doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com RELAYING RIBS

I never use acid flux, It does work great but I've too often seen the result of it not being completely removed from the surfaces.
It's not needed IMO as long as you clean everything before you start soldering and don't burn the regular flux.

I use 50/50 or 60/40 ,what ever I seem to have at hand.
I've used the Tin/Silver 95/5 stuff and it works OK. But I don't see any real advantage to it plus I don't care for the solder line always remaining a brite white color.
At least the lead/tin stuff does oxidize and turn dark grey after a time.

Flux is the paste in a plastic jar from Home Depot sold for plumbing work. No-Corode was the older catch all name for the stuff.

I use a 200w hand held soldering 'gun' to tin the ribs and then also tin the bbls as well. The 'gun' has enough heat to easily tin the bbls all the way untill you get just past the forend hook. Then the
wall thickness starts to work against you. A smaller watt unit won't have the power to tin the bbls but will work on the ribs OK.

From there I use a propane torch with a 'pencil flame' to heat the surfaces and tin that last little way.
After tinning I go back over the surfaces of both the bbls and the ribs and smooth them to remove any lumps or bumps of solder. A coarse file run over the tinned surfaces takes care of that quickly.
This so the ribs lay down nice and flat when first clamped up for sweat soldering.

I recoat the tinned surfaces on both the ribs and the bbls with flux once again.
I lay the tinned ribs in place. I use a length of 1/8" square steel 'rod' on top of both the upper and lower ribs. Then a bunch of small C=clamps placed every 3 to 4 inches or so gently tightened down pull the ribs down onto the bbl surfaces.

All clamped up, check the rib for straightness and no canting at the muzzle end.
Then begin sweat solding it down into position. I use the propane torch for the soldering.
Begin at the breech end,,always..
The rib will 'grow' due to being heated. If you start at the muzzle, the rib can expand in length just enough to be too long to match up with the solid portion of the top rib at the breech.
If during the process you need an extra clamp when you are soldering,,take one from the opposite end of the assembly where you already soldered things up. . That'll be set already,,Still Hot!,,but solidified.

I use scrapers instead of files to remove excess solder from the surfaces. Much like wood inletting scrapers/tools, they can be used in a pull fashion and remove the soft solder efficiently and smoothly. You get a feel for how much pressure to apply and at what angle to hold the edge so that when you get to the surface of the bbl steel, it will scrape very smoothly and not leave chatter or gouge marks. Saves a lot of clean up time.,,and no clogged up files with solder.
A 'V' pointed tool gets right down into the rib joint and cleans out the solder and can also scrape the steel clean at the same time.

Once again a treasure of information from Kutter.

Thanks, Jim.

No corrode contains corrosive salts

CONTAINS: Zinc Chloride and Ammonium Chloride. PRECAUTIONS: May cause irritation to eyes, skin, digestive or respiratory system. Avoid direct contact, breathing of fumes, and ingestion. Wear adequate protective clothing and equipment. Use only with good ventilation. Wash thoroughly after use. FIRST AID: For any overexposure, get immediate medical attention after first aid is given. Eyes - Flush with clean water for 15 minutes. Skin - Wash with soap and water. Inhalation - Remove to fresh air. Ingestion - DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Only if conscious, give large amounts of water. FIRE AND SPILLS: For fire, use water fog, CO2, foam, or dry chemicals. Wipe up spills to prevent footing hazard. STORAGE AND HANDLING: Store in cool area. Keep container tightly closed. Do not reuse empty container. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDRE

Years ago I solder up some stuff with it and left it in the corner of the shop. It got pretty rusty.

Acid flux I really easy to kill ,tin was the prefered methed of putting ribs to barrels tin has a similar contraction expansion rate as mild steel ,I know people who use a clamp system but you can push the rib down between the barrels if you are not careful. my electric iron is 350,400 watts I use it to tin everthing before wireing up ,like I was told there is more then one way to skin this cat

Great to know,,,but I don't use (Trade Name) No-Corrode Flux,,I use a Paste Flux stuff in a plastic jar from Home Depot. It doesn't corrode anything. Oakley or Oatley is the name on it.
Works on copper plumbing, wiring as well as Purdey, Parker, Fox, etc SxS ribs.
....But (older) people commonly call any paste flux stuff No-Corrode Flux.

I failed to mention in using c-clamps that positioning a couple to hold the bbls side to side from separating can be done as well.
It's not really needed if you are careful, but I usually do use one at the muzzle.

Actually if you are using clamps and you are able to compress the ribs enough to push the bbls apart while sweat soldering the ribs into position, then you are using way too much clamp pressure and allowing too much of the rib & bbl to get to soldering temp at one time. No need for either.

Yes you have to be careful with what you use and how you use it.. and what works for one person may be a complete bust for another. Results are what count.

Yep , lots of ways to skin the cats , but good results are what matters!

Kutter, there are three that I find at HD made by Oatey, each a little different. This one is described as tinning flux. Is this the one you use? There are two others in Red and white plastic jars, one called No. 5, and the other H20 5.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/OATEY-8-oz-Lead-Free-Water-Soluble-Solder-Tinning-Flux-30142/100127686

Not trying to start a Peeing contest but Oatey contains the same salts as Nocorode .

this from their website:

FAQ

Are fluxes corrosive?
Yes. Flux is designed as an oxidation remover and actually etches the pipe in preparation for the soldering process to be successful. This is why it is important to flush the lines when not using water soluble fluxes. Wipe excess flux off the exterior of the pipe after solder joint has been completed, and never wait more than four hours to solder a joint after applying any flux to the joint.

Bushveld,

Watching this brought back memories. When I was 17 I purchased an old beater ‘29 Model A coupe whose doors were rusted. I brought them in to my metal shop course in High-School along with some plastic fillet as a class project and proceeded to use the plastic. The teacher said no, you need to do it the correct way: tin the metal then fill in with lead. Went to the local auto parts store and after several trial and error learned the old time way. Still have some thick lead bars somewhere in the garage.

A good thread.

do any of you guys regulate the barrels to a specific point of aim or do you just solder them full length to the ribs and just hope for the best?