Can't loosen extractor rod on K-frame

[niemi24s]

Put the cylinder in the frezzer over night, then try to take it apart. Heat will make the parts get bigger and the cold will make them smaller.

Better yet, heat the outside part and chill the inside part (if possible) with something like Compound W Freeze Off. Works best on larger things because the expansion coefficient for most steels is only about 7 parts per million per degree Fahrenheit.

If the inside & outside parts are of the same steel, chilling both the same amount will see the hole shrink the same amount as the pin (or screw) shrinks. Sufficient chilling of both, however, might possibly make it easier for the threadlocker to fail by shearing.

My 2¢ worth.

Regards

 

[scooter123]

I think any temp above 350 F will start to re heatreat the steel.

Tom

Tom, for the steels used in most handguns it takes a minimum of 600 degrees to have any effect on the heat treat and a temperature this low will only effect a part that has been heat treated to a high hardness, probablly in excess of 60 Rc. My impression is the most firearms are only hardened to the mid 30's to mid 40's for stress bearing parts and to effect a temper this soft you have to get well above 900 degrees. Basically, about the only parts in a handgun or rifle that might be effected by a 600 degree exposure are the sear surfaces.

Bottomline, being conservative, you can heat handgun components to 450 degrees without any concern about changing the properties due to heat treating. However, for a part such as a barrel that was not properly tempered, or was machined using a pre-tempered blank, this much heat has a remote chance of causing the part to "warp" due to internal stresses being relieved. However, that risk is actually pretty remote and you'd probably have to "cook" that part for at least 48 hours to have any effect. In addition, simply shooting the gun can have the same effect because one method for stress relieving steels is by shot peening it because repeated sharp vibrations can have a similar effect on internal stresses as a long heat soak.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

Sufficient chilling of both, however, might possibly make it easier for the threadlocker to fail by shearing.

My 2¢ worth.

Regards

 

[Combat]

Saved me the trouble

I'm glad I saw this thread. I was going to ask this same question. On my 19-3 someone had tightened the rod with a pair of pliers and buggered up the end. I found a new rod at the gunshow and was wondering the best way to swap them out.I'm going to try the boards and vise method and see what happens. Thanks very much.

 

[niemi24s]

Not sure what the grinning faces meant, but my thinking here is that with the service temperature range for Loctite Red 241 being -65°F to +300°F, the upper limit is 230°F away from a 70°F room temperature but the lower limit is only 135° away. Even though Freeze Off was only -55°F when I tested it with a bead probe, methinks the threadlocker may become brittle enough to fail before some gun part does.

And for those fearful of heating Ole Betsy to the 482°F that Loctite specifies for disassembly, perhaps chilling is an acceptable alternative.

Regards