J~B Weld question....

[RBak]

Does anyone have any suggestions on releasing JB Weld from a receiver sight?

Is heating the receiver to +/- 600*F the only way to get it released, or is there a another way?
At the time I did this, I read, or was told by someone, that there was some kind of release agent on the market, but I can't recall where I read that or who told me, or whatever. Old age ain't for sissies!

I couldn't find anything in the archives that would help, and I was hoping some of you more knowledgeable types might know of something....at least something 'other' than heat.
Still yet, I suspect my main question is, will 600 degrees destroy the bluing on the receiver, or do something even worse? If you guys feel it doesn't hurt anything, I do own a torch!

While living in an apartment, away from home, and away from my tools, I "stuck" a Redfield Receiver sight mount on the side of a Howa 1500 action 15 / 16 years ago using JB Weld, and over the years it has worked liked a charm....solid as a rock, it has never budged, not even the smallest fraction of an millimeter, not even when I want it to!

I thought at the time I had this brain cramp that if it did work I would use it all the time, and I have used it a lot over the years.
(I am still of the opinion that a nice receiver sight makes for a lighter, trimmer, more elegant rifle than something with a scope stuck on it.)

However, nowadays, my old eyes just don't work like they did back then and I want to remove it....any thoughts?

Russ

[Gtek]

Maybe strip down to barrel/rec and put in freeze for twelve or so making epoxy brittle and vise up and give her a good shot with brass drift. Maybe a jig to put in vise (non-damaging type) with a threaded hole that when in jig apply force in direction for removal with a bolt. Little turn, let sit, little more, let sit, maybe pop off. Gtek

[oneokie]

Have you seen this?

http://jbweld.net/faq.php

[RBak]

Have you seen this?

http://jbweld.net/faq.php

Yes, I read that some time ago.
In fact, that is what brought up the question, "is there any other way".

Also, I don't see right off how I could ever freeze that 26" barrel to a minus -60C or something like that.

I still have my torch!
Guess I might just be looking for someone to "push me over the edge"....:shock:

Russ

[leadman]

The JB probably has removed the bluing in that spot anyway, so heat from the inside of the reciever if you can. If you can find a spot to drive in a wedge without messing things up it may help you get the sight off with less heat.
My heat gun gets pretty hot, supposed to get to 600' but since it is from Harbor Freight that is questionable. A Dayton brand commercial heat gun will get thet hot for sure. This is easier on the finish than a torch.

[maglvr]

Place the action/barrel in a vise, put on your safety glasses, now get a new single edge razor blade and a small hammer, put the blade egde against the seam and tap, tap, tap! Might come off in first few taps or may take 100 taps but it will come off. Done similar removals of JB and they always pop off. Good luck.

[frkelly74]

Sounds like a good endorsement for good ol' JB Weld.

[oneokie]

Also, I don't see right off how I could ever freeze that 26" barrel to a minus -60C or something like that.

Russ

Are there any places in your area that does cyrogenic treatment of barrels?

Know any ranchers or Veterinarians that do artifical insemination? Their semen storage tanks use liquid nitrogen.

http://cryo.gsfc.nasa.gov/introduction/temp_scales.html

[GabbyM]

I've used a standard hair drier before.
Can't say what the percentage of sucsess would be.

[Houndog]

If you have a clothes iron use that to heat the sight. That's what I use to take actions that have been glued into a stock out. No damage to the action or the stock. There's no reason that wouldn't work on the sight.

[Thumbcocker]

I have read, but never tried myself, that sights put on with JB can be removed by placing a bar of lead against the base of the sight and giving the lead a sharp rap with a heavy hammer. This was supposed to be a good way to remove expxied on scope bases from mil-surp rifles. Never tried it so I don't know if it works or not.

[zomby woof]

Heat, shock, get on it with a tool and twist.

[HammerMTB]

Liquid nitrogen or CO2 will freeze it enough to remove the sight. don't know what the receiver will look like under that, as it hasn't been seen since ____ but you can contend with that once the sight is off.

