Post War BSA S rehash

[slow_runner]

Locked down, captive in my home.

I was giving my air rifles a wax prior to the Winter settling in.

A few years back when this BSA was put back to use, I had considered replacing the trigger block but sense and a lack of opportunity prevailed. I left it as it is.
It is bugging me now and the idea of cleaning it up has resurfaced.
Thinking aloud-
I could turn it, although that would obviously reduce the diameter and lose its identity number.
I could dress the damaged region? Nah, maybe not a good idea.
I could have it micro welded; less heat and that would be labour intensive and expensive.
Tig welding may be more affordable but that generates some heat and would need a number of passes to reduce any possible distortion.
Then there is the reblueing and would the weld zone material colour well with the original material?
Or leave well enough alone?

Has anyone recovered a similarly corroded trigger block with success and how was this achieved?
Any advice?

The damage can be seen here.

https://live.staticflickr.com/8425/2...6b64c6ff_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/5597/2...71e7a413_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8547/2...d9578973_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8261/2...1c4da040_b.jpg

[trajectory]

Thats a tricky one.
I think it will depend on quite a few things & you have mentioned a few options. Perhaps it partly depends on the condition of the rest of yhe air rifle, that & its funcionsllity. If they are both good & you are keen to retain the serial number as it is then maube just treat any live rust & conserve the trigger block along with the rest of it.

If you have the inclination then I guess the surface could be built up around the serial number & finished back to otiginal dimensions. Big job & time consuming, & I guess expensive too.

Then I suppose it could be turned down to the id of a length of steel tube, & turned to match original od. Ie an external sleeving, but of course the seial no. will go.

On balance I think I would just live with it until I could find a replacement trigger block & keep the old one to hand labelled up somewhere, but I guess over years it would not be the first old BSA to have a component swapped out with the original bit headed to the bin. Just depends on your point of view if its the best thing to do or not.

[Garvin]

Locked down, captive in my home. Politicians move too slow and often in the wrong direction.

I was giving my air rifles a wax prior to the Winter settling in.

A few years back when this BSA was put back to use, I had considered replacing the trigger block but sense and a lack of opportunity prevailed. I left it as it is.
It is bugging me now and the idea of cleaning it up has resurfaced.
Thinking aloud-
I could turn it, although that would obviously reduce the diameter and lose its identity number.
I could dress the damaged region? Nah, maybe not a good idea.
I could have it micro welded; less heat and that would be labour intensive and expensive.
Tig welding may be more affordable but that generates some heat and would need a number of passes to reduce any possible distortion.
Then there is the reblueing and would the weld zone material colour well with the original material?
Or leave well enough alone?

Has anyone recovered a similarly corroded trigger block with success and how was this achieved?
Any advice?

The damage can be seen here.

https://live.staticflickr.com/8425/2...6b64c6ff_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/5597/2...71e7a413_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8547/2...d9578973_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8261/2...1c4da040_b.jpg

To be honest, I think this trigger block is too far gone to do much to improve it. Personally I would just oil it to make sure it got no worse and find a better example.

If you try too hard to improve it, sooner or later you'll run into one or more of the problems you mention.

[ggggr]

Locked down, captive in my home. Politicians move too slow and often in the wrong direction.

I was giving my air rifles a wax prior to the Winter settling in.

A few years back when this BSA was put back to use, I had considered replacing the trigger block but sense and a lack of opportunity prevailed. I left it as it is.
It is bugging me now and the idea of cleaning it up has resurfaced.
Thinking aloud-
I could turn it, although that would obviously reduce the diameter and lose its identity number.
I could dress the damaged region? Nah, maybe not a good idea.
I could have it micro welded; less heat and that would be labour intensive and expensive.
Tig welding may be more affordable but that generates some heat and would need a number of passes to reduce any possible distortion.
Then there is the reblueing and would the weld zone material colour well with the original material?
Or leave well enough alone?

Has anyone recovered a similarly corroded trigger block with success and how was this achieved?
Any advice?

The damage can be seen here.

https://live.staticflickr.com/8425/2...6b64c6ff_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/5597/2...71e7a413_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8547/2...d9578973_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/8261/2...1c4da040_b.jpg

Hi Ken--I hope you are keeping well?
I think if that gun were mine, I'd get the block off, get the screws and trigger out and then try boiling the block in water to stablilse the rust, like CCDJG says. Another way would be to loosen and remove the loose rust----boil the block then give it a couple of coats of "Plum brown" . It would look its age but not like it had been restored--if that makes sense?

[slow_runner]

The images are from when I bought the BSA back in 2016. The trigger block was treated to electroysis and after some time the trigger pins were able to be removed; all threads are in good condition.
For some time I searched for a replacement two hole trigger block but after a while I gave up ever expecting to find one.
I think that it is a 1921 BSA. It's complete and it shoots straight and true.
I will post some recent images when this weather passes.



I will drop you a line soon Guy

[Helm]

If it offends your eyes too much ,you could kill the rust, fill it sand smooth and paint the block black ?
Mine was rust all over and I spent last summer sanding with 900 and 1200 wet and dry, then polished took a very nice blue...but way too much effort really value wise but once I started....still small marks all over when you get close but as you say any great improvement would take too much metal off
Cheers ian

[Shed tuner]

On balance I think I would just live with it until I could find a replacement trigger block & keep the old one to hand labelled up somewhere, but I guess over years it would not be the first old BSA to have a component swapped out with the original bit headed to the bin.

agree with the above. the block is so damaged there is no concept of a sympathetic repair.

[keith66]

Degrease & put the breech block in a pot of citric acid that will strip the rust off completely, then you can see what you have. Its that bad you are not going to lower its value any more! You could Mig or Tig weld it then turn it back to size.

[harvey_s]

If it was mine....
Bead blast exterior remove rust and key.
Smooth over with JB weld.
Once hardened, finish smooth to even surface all over.
Colour with paint or my choice would be Uni's pigment rich oil-based marker.

[micky2]

The images are from when I bought the BSA back in 2016. The trigger block was treated to electroysis and after some time the trigger pins were able to be removed; all threads are in good condition.
For some time I searched for a replacement two hole trigger block but after a while I gave up ever expecting to find one.
I think that it is a 1921 BSA. It's complete and it shoots straight and true.
I will post some recent images when this weather passes.



I will drop you a line soon Guy

If it was mine l would keep it as it is, because that is all part of it's history, and as you say it is shooting straight and true. which is all you can ask from a rifle. but if it still bugs you keep a eye out for a replacement.