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Welding a Sig frame.

824 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Steelhat 
#1 ·
Anyone on here ever welded the frame on a Sig 1911? Correct me if I’m wrong on this, but didn’t they make all of their 1911’s out of an odd stainless alloy? I know for certain that the model I have is stainless, but I was told they run a very high nickel content that makes it tough to weld them.

My frame isn’t damaged, I’ve just been interested in squaring the trigger guard (more for aesthetic reasons) and had been given the info that it would be extremely difficult.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.
 
#2 ·
One doesn’t really see Sigs used as base guns in builds - presumably there’s a reason for that.


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#3 ·
Greetings,
I doubt it has a high nickel content like austenitic 300 series, which would act like velcro on the slide frame rails.
It's most likely 416ss and has a high sulfur content which can be hard to keep from cracking due to the sulfur.
If it's made from 410ss (416ss without the sulfur) it'll be easy to TIG weld unless it is hardened on the high end.
Hope this helps - (45 years as a aerospace Tig welder)
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the insight, what a cool career to have as well. My question for you is this, is it possible to reliably weld 416? If it is, what are the tricks to doing so? I haven’t been able to find an accurate source that states what exactly the makeup of the metal is, but I’m sure I can find something if I dig a little deeper.

I’m most likely never going to do such an extensive modification I was just curious if anyone had the experience of welding one, but your comment got me really intrigued. I’ve TIG welded stainless before at work, nothing fancy though just some 316 for paint gun hangers. While I’m comfortable with that, I’m not really comfortable with something so outside my wheelhouse.
 
#5 ·
Only welded the high sulfur stainless steels on tooling repair, as they are considered un-weldable for aerospace. The toolmakers liked to use these due to easier machinability.
My method was to heat them up 3 times with a torch to sweat the sulfur out and then used 410 rod for 416ss and 312 rod for 303ss.
Most scrap yards will check your material with one of their hand held spectrometers. May cost you some $, but you will know the exact type of stainless.
Hope this helps.
 
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