doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Any tricks with Brownell's hydraulic dent raiser?

Rabbit,
While mild steel is acceptably hard enough for a dent raising plug, it machines like crap unless it is a leaded alloy like 12L14 or a tradename alloy like "Leadloy". Basic mild steel like 1020 or such has large grain structure and kinda tears when machined. So, I simply use a fine grained tool steel like O-1 "drill rod" and it machines to a fairly fine finish easily in he normalized condition as purchased. Brass could be used also as I believe Dr. T points out in his little book.

I simply turn the plug about 2 1/2 - 3" long, to the diameter of choice, drill a 1/4" hole about a 1/2" deep in it while in the lathe, then cut it off and weld it to a 1/4" rod of appropriate length, then generously round (or angle) the nose on a belt sander and polish the nose and o.d. on a hard Scotchbrite wheel. Use a thick grease on the plug before you drive it under a dent. Use a small steel hammer of 2 -4 oz weight with a polished face to tap or a polished brass hammer if not planning on refinishing the barrels. I've thought of trying some Mylar film between the hammer and barrel when refinishing is not the plan.

Once again, read the directions. In all the above comments, I see none that mention turning the tool clockwise and counter clockwise to burnish the dent out into a smoother surface as clearly stated in the directions.
No mention in the directions of using or not using a hammer. I'm inclined to accept Mike's warning as a good one. However, I was shown how to use one by a friend who had considerable experience, before I got my own. He showed me how to rotate the tool back and forth to burnish the dent out(as in the directions) but he also used a hammer with a piece of flat brass stock between the hammer and the barrel exterior. I also do this, if there is a significant crease in the dent. Using a hammer directly agaiunst the outside of the barrel is likely to make lots of little hammer dings, IMO.
Rob mentions applying grease to the shoe, or anvil but doesn't say why. Grease would prevent galling when rotating the tool,
Last word: read the directions.
Read them again.
And again.

Thanks Mike O. and Chuck H. I want to go the route of turning my own as that minilathe hasn't done much other than a couple of chamber plug gauges for metallic cartridge and an aluminum sleeve which combined with a dial indy has become a firing pin protrusion gauge. If I can make a plug gauge for .22 Hornet, I think I can see well enuf to handle something 5/8" in diameter. Anyone ever fabricated one of those opposed wedge rigs comparable to the mechanism in the cheaper sort of bicycle handlebar stems?

jack

Jack,
I proposed such a double wedge device a couple years back here, but I never made one. It should be more versatile than the hydraulic type IMO, since you could beat heck out of it with no problems and it'd have a larger anvil area. It'd be a bit of work, obviously I've gone the easy way and made individual plugs to do each job as I go. It takes about 15-20 mins to make a custom plug, start to finish for me.

Chuck, I've got plans for the "folding wedge" model somewhere. If I turn them up, I'll mail them to you. Would aluminum bar be too soft and malleable to do the job?

jack

Jim Legg's last post is the way I have done dent removal. It works slick, and if you go slow, you can do a perfect job. While turning the tool clockwise and then counterclockwise with plenty of lube, you can "feel" when the dent is gone. I've had the three gauge set of the hydraulic removers for years and they work beautifully.

Jack,
There's enough work in something like that, that I'd go with drill rod and harden it.

Jack, I made an expanding dent raiser of the type you mention, about 10 years ago, and have used it several times. The idea came from a sketch in Howe's "Modern Gunsmithing."

It works very well, and most of the tips given in this thread apply to it (taking it easy and not going too far, hammer taps around the edge of the dent, lots of grease). Lacking a brass hammer I used a steel one on a piece of brass shim stock when I did a barrel I didn't want to refinish.

[quote=J
Rob mentions applying grease to the shoe, or anvil but doesn't say why. Grease would prevent galling when rotating the tool,
Last word: read the directions.
Read them again.
And again. [/quote]

Jim is absolutely correct, I neglected to mention the burninshing portion of the program and that's the reason for the grease.

Thanks Rob,
The piece of brass I use between the barrel and the hammer is a flat punch, about 3/16" thick by 1/2" wide. It prevents any hammer face marks.