Gluing a front sight insert?

[Cliffh]

I've got an older Taurus .357.  The front sight has an orange plastic (?) insert, which is now loose and will easily slide out of the dovetail it's in.

CA glue might be too brittle, contact cement isn't going to work.  Epoxy has possibilities, but would it stand up to cleaning solvents?

What do y'all think about cutting a groove into the glued edges, both on the insert and the sight post itself?  Not deep, just enough to give the glue a place to grab.

[Kingcreek]

Don’t groove it. Just clean and degrease it and use a simple contact cement.

[Cliffh]

I don't think contact cement's going to work.  Contact cement instructions are to coat both pieces, let the glue set, them press them together.  The insert has to slide sideways (about 1/8") into the post - the glue's going to grab as soon as the two come into contact and not let it slide into position. 

I haven't tried using contact cement without letting it set first.

[Tuco]

One of the varieties of JB Weld?
There are solvent resistant epoxies. LocTite makes one for plastic, not sure how compatible it is with steel.
What about marine tex? That stuff is amazing. Expensive, but amazing.

[HankB]

The insert is plastic, and a lot of adhesives don't stick to certain plastics very well.

From the description, this might work to glue your existing red insert back in:

https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/general-gunsmith-tools/adhesives-solder/black-max-adhesive/

Brownell's also makes a complete sight insert kit:

https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-tools/gun-sight-tools/front-sight-insert-kit/

[Cliffh]

Using their "Find a dealer" app didn't show anyone in my area that sells the marine tex.  I will keep them in mind, that might come in handy with a couple of projects and/or emergencies.

The glue at Brownell's looks good, I'll be ordering a tube of that.

Brownell's acrylic kit has me thinking about other kits I've seen, especially those that are clear and come in smaller quantities.  Think I'll put that on my "experiments" list - get a small kit and try tinting with various materials, something that reflects light...  If a mixture seems to work well, I can always cut out the existing insert and pour a new one.

[BobR]

I stumbled across this, it may help. I would have never known they used clamped forms.

https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/secrets-of-the-red-front-sight-insert/

bob

[Cliffh]

I stumbled across this, it may help. I would have never known they used clamped forms.

https://gunsmagazine.com/discover/secrets-of-the-red-front-sight-insert/

bob

There's a lot of great info in that article - Thank you!  Especially starting with a thin mix and thickening it 3 times.  The idea of drilling a couple holes in the bottom to give the insert a mechanical hold is something I've done in other projects, and what I was talking about when I mentioned earlier carving a groove in the mating surfaces.

[230RN]

Find out what Taurus was using, and don't use that.

Just for the sake of useless information, my Taurus sight does not have an insert, but I painted it with red nail polish which is getting worn off after about 20 years.

Terry, 230RN

[Cliffh]

Find out what Taurus was using, and don't use that.

Just for the sake of useless information, my Taurus sight does not have an insert, but I painted it with red nail polish which is getting worn off after about 20 years.

Terry, 230RN