Repairing an ammo can

[Candiru]

I recently bought an ammo can online, only to discover that the can shipped to me had the latch broken off. The latch was inside the can and looked as though the fold of metal that's riveted to the can lid had sheared off the rivets after being weakened by rust. The company from which I purchased the can demonstrated excellent customer service by telling me to keep or throw out the broken can while they shipped a new can at no cost to me.

I'd like to keep the broken can and fix it if possible. However, my metalworking skills are minimal, to be generous, so I was hoping some people here were handier than I and could advise me on how to proceed.

As mentioned earlier, the latch on this ammo can was secured to the lid by a narrow flap of metal folded over the lip of the lid and riveted on. The rivets have been neatly sheared off, leaving the latch unwarped. To me, it looks like the easiest way to reattach the latch would be to drill through the latch and the lid between the previous rivets and use some pop rivets, but I don't know if those would be tough enough. I don't have an arc welder, but even if I did, I don't know if just welding a seam around the latch would be strong enough, either.

What would you recommend?

 

[bogie]

About $3 or so...

 

[bogie]

Oh, and by the way...

Pisces sure as heck ain't my sign...

 

[spin180]

I'd think a good weld made by a competent welder would be more than sufficient. Don't have any idea if or how much someone might charge to do it, though. Could be more than the box is worth.

If it appears that you can readily drill out the old rivets and install the latch with new rivets, then I'd be inclined to do that. Apply some JB Weld to it, as well, and the latch ought to hold up to just about anything you'll put it through.

In fact, JB Weld would probably be enough by itself for holding the latch in place. I've used it to attach a muzzle brake to a WASR AK and it's been holding strong for a few thousand rounds now.

Good luck!

 

[Oldtimer]

Easiest way to repair a rust-damaged ammo can? Throw it away! The rust is probably worse than it outwardly appears, but it is still hidden under the paint.

Welding on a rusty portion of steel is "iffy", at best. Let's say that you brush out the majority of the rust, then have the piece welded on, you probably weren't able to remove ALL of the rust, so it will return.

It's best to buy ammo cans at, say, gun shows. You can pick/choose the ones you want. Quite often, the ammo can vendors at gun shows will drop their prices quite a bit on the last day of the gun show.
They don't want to have to carry them out to their trailer or truck when the show closes.

Besides being able to buy non-rusted cans, you can also inspect to see if the rubber gasket is still okay.

 

[justsurvivingincalifornia]

I am not sure which model or type ammo box you have(.30 cal, 50cal, 7.62x51 or others?)
I looked at my ammo boxes(50cal US GI) my boxes have spot welds holding the retainer to the box. I think the cheapest and fastest repair would be to use 4 bolt and nuts to hold the retainer part to the box.

That is after you enlarged/drilled the holes in the latch retainer and box.

Another option would be to install a a padlock hasp like this one.
You know make a lock-box out of it
Oh yes, welding you might try a local tech school that teach welding shop they might do it for free just for practice.

 

[Leatherneck]

Grind mating surfaces down to bare metal. Bed the latch assembly in JB Weld. Pop rivet in place. Wait 24 hours, and good to go.

TC

 

[DeputyVaughn]

Why not simply drill out the bad rivits and replace with stove bolts and grind off the excess. A little silicone arond the bolt head for water prooofing wouldn't be a bad idea.

Scott

 

[Red Tornado]

My question is where did you get it? Excellent customer service should be shared as well as complaints. This sounds like a company that deserves our business.

Apropos the ammo can, having no metalworking skills to speak of myself, I'd go for those 2 magic words....Duck Tape!

Seriously, where did you get it?
RT

 

[Candiru]

My question is where did you get it? Excellent customer service should be shared as well as complaints. This sounds like a company that deserves our business.

Apropos the ammo can, having no metalworking skills to speak of myself, I'd go for those 2 magic words....Duck Tape!

Seriously, where did you get it?
RT

I bought the can from MidwayUSA.com. Their response to my problem was pretty much par for course, as I've dealt with their customer service department before and found it to be the best and friendliestd I've ever encountered. Retailers should take note: Meeting someone more than halfway turns an unhappy customer into a walking advertisement.

 

[Lucky]

aiui for small jobs like that glue can be as effective as welding. Especially with the thinness of the metal. Rivets and glue would be pretty solid, imo.

 

[bogie]

And the price for the item was????

It doesn't make sense to spend $5 to fix a $3 box.