Reply To: cracked mainspring barrel

[chris mabbott]

Jan, you’re going to enjoy this buddy, don’t worry, as an old hand electronics guy, soldering will be in your blood 😆

I know a lot of people select silver solder, and yes, it’s a fantastic choice, nothing at all wrong with it. On brass, I personally like to use brass brazing rods, if only for the aesthetic point of view and because it is the same composition as that which I am joining, also, because Silver solder is much tougher than the material you are repairing, so there is always the possibility that you can have separation between the two dissimilar materials, caused by..

1. improper cleaning, preparation
2. too much or not enough heat
3. Shrinkage from two different materials, one will always cool faster and thus pull away from the other.

I would personally fill the hole and repair the crack in the same operation as to avoid too much heating, do it once and you’re done. You’ll probably have to clean up the barrel in your lathe afterwards and check for any distortion. Remember to keep the teeth side up, so no solder hits the gear.