I would like to know how everyone else steaks them in there? I don't want to buy no tools, so any idea on an effective home made set up?
I've seen a pair of vice grips modified with a "tooth" on one jaw, and the other jaw relieved for the plunger tube.
Highly detailed blueprint attached.
Wow, l am liking the highly detailed blueprint, looks like the same engineer also drew the print in the Slide fitting article a few threads below this one.
As you can see in the photos below, this could also be easily made if you have access to a milling machine to releive the block for the plunger tube. Next put staking rod in magwell and nestle expander thingamajigee in plunger tube arm and wallop it with a hammer to expand it from the backside. Not difficult.
The tools used by 'the hoggster' are by far the best!
I think they are a Tom Wilson design, no longer manufactured.
At any rate, if the studs of the tube are not long enough, no method will truly secure the tube.
The Caspian tubes are the best I've found.
Current Colt's have MIM plunger tubes with studs about 1/32nd of an inch too short!
I silver-solder tubes to the frame for other smiffs, but find this to be distasteful for several reasons.
I use a pair of Ken Hallock Chinese pliers with a slot ground in one jaw and a pointed set screw in the other. These have never worked the greatest by themselves. My best results have been achieved using a home made slotted block like the one in the picture and the jaw from the Hallock pliers with the pointed set screw, a vice and a hammer. Also it helps to chamfer the top of the holes inside the frame with dremel burr. Brownells used to sell a tricky little dovetail you could stick through a plunger tube hole and then fit in your dremel. I wish I would have bought one as they no longer sell them. The only fancy or supposed extra quality and length tube I have ever tried is a Rock River and I will say the it is precision and the studs are long. It staked in so well on my CMC that taking it out without damaging it was pretty tough. No light could be seen between the flats and when I later removed it I discovered the parkerizing solution couldn't even sneak under it to the frame.
Quicky lesson in 1911ology for newer builders. If you can hold the gun up to the light and see light shining through the dovetails or between the plunger tube keep practicing cause you ain't there yet. Although, don't despair to terribly if you do see some light as I looked at a couple of 800 dollar stainless XSE Colts about a week ago and felt much better about the worst job I ever did.
Well I tried the plyer method with only ok results... I think I better order a extra plunger tube and those little pins... and the spring.
I lost one spring and a pin... It was plain luck I found both! Then I realized, I can clip them into the spring before I put them in their (as I had turned down the one pin so it would fit from the other way, DOH!