cracked mainspring barrel

[david pierce]

Jan,
What Paul said about cleaning the metal and using flux is curcial to achieve a good joint. Youtube has a number of videos covering this plus the different types of silver solder (hardness) and the correct flux selection and application. Once the metal is prepared properly achieving a good joint is almost guranteed.
david

[gerene]

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. I will study this, order the necessary equipment and materials for silver soldering and start practicing. This might take a while but I will come back to this and let you know how it went.

I do have this torch and suppose this would be good enough for silver soldering. http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=32148&cat=1,43456,43469&ap=1
Can someone confirm this or is there something better and/or more practical. Good advice is always welcome.

Jan

[arutha]

That torch looks fine Jan
If you have any scrap brass around the same thickness have a bit of a practice first. don’t be scared of it, once you have done it once I dont think you will find it a problem again, just remember that brass is not like steel, once it has been heated to a high temperature it will lose some of its strength and this should always be remembered if repairing anything near wheel teeth.
Paul.

[gerene]

I ordered “Silver-flo 55” (silver solder) and “Easy-flo” (accompanying flux powder) and am waiting now for its arrival. Then I will start with a practice test on some scrap brass. I made a little study of the enormous choice of soldering material and fluxes . Hope I made an acceptable choice.

I was also wondering. If I have to plug the hole of the hook, do I do that before or after soldering and more generally how to proceed on this.

I guess I will have to make a new hook, since the current one is rivetted in the barrel and will probably be destroyed when removing it.

Thanks,

Jan

[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.

[arutha]

I would repair the crack first with silver solder then i would plug the hole and run some soft solder around as it doesnt take so much heat and wont disturb the silver solder repair. When you plug the hole you want the plug to be just slightly thicker than the barrel wall so you can rivet it in place, the soft solder is just belt and braces. Clean up the barrell wall and greatwheel and then heat them just enough to get the soft solder flowing, you might need a bit of pressure to make sure the wall goes in flat to the wheel.
Paul.

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Guys,
Although I’ve been in a time crunch the past couple of months I’ve enjoyed following this thread. Thought I would throw in the name of a product that I’ve used with great success this past year on several projects. It’s called MuggyWeld. It’s worked wonders on a Boley lathe repair I did as well as some tools that needed some work. Also their Cool Blue Heat Absorbent Paste is amazing! No time this morning to go into details but if you have a chance check this stuff out at their website. Expensive but WELL WORTH the price. Here’s the link: https://www.muggyweld.com/
No exageration…these products are fantastic! Watch their video when you get there.

Ok the whips cracking!
Adios all,
Bob

[willofiam]

Thanks Bob, looks like pretty cool stuff, I wonder if Paul will send me some for my wifes birthday? William

[arutha]

I was hoping William was going to buy me some to celebrate me making over 1000 posts
That stuff does look amazing but boy its expensive

[gerene]

It sure does look awesome, but so does the price

Jan

[Bob Tascione]

Yes the price seemed daunting to me at first too. After a month or so of deciding whether to bite the bullet or not I finally gave in and ordered some. I probably couldn’t have repaired the Boley tailstock if not for this stuff. At least not as good of a repair as I ended up with. Also a stick lasts a very long time so will go a long way. The heat sink paste works wonders on many applications. Any part can be heated without danger of heat transfer to delicate areas. A common issue when working with watches and clocks.

Bob

[chris mabbott]

Looks like a….. Miracle product, I’ll definitely keep it in mind. Their vid is nicely done and gives me hope that even I could make a superb weld 😆

Bob, I’m looking forward to seeing some pics of your repair, no rush pressure of course

[Author]

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