My real sterling (demilled) E11 build

[scottjua]

Well... here's the brief story/build of my my E11.

 

It all started with a friendly tip from a fellow RPF'er about a demilled sterling E11 that got posted to ebay. He was international and there was no way it was going abroad legally, so he tipped me off.

 

I contacted the seller, and got it for a super bargain price.

 

However, when it came, it was in so-so condition. Sure it was real and worn, but the first thing was the scope rail came right off in my hands out of the box... it just flopped off. It was not even really fastened in, and was more or less jammed or wedged into the rear sight and apparently, with tension alone. 

 

There was rust in almost every crevice, and you could easily see where this was a torch cut sterling that had been re-welded. The welds however, were cracking and had huge chunks of metal missing all together. 

 

Teh T tracks, were some odd abomination super glued to the main barrel...

 

I asked the seller some of the details, and he said he got it for his 501st trooping, acquiring it from another trooper who purposely added/painted on the rust since he was a sandtrooper. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it looked awful, and while I want a worn/weathered blaster, I don't want a rusty holy piece of crap.

 

So I stripped it down, which was a MAJOR Pain in the booty. After getting down to the metal I could see where the welds had been filled with some bondo type of substance, but not very well. 

 

 

 

The red is my blood… I put my blood into this build

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also pulled on the bolt... that was supposed to be welded closed, and the thing gave and cocked back a couple of inches. Now since the thing was cobbled back together, it was NOT smooth, or even really working. However, I decided to try to strip it completely for refinishing...

 

I took a rubber mallet and removed the entire bolt and spring set eventually with a LOT of work, and then went about re-filling the holes and cracks with JB weld.

 

After getting it all back together I cleaned and degreased all in the springs and bolt and put it back in. 

 

Primed, and painted. 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately with paint and primer some of the lettering details were lost on the mag well, and my jb weld blending kind of sucked. So I tested the bolt to see if my JB weld fix worked, and it came loose… and CRACKED the welds and JB weld again…

 

 

 

 

Soooo… I stripped the sucker AGAIN… but this time had a friend WELD the thing back together! The penetration sealed the bolt CLOSED for good… It WILL NOT weenie or move without extreme force breaking the welds.

 

 

 

This and another two spots were welded, but I wanted a small tack here so I could clean it easier. 

 

 

So after filing and cleaning the slag, I re-smoothed all of the surfaces with JB as best I could… and instead of priming… did LIGHT coats of paint… and it looks great!

 

Baked to cure

 

 

Not PERFECT… but very hard to notice unless with contrasty light and this angle

 

 

 

 

Then Since the scope rail sucked I had to make a new one. New one in progress next to old one with Resin scope. 

 

 

I liked the shape of the old one so I replicated it.

 

 

Bought some raw aluminum bar from the hardware store and got to SLOWLY bending it to shape. Cutting, painting and fitting.

 

 

 

I also got a small L bracket for the hengstler I picked up from Marv and fabricated that.

 

 

Drilled into the metal cage, and an added 4-40 set screw to keep it level.

 

 

 

 

 

REAL Scope replacing the resin one

 

Fake and real next to each other

 

Hengstler mounted

 

I decided the best was to secure it was to bolt it to the frame through the rear sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

finally I used Marv's T track for the front grips and used the boiled water method. AfterI bothced two of them by trimming them, I got the rest down nicely. So I need to replace two of them… 

 

 

 

 

 

Now all I need is some cylinders.

[firebladejedi[TK]]

Nice work :~)

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

there is a sale thread for the cylinders.  playful wolf cub is selling amazing replicas!

 

you can also go bumpy with sterling paint work, the original sterlings have a really interesting texture to them,

it's from a paint called surcote, which was actually purchased by sterling arms from russia.

 

it creates a parkerized non shiny surface.  you can replicate the bumpy texture by adding paint with an un-even brush

and tap the bristles into the paint.

