Welding Advice?

[rikkit]

I have a Ballard with a hammer that will not stay cocked sometimes, I believe that some material added to area of the trigger engagement will fix the problem. I will have to seek out a welding shop to get this done, and was wondering what type welding would be best suited to fix this situation, example, should I ask for Mig, Tig, or some othe type welding method. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Ben]

It will take more than welding.

Getting it shaped with the exact angle needed will be very critical. If it isn't hardened properly, it won't last be a few rounds and then it will wear and become unserviceable.

[waksupi]

I'd check the problem out further. It could be the trigger itself.

[elk hunter]

TIG, and use spring steel wire, as in piano wire from the hobby shop, for the rod. Have done numerous repairs on triggers and hammer notches this way. As the weld cools in the gas shield it will harden, you may need to draw it back a bit if the part is thin as it can be brittle.

An experienced welder using TIG can lay a very accurate amount of metal on the parent part leaving little to clean up.

[John Taylor]

Tig welding if needed. Check the parts first, it may just be some crud keeping the trigger from having a good contact. The trigger could be the problem if the edges are rounded off or it could be the hammer is rounded off or both. Heat treat on some of these old guns was not that great.
I use 4130 welding rod with the TIG for building up hammers and triggers. It can be filed into shape and then heat treated. Spring wire works but is usually very hard and brittle. Not good for the safety notch, fine for the full cock notch, not good for triggers.

[MtGun44]

I'd cut it deeper without adding material, if it were mine. Also, the issue is likely
an angle problem on either the hammer or trigger top or both. I have welded up sears
or triggers and recut everything and gotten it right, but it is a ticklish thing with a lot
of opportunities to destroy the part. Getting the heat treat right after the welding is
not for someone that is unfamiliar with the science of heat treating alloy steels.

Cutting .005 to .010 deeper should not change the geometry enough to be a serious
issue, IF you really have to go deeper.

Bill

[Bret4207]

What John and Bill said. Take it apart, use the recver and screws to set up the assy outside the recvr (IOW- put it together on the recvr as it sits within the recvr using the pins/screws appropriate so you can see exactly whats happening) and see where the issue is. Often it's just crud, a burr, a worn hole, a worn screw or pin or can be addressed with a file and some care.

[JIMinPHX]

The type of welding process is not the critical thing here. It's the grinding, heat treating, etc. that goes with it that really matters. As was already said, explore your other repair options first. Welding on something like that can be a pretty big can of worms to open. The guy that you want to talk to is a gunsmith, not a welder.

[boomboy]

The type of welding process is not the critical thing here. It's the grinding, heat treating, etc. that goes with it that really matters. As was already said, explore your other repair options first. Welding on something like that can be a pretty big can of worms to open. The guy that you want to talk to is a gunsmith, not a welder.

Tig welding, done properly, with plenty of post flow and heat control can produce a tough weld. tough= hard but not brittle.
Just be careful not to over heat the part.

[JIMinPHX]

Post flow will prevent oxidation of the weld. To produce a tough weld, you need to control the cooling rate & choose a filler rod of suitable material. It's kind of hard to choose the right rod & cooling rate since you really don't know what alloy the base metal is. At least that's the way that I understand it.