Added a Gold Bead to my front sight.

The STI Spartan front sight was a bit ummm spartan. My eyes are a bit old. So I heard the gold bead front sights were a hot ticket.
Wilson Combat was out of stock on theirs, so was Midway.

Michaels had 2mm 14k gold pins, 12 for $4. The have a shank soldered to the ball to hang other beads on, before looping to whatever.

Drilled a 5/64" hole. a hair under 2mm. Technically I could have pressed the ball itself into the hole enough to have it stick. I used 2 part epoxy to hold the pin.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures.

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The top picture won't cooperate. I flip it in an editor and save it.. it re flips.

Flt Sim..... Exactly. I did bend a hook on the end, just to give the epoxy a more mechanical hold on the pin. I started with a 1/32" drill bit to ensure I could hit my center mark. Worked my way up, to the 5/64".

YZ - I used the dreaded Dremel tool. I bought the small set of drill bits with the Dremel name on them, 1/32" thru 1/8". After marking the center with my dial calipers I was tempted to center punch it, but decided to use the 1/32" bit good glasses and lots of light to touch the center mark and gradually increase pressure and checking. The small bits burned up pretty quick as I was at full speed and lightly touching it. I moved up in bits deepening the center. Now assured I was well centered I put the 5/64" Dremel bit in my drill press. It has about .001" to .002" run out, but my center was deep enough at that point to hold the center of the bit. I was able to leave the sight in the slide since the STI sight has a 45 deg slant. Clamping the slide was much easier than trying to clamp the sight alone. AND ensuring it was square.

IF, I had a sight like in my Springfield, with the "cast in" paint fill hole, it would have been easier to align the bit in the drill press. THOUGH that sight is cut 90 deg and I would have had to remove the sight from the slide. The rear sights of the STI have the paint fill dimples, but 3 might have been TOO Bling.

Solder? Sure, if I was good at it. The bead I used is just gold plate, I assumed brass under. Id want to deal with the sight off the slide so it wouldnt heat sink the heat away.

Modern 2 part epoxies are very good, plus the mechanical press fit, its not going anywhere.

although real gold the ball was hollow. While fitting it I crushed the ball

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DOH is right..

ordered a gold bead from SDM.

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I was this )( close to doing exactly the same. I think it's a great way to go. I went with the ball cause, well it was CHEAP and was thinking about the light reflection off a half sphere being a little better. OK maybe it was just because it was cheaper.

I guess I could take a knife and scrape the gold plate off one of my spare, I have 11, and am receiving another 20 gold plate pins, and double check to make sure it's a brass ball under. My wife likes to assemble jewelry from time to time, so to drop the extras in her kit was a no brainer.

Nice bling. Might be hard to stop there.

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After Apache said

pistol jewelry

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I wondered.. where else can I put one????
OR,, maybe I'll scrape the gold plate off exposing the duller brass.

What is Michaels?

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It's a craft store, sells picture frame, hobby kits, jewelry making stuff, flower stuff, model cars. you name it.

OH... and if you order some beads online.. WAIT until they come before you drill. The ones I ordered 2 weeks ago finally showed up.. they said 2mm, they are closer to 1/16" is that. Good thing I only paid $2 for those. literally on a slow boat from China.