Nice restoration, Ted. Let me take a moment to empty my drool bucket before I proceed...
Ah, so Don used a MIG welder to fill in pits. The occasion is approaching when I'll be restoring a stock lug on my 1917 LP.08, and I had planned a TIG repair using the remaining material of the segment of a donor Luger I scored from G.T. some months ago, as filler. I realize that Don's application of weld to this 1900's back strap was to fill in discrepancies after the cobbled lug was ground off, so not much,really, of the filler would be left exposed for finishing after the surface was worked down to proper relief. I'd like to gather a consensus on the need/viability of my approach before I start puzzling together a 95 year old gun.
My question is how much difference does the alloy used for this, or any frame repair, make in the completed finish? My notion of using the original Luger steel is to minimize potential for cosmetic disaster, i.e. a visible difference in color or tone of the repaired area's finish, compared to the rest of the frame when the work is all done. But perhaps I'm going overboard. Is any particular brand/series/alloy of MIG wire OK to use in a repair like this, or should I stick with my plan of creating filler from extra original material still the best way?
Eugene, what do you think? Ted? ...or anybody else with experience refinishing a repaired frame?
David Parker
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