Stuck screw 1861 Navy

[DCP]

Stuck screw 1861 Navy


Navy was made in the 1970s

The Main spring screw is stuck tight

Placed frame in vise used a proper fitting screw driver and a 6 inch Crescent wrench.
I put a lot of torque on it and it didn’t move

It is steel into brass for 35 to 40 years, someone said it could be fussed. And I could break it off

I did find a way to take it apart and back together without taking the screw out. So I wouldn’t have to do anything unless main spring breaks.
See Photos

Any Ideas

Thanks

[Bulldogger]

Put it in the oven at 300 or so degrees for a half hour and let it cool. The different coefficients of expansion between the steel and brass should loosen/part the locked threads. Keep the temp low so as to not get close to annealing temps.
Bulldogger

[Gray Fox]

I had one just like that two weeks ago and dribbled a bit of Kroil onto the screw and let it set a couple of hours. Then I put the proper sized gunsmith driver bit into the slot and tapped it lightly with a small hammer. It then loosened up with steady pressure on it. GF

[John Allen]

Just give it a quick shot with a heat gun and it should pull out.

[repawn]

Not much to add - but I use PB Blaster - spray it and let it sit a bit.

[skratch]

Soak over night with solvent, heat brass slightly opposite from spring, put close fitting screw driver bit in drill press chuck, put down pressure with press on screw head and turn chuck by hand. This has worked for me many times.

[Hellgate]

Spray the screw with Kroil. Let it sit over night. Clamp the brass part of the frame in the vise and as you turn the screw clockwise tap on the screwdriver with a hammer as you torque to loosen the mainspring screw (taptaptaptaptaptapt as you turn). This has worked for me mulitple times.

[DCP]

Update

Trigger guard soaked in Kroil for 5 days. I also notice the bottom grip screw intersects main spring screw. So the Kroil should have work very good.

Placed grip in aluminum jaws with 3x5 cards to protect the brass grip

Headed the grip till the paper turned brown (I don’t want to take the temper out of the main spring.) with a heat gun.

Placed a 4 inch wrench on the screw driver. Used the wrench for leverage and tapped on the screw driver with a small hammer

She won’t budge. She won’t budge. She won’t budge.

So this is how I am going to take this apart

Loosen the 3 screws holding down on the trigger guard. Take pressure off main spring and remove the 3 screws

To put it back together

Start small screw it till it’s tight and back it off. Place Main spring under hammer
Compress and hold trigger guard and screw in 2nd screw then 3rd screw

When the main spring goes bad I will drill it out and retap it.

Thanks for help

[montana_charlie]

Does Sears still sell a manual impact screwdriver? I bought mine in '74 and have only had to buy replacement bits from time to time.

You use a bit that matches the screw, adjust the body of the tool to loosen or tighten, then smack it with a heavy hammer.
You can use a setting that turns the screw just a tiny bit, then repeat that a few times to work it loose enough for normal removal.

On the other hand, I KNOW there are cordless impact drivers. You should be able to find one at a tool rental store if you don't want to buy your own.

CM

[Col4570]

Heat a dog meat can of Auto Engine Oil as hot as you can get it, immerse the stuck screw and frame overnight the screw should come out fairly easy.Caution Engine oil ignites easy when near boiling point, have a piece of metal or a Brick to smother any flame ready.Good luck.

[montana_charlie]

Heat a dog meat can of Auto Engine Oil as hot as you can get it,
Uhh ... 'dog meat can'.

Is that one of those 'Impirical' units of measure?
Can it be usefully converted to liters, or pints, or (perhaps) fractions of a flagon?

Is it possible that it would have very close to the same volume as a pinto bean can?

I'm okay with 'as hot as you can get it' for the exact temperature required, but a little unsure about the quantity of oil ...

CM

[7of7]

What I would give a try doing, is let it heat up as Bulldogger said,.. 300 degrees in an oven.... for a few hours.... Get a can of the canned air used for blowing out computers...
I would then take it out of the oven, place it in a vise with wood strips, as the wood doesn't pull the heat out as much as any type of metal would. Preferably so that the screw is in a horizontal position.. Then, invert the canned air, and spray the screwhead.... when frost builds up on it, try giving it a turn... you want the brass to be hot, and you want to freeze the screw as much as possible...
The brass being hot and the steel betting cold should make it easier to break the screw loose...