Winchester 37A .410 Restore

[Sharps40]

Makin up a front sight bead. Brass and steel. No sense payin $3.50 + $8 shipping for one. There's plenty of useable junk in the shop to make up a goodin.

A brass nut, slightly thicker than the barrel wall, is threaded 6x48 and set aside for later. Meantime, a chunk of brass from my drift is sawed off for the bead.

In the drill press, a nipple is filed on the chunk of drift to fit the #31 drill bushing. This will get the hole centered. I buck it up in the sight/scope drilling jig and bore the brass chunk thru #31. Afterwhich, I tap it 6x48 while still in the jig using the #28 drill bushing to guide the tap.

After some shaping in the drill press and both ends of the bead flattened, I solder the bead to a sturdy 6x48 steel screw. Rosin core solder is fine for this job. I simply fluxed the threads, set a chunk of rosin core solder on top and with low heat from a small flame, melted the solder. Flux wicks it in and rember, low/slow heat and solder moves to the flame.

The previously threaded brass nut is installed and used as a guide to shorten and square up the end of the mounting screw. Since the screw go's all the way through the bead, it'll be much stronger than an all brass or plastic bead and I'll leave the height of the bead a bit high for now in case we need a bit of filing to adjust point of aim.

Once the screw is filed down to the nut, a test install.

Looking good out at the end.

Later I'll thin the nut to barrel wall thickness, reinstall on the bead and finish filing it down smooth. That'll leave only the tiniest portion of screw to remove in the bore.....a touch of grinding and polish will make it perfect inside. But for now, only one thread or a bit less protrudes into the bore.

 

[7pt62THOR]

The bead looks great so far!

 

[fattboyzz]

Looking good so far !

 

[jjrock]

Another good thread to follow! Looks good!

 

[Sharps40]

I have found it easier to install the bead now than to risk a slip and scar a good bluing job later.

So.....end of the barrel receives its basic polish. 120 grit boot strap. Wire brush will be the final before bluing.

Bead thread is progressively sanded down on with the brass nut in place until its almost the same length as the thickness of the barrel wall. More work outside now means less work in bore later.

With the stud and barrel threads cleaned and degreased, both are treated to blue Loctite.....incase I want to remove the bead later, heat it to ouch temp and twist it out with no damage to the barrel threads. The base of the bead is grabbed hard in the plyers creating two flat spots on the base and synched as tight as I can get it with arthritic fingers and without slipping.

And from the inside, only the very center of the screw protrudes into the bore....the edges durn near match up with the circumference. Absolutly mimimum work to do to clean up the installation from the inside.

Barrel is done, well, except for polish and blue.

 

[Sharps40]

The old cast frame is in the Damp box for the first hours rust. After that a recoat of Pilkingtons, a two hour sit and likely before 10 PM tonight the first boil and carding.

The frame was wire brushed, then sanded with the jitterbug using 120g to remove the light freckling and smooth things up just a bit for the finish.

I cleaned it well with windex and hot water and sanded it once more with the worn 120 on the jitter bug. A final wipe with alcohol wipes and we'll see if it takes the first rust relatively streak and spot free.

With luck, Sat evening or Sunday morning should see the frame reblued and reassembled.

 

[Sharps40]

Some work time on the shotgun.

The frame, second bite of the pilk and another two hour set in the damp box till it gets boiled for the first time. Color is taking well and even. Should be a bit brown here soon. Then starting to grey and black.

Sorry, bad pic. Too much flash and dirty shirted gut.....at least I had a shirt on....forgot about the mirror. First polish in the bore to smooth out the screw. Will finish up through 400g to clean out the full length of the bore with some oiled sand paper on a stick in a drill.

Knocked the heads of the rolling block screws down in the drill press to fit the Winchester buttplate. I'll clean the checkering with a wire brush by hand and finish the smooth parts with 400g and some rubbing compound later after sanding the stock with the buttplate attached.

And since I never paint gun metal, the old greyed aluminum parts are simply cleaned up and given a fair polish on the buffing wheel with white rouge.

 

[Sharps40]

Second boil this morning. A good bite overnight. I'll work in 3 hr cycles thru the day and see how it goes.

Battleship grey under the after boil smug. Perfect and right where the color should be at this early stage.

 

[Sharps40]

6 two hour stints in the rust box since yesterday. Final carding done and hanging with oil on. Reassembly tomorrow. Came out fairly well. I believe I have enough to do the barrel yet but that's a week out or so till I get propane for the iron boiling tank.

 

[Sharps40]

Took a nap today. Can't sleep so I put it together. Almost as good as new.