Bolt Forging, Epoxy Finishes....

[bja105]

I have started on my next project, a VZ-24, an Adams and Bennet 35 whelen barrel and a corelight stock.

 

1. I want to try bending the bolt myself. I have the wheeler bolt forging blocks, heat paste and heat sink. I don't yet have an oxy acetylene torch. I have an air/acetylene turbo torch I use for work. It gets hot enough to braze 7/8 od copper, if that means anything to you. Will this get my bolt hot enough to forge? Will it get camming surfaces hot enough to re-harden? Or, should I wait a few months until I can buy an oxy acetylene setup? I have two turk bolts to practice on before I do the keeper.

 

 

2. I used perma blue on a couple projects, and found it unacceptable. My next blue job will use oxpho blue, but I'm thinking an epoxy coating like duracoat, or even just parkerizing will do for this rifle. Nothing I do is gonna make the corelight stock pretty, so I might as well paint it, but it does not need to be the same coating as the metal. I have no stainless tank, no airbrush, no sand blaster, but I could scrounge them if needed, adding to my cost. What are my options? I could build a tank from PVC, but I cant see an easy way to heat it. What about the spray can coatings? Any advise from someone as cheap as me?

 

 

Thanks

Jason

[spec4 e4]

I don't know if your torch is hot enought, does not hurt to try on an old bolt body laying around if you have one. I have three that I do things on. But as for finish, I was plan on using Duracoat, which seem to be an nice product. I have not tried it yet, because the project that I am doing is not at that sage yet. I used an Campell sandblasting kit to where you put the tube into the sand and hook to air supply. WEAR an face shield when you do this. I use an trash bag and make an hole into it the side of it and put it over my head then I put my googles over it. But I am making an cloth one now. Take brakes when you do this on the trash bag.

 

spec.4

 

[Guest Guest]

You have to have an Oxy Acetelyene torch with the proper sized tip to forge a bolt; anything less just won't get hot enough fast enough to get a clean forging without heating up the entire bolt body.

 

Also, forget about using cold blue to do blue an entire rifle. It looks very unprofessional and never wears well. Were I you and wanted to neither rust blue the rifle myself nor pay someone else $180 to hot blue it for me, I would either Dura-coat it or parkerize it. You can Duracoat it and parkerize it for maximum effectiveness and have a rifle that will need very little care for a very long time to come no matter what you through at it.

 

Simply put, life is too short to do something in half measures. You need the proper tool for the job and any job worth your time is worth doing well. The stinging cost of job well done will never outlast the bitter act of lasting dissatisfaction...