Cleet
Junior Member
Join Date: 2009-05-12
Posts: 3
Stuck nipple
My 1858 New Army revolver has a stuck nipple. The nipple wrench is starting to strip the nipple and I can't get "traction" on it to turn it. Anyone have this happen and know a way to remove the nipple or do I have to buy a new cylinder?
put a small pot of water on the stove, bring it to a boil- drop the cylinder in- let it in there for about 2 minutes. Put a glove on to protect your hand, take the cylinder out, then quickly while it's still hot, try to turn the nipple out.
basically do what the common mechanic procedure of heating it, which will break the rust/corrosion bond by expansion, then turn it out while it's still hot
as a mechanic we typically would heat all stuck fasteners cherry red with an oxy-acetylene torch, then they just spin off- but it you heat that cylinder with a torch, you'll ruin the bluing, and have to reblue it
if you don't mind rebluing the cylinder, just heat the area around the nipple with a plumbers torch, and that nipple should turn out
you may have to make a new tool to grab it, if it's stripped- or you can always just drill it out, and retap- you don't need a new cylinder
what gun is this for ? I have a few spare cylinders for Colts I don't need