Two Mark IIs. The SS Competition, I put VQ internals in. When punching out the backside of the Trigger Pin, the metal punch slipped off the rounded surface and I have a few "mars". OK. It is brushed stainless and I will try to buff/scotchbrite out.
Getting ready to put VQ internals in a Gov't Target Model. I do NOT want to mar the bluing like SS mistake.
WHAT PUNCH OR TOOL WOULD YOU USE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING???
They're especially useful for drifting dovetails & sights.
I bought an extra pair of smaller ones and drilled a dimple in the end to help preventing slips. Brass can help reduce damage, but not prevent it-
Always keep Newton's second law in mind-
F=ma.
Hit it hard enough, and a brass punch will deform steel.
Brownells sells brass punches, but you can purchase 3/16” or 1/4” brass rod at the hardware store and make your own. You want the punch to be soft so as not to mar the finish, so why spend big bucks for something that’s gonna get beat up anyway? Brass rod also comes in handy for popping out squibs stuck in barrels or other pesky obstructions!
Useful hint: if filing on soft gummy metals like brass or aluminum, rub some plain old chalk onto your file first to avoid plugging it up. Makes carding the file super easy!!
Use Nylon, or some other Plastic. I have both Brass and Nylon, and sometimes brass (especially on sights) will leave behind a type of brass residue, that is a pain to remove. Whenever i can get away with using nylon, i prefer it.
Another useful tip for smaller diameter punches. Most punches come with a long tip to push the pin all the way out of the hole maybe 3/4" or more. A much shorter punch is way better to get stubborn pins started. They don't flex. I often use a reworked nail set to get pins started moving then switch to the longer punch.
A cup tip punch is what is needed when dealing with a round ended pin like that, easy to make with a small abraisive stone is a Dremel tool. As for a non-marring soft punch bronze will not leave marks like a brass punch will. Brownell's sells bronze punches, as gunsmith I have made my own from round bronze rod.
If you can't or don't want to make your own concave punch(s), here is a part number for the Brownells complete set of concave punches, 080-000-645WB. You may not want the entire set but you can purchase them individually.
Add a drop of Kroil onto each side before attempting the drive out the pin...helps it regardless of what is used to drive the pin. Clean off excess oil before driving out the pin. Especially useful on older/dirty/gummed up guns.
Get an empty gallon milk jug and cut a 4in square piece out of it. Place the piece over the pin and us the big side of the punch to get it started. The use the correct size punch to finish the job
I sometimes put a couple layers of masking tape with a hole in the tape (the size of the pin being driven) over the area...Tom
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