Fix a crack in a brass tube?

[wthomas333]

I have an old BE Nightmare, (the brass version) that has a small crack in the upper tube. If possible I would like to have it repaired. This part of the tube is under pressure when aired up. The set screw your see there is holding in the assembly that holds the piercing pin. The crack is just above the set screw hole.

So I was wondering:

a) can it be repaired to be usable again?
b) should it be repaired or is there a safety concern even after a repair?
c) who on here would be able/willing to do such a repair?

Thanks!

[Ecapnation]

That looks like a fatigue crack in the material grain....

IT might be fixable but it could also keep going even after repair.

[wthomas333]

Unfortunately, I agree.

[BrickHaus]

Maybe sleeve it and solder the sleeve down?

[JeepDVLZ45]

This is what I was thinking. You could drill out for access to that set screw as well

[JeeperCreeper]

I would drill stop holes at the ends of the crack, flux it and solder it up.

[wthomas333]

I am not very knowledgeable about this. Would you drill all the way though? Would the solder cause the inside of the tube to not be smooth and require some refinishing?

[DocsMachine]

Yes, stop drilling should go all the way through. On something like that, I'd use a very tiny drill, like 0.030", maybe even less. That means precisely locating the ends of the crack. And when soldering or brazing, you might want to plug them with fine wire.

This is not an easy fix.

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

On pressure-bearing brass? That's a tricky one.

In my opinion, the crack needs to be cleaned out thoroughly, which may not be fully possible, carefully stop drilled (which means drilling small holes at the ends of the crack, helps stop it from spreading) and then solver-soldered, or even silver-brazed.

IF you can be reasonably assured the solder has flowed fully into the crack, it should be okay. Just a coating over the outside probably won't help as much.

You might have a wall-hanger, there.

Doc.

[wthomas333]

I appreciate the input. I’m gonna have to think about whether the juice is worth the squeeze.
I don’t really have the expertise to confidently do that myself and be happy with the result.