[gnoahhh]

Why remove it? I assume you want to in order to mount a scope? If so, I would just leave it in place, remove the slide and replace it with a slide blank. If you use a quick-detachable scope mounting system you will then have immediate access to a back-up sighting system by the simple expedient of popping the scope off, removing the blank sight slide and replacing it with the original slide. Heck, you don't even really have to use specific QD mounts. I did that trick with a M70 Fwt with Burris bases/ rings and a Lyman 48 receiver sight. It did necessitate carrying a screwdriver in my day pack but that scope came off and went back on in about a minute without a noticeable change in point of impact. Now I use Griffin&Howe QD mounts on a couple of hunting rifles (but admittedly they are expensive). Actually, I keep the scope in a leather carrier slung over my shoulder and mainly rely on the receiver sights. The sight returns to zero each time if you have the little stop screw properly adjusted.

My 58 year old eyes are shot, but I have found ways to make the aperture sights work so hopefully I can squeeze a bunch more seasons out of them before I'm forced into full time scope use. A rifle carries oh-so-much nicer without a scope on it!

[RBak]

Many thanks for all the replies!
Surely one of these suggestions is going to work without hurting my old rifle any more than necessary.

Oneokie...good idea about contacting a Rancher to see if they can freeze the barrel for me.

Maglver...I think I may well start with your suggestion, as it seems the most simple of all.

Thumbcocker...a friend of mine in Oregon read this, and called me with a similar remedy like you are recommending...using a "Dead Mule" hammer. This also seems fairly simple.

Anyway, many thanks for all the advise....if none of this works I still have my torch!

Russ

[geargnasher]

Just use a large soldering iron. Heat the sight, tap on it periodically. The sight and the JB Weld will take all the heat, the reciever will see very little heat. When the temp gets to be enough the sight will start to move when you tap on it, at that point you can pry it off.

Gear

[Hang Fire]

Liquid nitrogen temperature is minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit, dry ice [CO2] is –109.

[bhn22]

Wow! A lot of really exotic responses here. The clothes iron or the big soldering iron are probably the easiest. You can also remove the action from your stock & put everything in the deep freeze for several days, you really don't need to cryo the action.

[stubert]

If you have J-B weld holding on a sight, I would think that it's a beater rifle. If so, who cares about a little blemish where the J-B weld was, that's why they make cold blue. Take it off and go shoot it.

[williamwaco]

Dry ice should be cold enough to break it.

If that doesn't work, get more agressive. Test a spot on the bottom of the receiver to see how much heat the finish can take. Then find a way to heat the receiver as hot as possible causing it and the mount to expand. Then hit the mount with a large chunk of dry ice while conuing to apply heat to the receiver. The mount will shrink rapidly away from the hot receiver and place a sideways stress on the weld.

All this is pure speculation. I have never used it.

If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer!

[rockrat]

Might be able to heat with a hair dryer, then use a piece of dry ice on the sight. Differential in temp might break it loose. Using the deal blow hammer might be the ticket

[Rockydog]

I've got a buddy who farms with his 22 year old son. The kid can break anything. Tractors, haybines, planters, truck clutches. I'll send you his address. It might take a week or so of "normal use" but it'll come back in two pieces. Seriously, I wonder it some heat sink pasre applied to the action while you heat the sight might take it off without annealing the action or ruining the bluing. RD

[lwknight]

I agree that blasting the sight itself with a torch should break the JB before any significant heat gets to the reciever. I'm thinking a oxy-acy rig. The hotter the torch the faster you heat the sight and less time to transfer heat to the reciever.

[montana_charlie]

Q: How can I remove J-B Weld after it is fully cured?

A: When fully cured, J-B Weld can only be removed by grinding or filing it off, or by directly heating the product above the 600 degree maximum temperature threshold.

How about grinding it off?
Actually, start with a cutoff wheel to remove the sight, then switch to grinding to get the epoxy off.

CM

[maglvr]

"Maglver...I think I may well start with your suggestion, as it seems the most simple of all."

It'll do the trick!