Posted: 3/23/2025 9:53:07 PM EDT
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I’m a hobby welder looking for advice on repairing a AR500 hostage target with flag. (Actually have two of them to repair.) Upper hinge of flag has failed, probably caused by rifle impacts. After I grind off the remnants of the original welds I plan to replace the hinge with a 3/8” rod bent into a ”u”. Will weld a 6010 root pass and a 7014 cover using a Lincoln AC/DC buzz box and 1/8” rod. I’d like to hear any suggestions on my plan or how better to do it. Attached File Attached File |
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
-George Bernard Shaw
-George Bernard Shaw
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AR500 really doesn't like being welded. I probably wouldn't bother with the root/cover. Just hit it with one pass of something ductile. I wouldn't go out of your way to buy fancy rods or anything. It's most likely going to fail again in the same way. We used to use quite a bit at my old job on all sorts of loaders and metal handling/processing equipment. It's Abrasion Resistant, but likes to work harden and crack. I'm not even convinced it's the right choice for impacts. It does hold up better than regular mild steel though (until it cracks). |
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If I was TIG welding it, I would use E309L Stainless Steel, for a few reasons. First, it's unlikely that the hinges are AR500, so you have dissimilar metals, which E309L is ideal for. Second, AR500 is a high carbon steel, and E309L is a low carbon rod. Melt it all together and you get "medium carbon", which will be less prone to cracking. Third, and not relevant, I have a lot of it. If I was a stick welder, I'd have E309L rods, because they're real handy for stuff like this. I would get some for this job, and have the rest for something else. It's more or less a universal rod - good for welding things you're not sure about. I'm not a professional welder, so I'm rarely sure about anything.  Preheat the steel, and cool it slowly. |
9 lives - 9 pellets... Coincidence?
| Best bet would make a new part and weld it on with one pass then put it in a box of sand to cool slowly. The part failed, not the weld, so it is probably already compromised and would likely fail again. |
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. In the end, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can! - SCI, NRA
Team Ranstad
Team Ranstad
| Another thought... rather than trying to weld those little rings to AR500, I would weld them to a small plate of mild steel, then weld the smaller plate to the AR500 with some more substantial welds. Make the small plate as wide as the target and weld it on the edges. That way, you're not compromising the the impact area with heat. |
9 lives - 9 pellets... Coincidence?
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Thanks for the responses and advice. I am building rings but rather than cut from plate, I will hot bend 3/8” rod into 1” U shapes. Welding them to a piece of flat stock and then welding that to the plate doesn’t work because it would not align with the lower hole. The SS rod sounds interesting but it’s $60+ for a small box and would probably still be in my rod bucket when my kids clean out my shop after I go to the great shooting range in the sky. I have a box of 7014 so I’m going to skip the root pass and try that after pre-heating and just see how long it lasts. If it doesn’t last I’ll cut it off and try something different. I am a better grinder than a welder anyway. |
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
-George Bernard Shaw
-George Bernard Shaw
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How I would do it..... 1st....cut off the other ring....and grind off the old welds and clean that yellow paint off that whole area. Then I would get 2 pieces of thick walled tubing with the same ID as the current rings. I would cut them 3x longer than the rings to give them alot more surface area to carry the swinger. Then I would cut a piece of quarter inch thick flat bar that is wider than the OD of the new tubing mounts and then add an inch of length at the bottom and top of where the tubes will be located with the swinger inserted into them. Now place your swinger into the tubes, and tack weld the tubes onto the flat bar-verify the swinger is aligned and weld it all out along the length of the tubes. When that cools a little bit, tack the flat bar assembly onto the target plate. Weld 1 inch stitches around the flat bar while you alternate the area you are welding, allowing some cooling time between welding to reduce heat transfer into the AR500 target. Continue this until you join all the welds around the flat bar. . |
Occid Vel Occisus Est !!
