to weld or not to weld?

[vhince524]

I just asked my gunsmith to install a beavertail GS on my norc and for some reason I noticed that he slightly overcut the right tang of the frame when he fit the BT grip safety..... i dont know if its just me but i am thinking of asking him to reweld the tang and reblend it... he told me that his practice is to use acetylene torch and copper rods to reweld parts of the frame... im wondering if this process drastically alters the metallurgy of the frame and therefore weakens or softens the frame..... or should I just leave it alone and live with it... thanks in advance for any advise.

here's the pic

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x87/vhince524/ResizeofIMG_0889.jpg

[pa_guns]

Hi

It's a cosmetic issue. Properly done the welding will close the gap. The weld metal will look a bit different from the rest. You will still have a cosmetic, just a different one.

Properly done the welding probably won't damage the frame.

Bob

[vhince524]

how is acetylene torch with copper welding done properly? in the manner by which it wont soften or damage the frame?... anyone?..... thanks again

[John]

TIG or MIG welding are the only acceptable ways to alter a frame.

Live with it, if the gunsmith managed to butcher the frame like he did, I won't trust him to go near it with a welding torch. What makes you think he is better in welding than in fitting a grip safety?

[vhince524]

you have a point John... its just that i have asked him to fit a BT before on a Paraord and it was fine... this was the first time he made a mistake like that....i just reckoned that he could repair it too......

[pa_guns]

Hi

As John mentions, you use a wire arc welder with inert gas to "build up" the area. It's not so much welding as sticking metal back on the area. You then have to grind it back down. If the guy didn't grind it down right the first time, there's no guarantee he'll do any better with the even more complex task of taking down the weld metal ....

Bob

[Hill]

Is the gun stainless steel?

The metal looks very light colored in photo - is it blued but overflashed by the camera?

If it's stainless I think I'd blend that by hand. Work it down into a nice curve then give it a short blast with beads.

Come to think, given how well oxpho-blue worked on my Nork's originally purple extractor, I think I'd blend that myself no matter what metal it is.

[pa_guns]

Hi

Could be stainless, I assumed it was gray Parke'd steel.

Bob

[texagun]

If it were mine I would leave it alone. I doubt if anyone but you would ever notice it, and the only reason you would notice it is that your eye will automatically go there whenever you look at it. I would probably never notice it. As Bob pointed out, the cosmetic issue will just be a different one if you let him weld it.

[vhince524]

the entire gun is phospate finished. im kinda leaning right now on leaving it alone because of your advices....... i was thinking a while ago of fitting a wilson beavertail coz i read that it would require filing the tangs more therefore literally filing away the problem... hhhmmmm

[niemi24s]

Is there a gap on the right side because too much metal was removed on the right side - or because not enough metal was removed from on left side?

[Edited: Do the tabs on the bottom of the grip safety contact the corresponding tabs of the mainspring housing when the grip safety is released?]

[pa_guns]

... i was thinking a while ago of fitting a wilson beavertail coz i read that it would require filing the tangs more therefore literally filing away the problem... hhhmmmm

Hi

I think I might find another gunsmith to do the work :D :D :D

Bob

[jn316]

TIG or MIG welding are the only acceptable ways to alter a frame.

Live with it, if the gunsmith managed to butcher the frame like he did, I won't trust him to go near it with a welding torch. What makes you think he is better in welding than in fitting a grip safety?
I have to agree with John .But if you can't live with it see if there's any other pistol smith in your area who are familiar with the 1911 platform

[vhince524]

here are more detailed pics of the fit... i think the right tang was cut too much inward because its angle is obviously different from the left one.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x87/vhince524/Resizeof032108001.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x87/vhince524/Resizeof032108013.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x87/vhince524/Resizeof032108009.jpg

[pa_guns]

Hi

Very good pictures. Somebody went a bit overboard chopping at the frame on that side. He did a very good job on the other side though.

Bob

[NightVision]

Hi,

Due to the fact that the repair is in a non critical area of the frame the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) of the weld will not diminish the strength of the frame. As a professional certified weldor I would recommend you take your frame to a component welder in your area and have him/her MIG weld up the frame section in need of repair. The Mig process will deposit more metal with less heat than TIG. Less distortion and smaller HAZ. Then reprofile the area to blend to the GS.

[bmanoftheyear]

the left side looks nice,he went a bit overboard on the right side.I don't see why he took the right side at a angle like that.I wouldn't trust him to do the welding if he couldn't do it right the first time,but it isn't like you took it to mr.rodgers,we all know then it would be perfect.

[pa_guns]

Hi

My guess is that he was grinding away at the frame and the phone rang. It only takes a second's inattention and that's exactly what you get.

Bob

[John]

I do not think the gunsmith is very good, it's not only the gap between the frame and the safety, it is also the way the upper part of the frame, above and in front of the safety that is not machined the same on the left and right side of the frame.

I won't trust this gunsmith near my 1911s.

[7790314]

I'll have to agree about the gunsmith. He should have eaten the cost of getting it done right or go get a new job. Fitting a grip safety is not a difficult thing even for the less skilled if they are careful.

[pa_guns]

Hi

There is a basic "gotcha" in gun smithing. The guys who are good don't need to cover the cost of a blown job. The guys who are not so good can't afford to cover the cost of a problem.

Of course the good / bad thing can translate into how expensive the guy is or how long it takes to get him to do something.

The job that was done is not correct. At the very least, you should nave paid less than "full price" for the job.

Bob