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Repairing Cracked Stainless Slide

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slide stainless
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#44 ·
I would have to agree with most here.....Figure out you have a nice paper weight and order a new slide. It only takes one time for something to go wrong and cause a Ka Boom and you are already starting out tempting fate....I was RO on a IPSC stage where a guy I knew well, reloaded with a lot and was safer than most would think and he had a Double Charge that went Ka Boom....Not a fun place for either of us that day.

Paper Weight and feel good about shooting and not have that feeling of if it happens but When it happens and Who Was Shooting It....I wouldn't want that risk myself.

Just my thoughts,

Karsten
 
#53 ·
#54 ·
I would ditch the slide and get another. If it did indeed crack when trying to tighten the slide to frame fit, and if it happened in the hands of a competent and experienced 1911 smith, it's conceivable the slide had metallurgical issues and didn't just crack by chance. If that's the case, odds are that even after repair it may crack again somewhere else and you will have spent money on repairs for nothing.
 
Discussion starter · #57 ·
EvolutionArmory said:
Any progress on this? Or did everyone including myself scare you off the forums?

I mean this, that was not my intention. I just didn't want you to hurt someone.
Click to expand...
I actually appreciated the warnings, and got a different slide instead. I don't want anyone injured from my folly half ass fix either.

I contacted the guy I bought it from, turns out he cracked it by trying to lap fit to an 80% without filing enough first.

I sort of fixed it I think, I carefully pryed the crack open, flattened some 56% hard silver solder from muggy weld, then tapped the very thin slice of solder in and fluxed it well.

I then clamped it back until the solder squished enough I couldn't see light.

Then I used a few inches thick of white clay to heat sink the entire rest of slide.

I drilled a 1/16" hole at end of crack.

I used a micro flame jewelry oxy propane torch and soldered the crack, surplus solder flowed into the hole, filed flush.


The solder ran perfectly, filled the hole, once I sanded and filed it flush, you can't tell it was ever cracked, little discoloration.

Filed, then stoned out tiny bit of extra solder inside the slide grooves .

I tested for strength by repeating the lapping that cracked it. Took a very tight 80%, then I started with standard valve lapping 120 grit, probably too coarse, but I wanted a stress test. I wailed on it with a heavy dead blow hammer, the crack is gone, I'm certain.

UNFORTUNATELY I lost the little back piece. My wife cleaned up my bench, very nice of her. Lame.

I put it as is on my 45 lower, but without that missing bit, I don't like having the unsupported rear, I think it could potentially cause jams.

I found an old unfinished slide, one of those ones that have lugs cut, but not the slide grooves, or firing pin hole drilled, etc sarco has carbon steel ones . I got that one with a bunch of parts, it was a fake out part I think.

I'm considering cutting the missing chip off that .

I think if I add a full length guide rod that may give it enough support to work as is.
, all the rear part of the slide does is keep it straight.

It cycled snap caps fine.

I really don't want to find out the hard way it isn't right tho, if I find the chip, I'll probably try it, if not, meh, ive moved on.

Oh, and muggy weld is bad ass, I soldered 2 thin stainless bars end to end, they bent rather than cracked apart.

If I find the chip, I had a plan, I will add 2 pieces of stainless sheet metal, about 1/32 , and add a plate to each side, to add support for the chip on the left side, and just to even it out cosmetically on the right. That way the piece is held securely.



I now have a carbon steel auto ordnance frame, that has a cracked off and missing dust cover.

That's why I resurrected this thread (that and someone else did on the first)

I chopped the dust cover off a para ordnance double action frame I accidentally bought, and braized it on, thinking of possibly pinning it somehow too.

It would be good enough for a dedicated 22lr lower, and possibly for a 9mm, if I got the spring right, and add a shock buff or something. Probably 22lr tho.

I have a sig Sauer conversion, missing barrel, made 2 barrels, trying to fabricate an ejector, copying the ace twisted sheet metal design.
 
#60 · (Edited)
Bender.....I think he has been warned, so just maybe he wants to see a Ka Boom....Major Malfunction up close.....I saw my one as an RO on a Stage and that was enough to ruin my day....And that of the shooter as well....Not anything to mess with.

Any firearm is nothing more than a Controlled Explosion and with Explosives damn near any thing can go round even in the best control.

Karsten
 
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