from benchrest.com

http://www.benchrest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43941

Nice tooling.
That would be a good application for an electron beam weld.

quote:

Nice tooling.
That would be a good application for an electron beam weld.

I agree but, do you know any gunsmith let alone the average welding shop that has an electron beam welder? The only place I ever saw one was in the nuclear weapons plant I used to work at.

those are some intresting pictures. Thanks for the link TC!

my tig welding is barnyard variety- the poster mentioned gas purging to keep the bolt body cool, can anyone explain that to me?

thanks.

After you release the pedal or hand control, the gas will flow through the torch for a few seconds. Press the control again with out stricking a arch, and the gas will flow more.
The air/gas flow cools the metal.

I think that gas purging to keep the bolt body cool refers to having a fitting that screws into the rear of the bolt that permits an intert gas to flow through the bolt as you weld. I've made purge blocks for parts that were welded on one side but we wanted to prevent oxidation or contamination on the opposite side.
Think aerospace or R&D labs for this kind of stuff.

Hate to be the bad guy here but I think that fixture is way overcomplicated!! In the forum they even pointed out a few of the problems you can experience using that fixture. Dont get me wrong, it has a really high cool factor and makes for some really good pic's too. But these do not pay the bills. I was taught a little different method of running a purge. You split the argon line just after the regulator, one goes to the torch the other line has a valve on the end. The loose (purge) line is positioned under or inside the piece being welded. This way you have shield gasses below or inside the piece. Just before you weld you open the valve on the purge line, then weld as normal. Works great.

I made my heat sink with a hole through the center to run air through for cooling. I dont use argon though, I'm cheap.

I would also note that to much cooling, and you will be grinding instead of filing.

gsp
Good point about too much cooling. If you don't want to use argon, carbon dioxide works just as good.

quote:

Originally posted by Masterifleman:

quote:

Nice tooling.
That would be a good application for an electron beam weld.

I agree but, do you know any gunsmith let alone the average welding shop that has an electron beam welder? The only place I ever saw one was in the nuclear weapons plant I used to work at.

Forty years ago how many gunsmiths had what we called heliarc then and TIG now? The first application I saw EBM welds used was just to seal press fit pins in surgical instruments to keep the "critters" out.

thanks for the info- as to the overbuilding of the jig, I think the man does a lot of those bolt handles, and he decided to get serious.