 

the T Tracks and sight rail and counter are all that is not bumpy on the paint!

 

The selector switch could be painted to look like blued steel with steel edges.

 

usually the hengstler counter is mounted with the eagle directly across from the front foot of the scope, and I see you have the

scope mounted perfectly!

 

overall this is a 9.5 out of 10!

 

[Locitus[Admin]]

Nice work :~)

+1 Nice work!

[scottjua]

Thanks!

 

I've seen a few real sterlings as they were and they had two types of original paint. One was smoother which was what I was going for and one was the crinkled kind.

 

I need to do some research on why the variance but I've seen both.

 

As for the hengstler mountin point. I have the back edge just about where the middle of the stock pin is. Not exact to the one post production pic but close. I went with that because I liked it a little lower and it made for less drilling and cobbling. This was my bracket is bolted where the scope foot is.

 

Ah well.

 

I wanted to use Gino's t tracks but can't get over the price and payment method.

[scottjua]

Oh yeah. I e pm'd and posted about getting on the cylinders run but no reply to either the thread or pm's.

[Locitus[Admin]]

Sterling SMG's were painted with the wrinkle finish during new production when going for commercial or export sales. British military variants were painted with smooth Suncorite 259 paint at the factory and during subsequent FTR programs.

 

http://www.milsurps.com/archive/index.php/t-29520.html

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

sterling paint for military in the early days was the russian paint which parkerized in one coat, then later on the paint you mention is used.

in the 70's you have a crinkle paint, but in the 50's you have a parkerized paint.

 

smooth versions of the sterling were produced by fazerkly and sold to many other locations.

 

but the UK ministry of defense rejected the smooth paint versions and had them sold off.

 

in star wars the paint is military bumpy.  for the firing versions.  then for the promo shots they use a 70's police version which was painted with

modern crinkle paint.

 

so for on screen versions of the e-11 we have parkerized bumps, and for the promo shots it's crinkle engine paint.

 

the link mathias points out is one of the links I provided a long time ago... it's interesting reading!

[LeMaxim[TK]]

Wow! Nice work indeed!

[Marv]

Scott, loving the build, the E-11 was my first ever prop build I now have two

As Vern pointed out the cylinders made by Playfull wolfcub  are really sweet, he has seriously gone out of his way to produce an outstanding replica piece.

Matthias that link about the paint was really great I think that a very similar paint is used on the mpp shouds of the Vader saber as it also has a similar finish.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Marv

[scottjua]

Thanks man... yeah I really want those cylinders... I hope the thread comes back a live and I can get on!

 

I went with the hengstler placement from his PDF... the "tunisia" placement... although LOWER, but as far back. 

[Minuteman]

Thank you for posting your build thread!

Great work and it was a pleasure to read :-)

[Locitus[Admin]]

Mathias that link about the paint was really great I think that a very similar paint is used on the mpp shouds of the Vader saber as it also has a similar finish.

You're welcome.

[jkno]

Very cool Sterling build! Congrats!!    Much better than the MR stormtrooepr blaster.

[Turrican]

sterling paint for military in the early days was the russian paint which parkerized in one coat, then later on the paint you mention is used.

in the 70's you have a crinkle paint, but in the 50's you have a parkerized paint.

 

smooth versions of the sterling were produced by fazerkly and sold to many other locations.

 

but the UK ministry of defense rejected the smooth paint versions and had them sold off.

 

in star wars the paint is military bumpy.  for the firing versions.  then for the promo shots they use a 70's police version which was painted with

modern crinkle paint.

 

so for on screen versions of the e-11 we have parkerized bumps, and for the promo shots it's crinkle engine paint.

 

the link mathias points out is one of the links I provided a long time ago... it's interesting reading!

 

Where you got the source about the paint?

[scottjua]

Ahh heck, It sort of bugs me but not enough to want to repaint it. 

 

I will also stick with Marv's grips. I'd like Gino's but can't justify the price yet.