almost a must in my opinion for gun work... reduces HAZ/admixture and greatly aids control.