Lathe/Mill plastic ULE?

[AutomagBoy]

I wonder if it is possible to lathe and mill together a plastic ule? lexan could be used it can with stand wear pretty well and is very durable to shock. Lexan is the 1/16" thick stuff used in HIKING water bottles not the cheap soft water bottles.


Well what do you guys think? Is it possible? a clear, light, and durable ule!?!?!?

[shartley]

[rdb123]

Originally posted by petefol
i think there was a thread about this in deep blue awhile ago, and plastic wouldnt be strong enough to support the bolt spring when the gun is fired.

Heh, makes me wondering about that plastic Empire barrel I saw on an Angel LCD at my local field for sale on the wall.

[WARPED1]

Lexan is bulletproof, I think it'd hold up just fine on a pb field...............

[shartley]

Originally posted by WARPED1
Lexan is bulletproof, I think it'd hold up just fine on a pb field...............

Just being bulletproof is not in itself a good judge of how a material will be for other uses. A flat featureless piece of lexan is a lot different than a carved piece of lexan. You also have thickness issues as well.

I will leave it at that.

[hitech]

Plastics (esp. "Lexan") have poor "wear" resistance, among other things. Remember, strenght is rated in many different ways.

[rux21]

hmm..
I went to the pbexpo in Pomona a while back and they had an autococker in which the body was in a clear plastic. I guess it was lexian... I wonder if that was just for show or it was actually for use. They never really shot it. But I've been interested in that idea ever since..

It sure would be neat to see though. I'd like to shoot a clear plastic gun. Aside from a BE stingray or tiger shark....

-rux

[rehme]

hey if a talon can hold up then a mag can hold up then j/k and plus i dont want my gun to melt in the car

[FlipShot]

Originally posted by hitech
Plastics (esp. "Lexan") have poor "wear" resistance, among other things. Remember, strenght is rated in many different ways.

ok here it goes, Strenght properties : Strain, Stress, Strenght, Stiffness, Hardness, Toughness, Elasticity, Ductility, Malleability, Fatigue and Creep.

[Cristobal]

Originally posted by FlipShot

ok here it goes, Strenght properties : Strain, Stress, Strenght, Stiffness, Hardness, Toughness, Elasticity, Ductility, Malleability, Fatigue and Creep.

There's the engineer

Its funny that this thread came up, because I have been considering whether it might be feasible to mill a custom see-through automag body.

What I think is being missed is that there are LOTS of different plastics that have widely varrying material properties. Plastic gets a bit of a bad rep (ie supersoakers ), but that shouldn't automatically disqualify them from use. It is quite possible that there is a plastic out there that would work quite well... its just a matter of doing some investigation.

As an example of how even similar plastics differ consider the following: Lexan and Plexiglas are two of the most common see-through plastics other there. They're readily available and its near impossible to tell them apart just by looking at them. I can tell you from experience machining them though, that there is a significant difference between the two. Acrylic (Plexiglas) is harder but more brittle and will shatter like glass. You can get a near-perfect finish with the right speed and feed rate and cutting fluid, but you have to be careful because if you go too fast or try and take off too much it'll chip. Polycarbonate (GE trademark = Lexan), although not as hard is in a way stroger because its not as brittle or likely to chip or shatter; it will deform more than plexiglas -- which also means you have to be a bit more careful when clamping it in the vise.

Whether or not a see-though body from either of them or some other plastic would actually be advisable for more than a glorified paperweight to display on Tom's bookshelf, I don't know. I've been meaning to look up all the good info on their mechanical properties, but haven't got around to it yet. I also have to find time to finish my other milling projects

[aut911]

you might be able to use delrin or nylon. they both have exellent wearability characteristics when it comes to hat were dealing with here.

How long has AGD used plastic grip frames anyways? i think that is ABS, not sure though.

im thinking about making a foregrip out of a peice of delrin that i found (not gas thru) and im sure it will hold up no problem.

the rambling stops here.
aut

[TheJester]

lexan may be bullet proof....but you can take a sheet of lexan, bend and break it in 1/2. you could use delrin...kinda expensive though nylon i think would be too soft

[JEDI]

I gotta believe you could definitely make a mag or other marker, out of plastic. Cristobal mentioned an interesting point. There are a lot of different plastics out there. I rode a 13 mile crosscountry Mt. bike ride on a full suspension, plastic bike.(mono-plastic)The frame, the main rear swing arm of the bike, and the seat post was engineered plastic. All of the mechanical parts(shocks, drivetrain, forks) were fastened right to the plastic. I weigh 212. The trail consisted of 4 foot drop offs. Do the math. I think plastic would work.

[rux21]

This is actually very interesting. I wonder if TK has ever considered making a "see-thru" mag.
Another question:
Could you possible surround the internals of a gun in a "harder" metal and then coat the outside with a hard plastic giving it a sort of see through look, but still maintiaining the strenght?
Or would that just be to bulky?

[shartley]