On the bench today: a WALZ pistol dressed in titanium and zebrawood, and boasting my custom clear pump handle.
Issue: the bolt was skipping past the hammer every couple strokes.
Root cause: failed solder joint.
The plan: repair the joint, then reassess the connector pin length. If it’s short, we make a better one. Simple fix, done right.
Step 1: Tear it down.
Naturally, I forgot my valve tool.
So… side quest #1: make a valve tool.
Quick trip to the scrap bin, a few minutes on the mill, and now there’s a proper valve tool sitting on the bench. Problem solved before the real problem even gets started.
Step 2: The solder.
With everything stripped down, it’s time for silver solder.
The challenge: that titanium barrel will discolor if it gets too hot. So the goal is simple — bring the joint up to temp without cooking the rest of the barrel.
What throws serious heat but keeps it tight and controlled? Oxy-acetylene.
Once everything is cleaned and fluxed, I cut a few small bits of silver solder and place them along the failed joint. Not much is required, but I’m giving it a little more backbone than the original.
When the part comes up to temperature, the solder will flows right where the heat tells it to. Quick, controlled, and done properly.
Torch out. Flame dialed in. Heat exactly where it’s needed.
No photo of this part; holding a camera in one hand and an oxy-acetylene torch in the other is a great way to end up with fewer eyebrows.
All soldered up!
A little more solder than strictly necessary? Maybe.
Going anywhere? Not a chance.
Barrel still clean and shiny? Yep.
Strong joint. No discoloration. Exactly what we wanted.
Once reassembled and tested, of course the pin is too short.
So:
Step 3: Make a longer pin.
This pin takes a beating, so it needs to be hardened steel. I’ve made them from mild steel before. They don’t last. Lesson learned.
Hardened steel isn’t exactly fun to machine, so starting with something close to final size is a big advantage.
Enter my comically large pile of Allen wrenches. Perfect donor material: already hardened, already round-ish, and just begging to be sacrificed for a better cause.
After a few minutes on the lath, we have a new, longer pin.
After a final re-assembly, we have a fully functional and ready for the field “Little WALZ Shooter”
And we got a bonus Sheridan valve tool too.
