Workshop Projects Show n Tell

[Hephaestus]

Hi to all Machinist and CNC Techs out there!

I would like to start a Show and Tell thread for those who like to scratch build or tinker with their own guns.

Reading up on all your custom projects and getting lots of great ideas inspired me to also try my skills at some simple machining.

Well here are some pics of my current project.



Any comments on possible improvements are always welcome.

Thanks

PS - I wouldn't mind seeing your project pics too!

<EDITED 10/28/03>

[billybob_81067]

Imagestation

Go to www.imagestation.com and upload your pictures and then put them into an album. To link to the pictures, go into your album, find the pictures that you want to post and click on them to enlarge them. It will bring up the pictures in a new window, and all you have to do is copy the address from the adress bar. Then when you are posting your pictures, click the IMG button near the top and paste the links to the pictures that you want posted.

Hope this helps you out. If I have confused you just let me know and I'll try to describe it in more depth... (It's 2:30 AM and I dunno if I'm making much sense )

[JonDaAzn]

or you could just click the attach file button and let ao.org host it for you!

[Hephaestus]

Thanks for your advise billybob and JonDaAzn. Had a few hurdels in my way but finally I am getting my way about.
Can you believe that these are the first 3 pics that I have ever uploaded on to the web.

Anyone have any comments as to what else could be done at this milling stage before anno. Should it be kept simple or milled down more to save weight? I kinda like the glockish looks right now but was also thinking about what it would look like if the top half was more rounder taking off that angular look.

Better keep this short.
Thanks for checking it out.

[billybob_81067]

Yeah but...

Originally posted by JonDaAzn
or you could just click the attach file button and let ao.org host it for you!

A.O.'s picture hosting was wacked the past few days and the only way to post a pic was to host it somewhere else.

Hephaestus,

That's pretty sweet man! How long did it take you to machine that? Keep up the good work!

[vf-xx]

How did you do the sear pin?

Is that just the stock sear pin pressed into place, or is that an RT sear?

Whats going on at the base of your feedneck, maybe i'm looking at it wrong but I thought I saw a wire in there.

Overall it looks good, but a little strange. Maybe some minor cuts to make it flow into the barrel better.

[Hephaestus]

billybob

The body took about an hour to turn on the lathe and the milling around 30mins. The toughest part was to cut that sear slot which I did mostly by hand with a drill press, dremel, and file at home.(2hrs min)

vf-xx

The sear pin is just a cut down 3/16 stell dowel pin and an older sear that was shaved down to save weight.
There are no wires running about yet.... the connection between the vert feed and body has a slight gap from drilling and I kind of like it because it lets air vent insted of pushing on the balls.


The body still needs some cosmetic nip and tucks and I am taking my time. Screwed up a couple of times already.
Taking the body down to flow smoothly to the barrel might be the next step. (your input please) If a foregrip is nessary then I would just leave it and machine an adaptor to bolt onto the front.

Well better go and catch some sleep.
Like hearing your feedbacks.
Gives me something to think about in the next few steps and maybe notice something I may have missed.

Thanks again!

[billybob_81067]

Originally posted by Hephaestus
The toughest part was to cut that sear slot which I did mostly by hand with a drill press, dremel, and file at home.(2hrs min)

I'm just curious as to why you didn't mill the slot for the sear with the miling machine instead of the old drill n' file method?

The only thing I can think of that this beast needs now is some cosmetic milling...

[Hephaestus]

billybob

Did the slotting during my spare time on the weekend.
I really wanted to try it out and could not wait for Monday. Plus the endmills we had in stock were not long enough for the job.

[vf-xx]

Honestly I'd look into getting an RT sear assembly, i really think that'd work better.

What you should do is make up another blank or two then work out something with Nicad, cause that's a great sluggo and I think that people could do some wonderful cosmetics with it (not that you couldn't, but variatey is good).

Overall it looks like a good functional body (supposing it works and you've tested it).

How did you do the retaining washer for the bolt spring? did you do a steel insert or just milled aluminum? If I'm not mistaken AGD's sluggos use a steel insert, but hey, I could be wrong.

[Person]

Now take off about 80 percent of the current ammount of aluminum and you gotchaself an awsome body

[Hephaestus]

vf-xx

Everything works and the bore for the barrel is quite true to the valve and bolt assembly. Have to look into rt sears. Have not seen one up close so I am not so sure what are some of their benifits.

There is no retaining washer needed in the body since the spring shoulder was all bored with a boring bar. All depths and internal diameters were milked from a classic frame.



As to the production of these slugs I am not much into anykind of production thoughts right now.
My goal is to eventually make a bullpup marker with the hopper in the stock driven by a built in feed system. Some kind of simple belt drive. The trigger frame is going to be next on my list.

I am currently looking around for information on solonoids and driver bords. I was even thinking about fliping around the slug and make it a bottom feed system with wires running to the small solonoid up top to fire the thing.

Again I have to keep things short.
Can ramble too easly.

[vf-xx]

Hrm, we may need to talk if you really want to to the bottom feed thing with a solinoid. I'm currently working on a project that involves putting a noid on an ULT RT. Can't promise anything as of yet, cause I'm still looking for a sponsor to help out the cost of my entire project and I might be offering rights for it.

Anyway It'll be interesting to see hot the aluminium shoulder holds up under wear.

the pin on RT sears screw in from the side, I believe that the newer PTP Micro mags use those as well.

As for smoothing things out towards the barrel you might put some simple sloping cuts that run from close the the barrel out to what you've got there just following the existing sides. (I have no clue if that made sense, if it didn't let me know and I'll try to photoshop your drawing later.

[Fixion]

How did you make the treads in it, especially the barrel threads?

[Hephaestus]

Fixion

Cutting threads are simple on a lathe, you can cut almost any barrel thread types you want. Its all depends on what type of thread pitch (TPI threads per inch) the manufacturer used. The machining process can be done manualy or programed to cut on a CNC machine. Or just cheat and buy a specialty tap and just drill out your size needed and tap it by hand if you wish.

vf-xx

Feel free to use photoshop on the pics if you like. I have used a jiffy marker to do some quick mockups for myself.

Right now the body weight is at 240g or 8.5oz(wo/valve) What would be considered light by paintballers standard?
I plan to mill out around the sear slot next to lighten things out a bit more