Micro Welding

Seven High · Mar 9, 2019

In the May/June issue of American Handgunner there is an article about micro welding a cracked slide on a WW 2 P38. They were able to save the original slide.. I wonder if a similar technique could be developed to repair aluminum frames on SW revolvers.
Www.pullmanarms.com. Ph.508.926.8730.

stansdds · Mar 10, 2019

Seems to me there was a similar discussion here about welding aluminum not too long ago.

steelslaver · Mar 11, 2019

Problem is that its not the procedure, but the metal. That type of aluminum has a lot of copper, magnesium and zinc in it and when welded these migrate out of the weld zone. This causes weak areas right outside the weld in what is called the heat effected zone. I read an article a short while back and posted about it. They are experimenting with a filler rod that has titanium nano particles in it and somehow that stops the alloy migration.

Cracked alloy frames Hope

Protocall_Design · Mar 11, 2019

I wouldn't trust any welding on an aluminum frame, even if they do eventually get a new rod figured out. Any time you weld aluminum, the weld area reverts to condition 0, meaning dead soft. In some cases it can be retempered, but a revolver frame is not a good candidate for that operation.

steelslaver · Mar 11, 2019

I wonder about the heat treatment to. Aluminum is hardened by time at a temperature. Can't remember off the top of my head what temp, but, it is fairly low. No idea if you would need to re homogenize before hardening with this weld application. That takes considerably higher heat and some time at it.
But the main focus experimenting with this type of welding is for aircraft. If they can weld 7075 aluminum good enough for the FFA it will work for guns.

Protocall_Design · Mar 11, 2019

steelslaver said:
If they can weld 7075 aluminum good enough for the FFA it will work for guns.

The FFA is Future Farmers of America. I would think their aircraft standards would be about the same as for a tractor.

The FAA is Federal Aviation Administration. Their standards would cost a lot more than just replacing the gun.

steelslaver · Mar 11, 2019

FAA is correct, but if a 7075 weld procedure in 7will satisfy them it will work on a gun. You would not need them to inspect it. Airplane wings are 7075 and currently riveted because it is can not currently be welded with success. Most alloy gun franes are also 7075

oldbrownhat · Mar 11, 2019

Protocall_Design said:
I wouldn't trust any welding on an aluminum frame, even if they do eventually get a new rod figured out. Any time you weld aluminum, the weld area reverts to condition 0, meaning dead soft. In some cases it can be retempered, but a revolver frame is not a good candidate for that operation.

Good point. There's a fellow in Bellingham WA, George Dyson (yes- son of the Nobel-winning physicist), who makes baidarkas (Aleutian kayaks.) He carefully contours the aluminum tubing and joins the pieces with special thread and West System epoxy for that very reason- welding ruins the temper.

Micro Welding

Seven High

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steelslaver

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steelslaver

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Protocall_Design

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steelslaver

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