Mauser bolt too hot

[arsoncop19]

I have a turk m38 mauser that I am working up. I welded the handle on with an O/A unit while using a heat sink and heat control paste from brownells. The heat sink melted and I had to use a little heat to get the rest out. I continued to us heat control past. The rear of the bolt is blue but as i get to the front locking luggs they are still shiny. the blue only goes half way down the bolt body. My question is is this still safe to use since the locking lugs afre not discolored?

 

[rcmodel]

Probably safe.

But the hardened cocking cam is now toast and will probably wear or gall rapidly.

rc

 

[N.Schafer]

What rcmodel said. Safe to shoot. May gall on the extracting cam surface. No way to really get around that with a welded on handle. Possibly heat treat the whole bolt if it gives you trouble.

 

[rcmodel]

No way to really get around that with a welded on handle.

Actually there is a way to get around that.

Don't take so long welding it you overheat everything, melt the heat sink, and anneal the bolt body / cocking cam.

I have been welding or forging military bolts for scopes since the first one in 1962.
And I never ever got one that hot yet.

rc

 

[Jim K]

I would like to know how a daub of paste on the surface of a piece of steel will prevent heat from moving through the metal itself. Maybe I was asleep in physics class, but I sure don't see how that paste stops the molecular action. What it does do is to block the oxygen and stop the heat from ruining the bluing or causing the heat to "rust" or discolor the steel. We used it on bolts as well as on shotgun barrels when silver soldering the base for a Compensator. For the latter application, we put lots of the paste into the barrel as well because if we didn't the bore would pick up oxygen and rust.

Jim

 

[Kp321]

The wet paste acts as a heat sink, at least until it dries out. I quit using heat stop paste when I thought it was contributing to porosity in my TIG welds. I now wrap a wet wash cloth around the bolt body and use a steel threaded heat sink. Doing this, the blue only extends half an inch down the bolt body. By wrapping the wet rag around the heat sink in the cocking cam area, I have had no problems with galling.

 

[rcmodel]

See this about wet rags from just a month ago:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8695364&postcount=2

rc

 

[arsoncop19]

thanks everyone for the real world reply's it was helpful