Possibly making my own mag body

[Reo5th]

I have access to some pretty complex C&C machines, and without getting into the logistics of milling it, I was wondering if titanium would be a better metal for the body?

It is a bit more expensive but it IS lighter. Why aren't bodies made of this material? Is it because of annodizing? Could someone fill me in?

Thanks

[sniper1rfa]

unless you can find ti tube of the right size, good luck trying to get them to boar a bar of ti for you.

stuff is absolutely ruthless on tools.

[Reo5th]

Ruthless as in hard to mill? I'm curious because the C&C machines that I have access to are made for Aerospace parts which are primarily made of Ti.

one more question: Is the C&C extreme just a different body on the emag gripframe? (without the ace of course)

[sniper1rfa]

neato...
i meant hard on tools. dulls them pretty quick.

i think its just an emag - the rail and with the new body.

[Angry Man]

The machines reo has access to are simply disgusting from what I hear. I don't think titanium will be an issue in terms of dulling.

One thing I'm wondering about is how hard it would be to get threads and stuff right. The machines have 3D scanners but I don't know if they're precise enough to make threaded parts. Anyone know anything about how threads are milled?

[sniper1rfa]

they arent milled, per say. they are tapped. its basically a drill bit (at least, a powered tap is, a hand tap is more like a reamer) with cutting edges that are jagged so they will cut the prescribed thread.

there are a few different kinds of taps. hand taps and powered taps are similar, they cut the threads. in soft metals like aluminum or brass, forming taps are used. they are almost like a screw, but really hard. they just press the thread into the metal. these are used simply because they last longer.

[Reo5th]

So what is the deal with Titanium? Is there a reason that a gun has never been made out of this material? Can it take bolt impact, or is that not the problem...

[Mossman]

I think the reason is in production guns, just the milling tools alone would make the gun enormously expensive.

I dont know, lets get manike in here :)

Hey hey....Reed...look what sammy found.

Aparently these folks can Anno Ti, and do it well may I add. I emailed em and I'll call them tomorrow if they dont respond

Linky: http://www.anolaze.com/anodizing.htm

[athomas]

Titanium is a missunderstood metal. It is stronger than aluminum but not as strong as steel. It is lighter than steel but not as light as aluminum.

What it does, is allow you to make a small tubular structure which is lighter than steel. An aluminum structure of the same strength would be considerably larger.

If you want a small tubular automag the same as todays standard design, use of titanium would result in a lighter body. You could even use a threaded barrel because of the added strength at the front of the tube.

If you use an Extreme block milled design, then the added weight of the titanium would actually make your body more heavy. The body would be strong though.

The titanium does not wear as well as steel, so you would still have to use a steel insert where the bolt impacts the body.

Titanium anodizing can be done but it is a little different than aluminum. Titanium colors are done by heat. Different temperatures during the annodize process produce different colors.

[Person]

I always thought titanium was lighter then steel and stronger. Magnesium?

[SnapShot]

are you planning on using cocker threads for the mag body? I hearded you ask about adding threads and that caught my eye and building a mag body has always interested me. If you can't get cocker threads then use the automag classic barrels, seeing as they only slide in twist and lock!

[Reo5th]

Right, but i'm more interested in making a body with the rail and body in one piece. This eliminates the twist and lock system.

[SnapShot]

not exactly, you see, the body rail on the classic mag does hold the twist lock thingy, if you could machine a hole in the right spot to the right depth that twist lock thing could fit into your solid automag body and the twist-lock system would work. but thats just how I'd do it. by the way, does the material have to be ti? you should try some other lightweight alloys if ti doesn't work, also what anno color/pattern are you thinking about putting on it?

[Reo5th]

I'm either going Ti or Al. Its looking like Ti though right now cause titanium is so dense, I can make much thinner cuts, making a smaller body. As for anno - its definatly moss's site: http://www.anolaze.com/anodizing.htm This anno looks hot. Either that or I'll go all out with some sick job from K&P Customs. Either way it'll be a nice looking marker.

[Ironmag]

The only thing about annodized Titanium is that the colors look like pastel colors. Also I was looking a "at home annodizing" and it seems rather simple. check it out at http://www.maxxtraxx.com/tech/tech006.shtml