E-11 STEEL PIPE BUILD

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

I was gone, but i'm back... and i'm really impressed once again by your work Aaron!

 

If i could offer one suggestion, it would be to paint those rounds in the magazine with a golden fashion paint. There are a lot of places throughout the film where you can notice them:

 

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14821471588_8b239aab16_o.png

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14821452968_e2db34937b_o.png

[gazmosis[501st]]

The "white powder" is actually muzzle flash. There are differences between standard blanks and "movie rounds". Regular gun powder contained in standard bullets produces very little muzzle flash. Movie rounds contain extra material to enhance the flash for a more dramatic effect.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Looking forward to the home stretch on your build, Aaron!!

[Zugor[TK]]

I have the same parts kit and am planning to do a similar build. I am really enjoying seeing someone else do this and love the great ideas you have, so keep up the fantasic work! I noticed in your first post that your parts didn't have the excess steel tubing on the trigger and handle or the magazine port like mine do, how did you remove the excess steel?

I am not a welder and have only a little experience using a stick welder, I was wondering what kind of welder you used to weld the main tube back together. I plan to practice on some scrap steel before attempting this but would like to get your recommendations.

Why did you choose to blast the parts with aluminum oxide verus sand or glass beads?

[tk1995]

While this is an awesome build, I must offer a word of caution to anyone else thinking of doing it as the feds are very restrictive when it comes to "firearms":  

 

27 CFR 479.62
"No person shall make a firearm unless the person has filed with the Director a written application on Form 1 (Firearms), Application to Make and Register a Firearm, in duplicate, executed under the penalties of perjury, to make and register the firearm and has received the approval of the Director to make the firearm which approval shall effectuate registration of the weapon to the applicant. The application shall identify the firearm to be made by serial number, type, model, caliber or gauge, length of barrel, other marks of identification, and the name and address of original manufacturer (if the applicant is not the original manufacturer). The applicant must be identified on the Form 1 (Firearms) by name and address and, if other than a natural person, the name and address of the principal officer or authorized representative and the employer identification number and, if an individual, the identification must include the date and place of birth and the information prescribed in §479.63. Each applicant shall identify the Federal firearms license and special (occupational) tax stamp issued to the applicant, if any. The applicant shall also show required information evidencing that making or possession of the firearm would not be in violation of law. If the making is taxable, a remittance in the amount of $200 shall be submitted with the application in accordance with the instructions on the form. If the making is taxable and the application is approved, the Director will affix a National Firearms Act stamp to the original application in the space provided therefor and properly cancel the stamp (see §479.67). The approved application will be returned to the applicant. If the making of the firearm is tax exempt under this part, an explanation of the basis of the exemption shall be attached to the Form 1 (Firearms)."

 

I know the intent is to make a movie prop but the demonstration of the rounds being ejected could cross the federal line.  I'd hate to see anyone get jammed up trying to make an awesome prop.
 

Edited September 24, 2014 by tk1995

[usaeatt2]

I was gone, but i'm back... and i'm really impressed once again by your work Aaron!

 

If i could offer one suggestion, it would be to paint those rounds in the magazine with a golden fashion paint. There are a lot of places throughout the film where you can notice them:

 

OK, I was gone, but I'm back too.

The 'golden' rounds seen in the movie are likely actual rounds of ammunition.

The "rounds" seen in an EMPTY magazine are the two offset roller bearings of the magazine follower assembly. 

Most magazine followers are just stamped sheet metal.  The Sterling design is unique and thought to improve reliability.

[usaeatt2]

I have the same parts kit and am planning to do a similar build. I am really enjoying seeing someone else do this and love the great ideas you have, so keep up the fantasic work! I noticed in your first post that your parts didn't have the excess steel tubing on the trigger and handle or the magazine port like mine do, how did you remove the excess steel?

I am not a welder and have only a little experience using a stick welder, I was wondering what kind of welder you used to weld the main tube back together. I plan to practice on some scrap steel before attempting this but would like to get your recommendations.

Why did you choose to blast the parts with aluminum oxide verus sand or glass beads?

 

The individual parts are electrobrazed or attached to the receiver with silver solder at the factory.  Carefully heat your parts with an acetylene torch and the excess steel will fall off once the silver solder liquifies.

 

All welding was done with a TIG welder.  Stick welding would likely burn right through the receiver.

 

I blasted parts with aluminum oxide because that's what the directions call for with KG Gunkote.

[usaeatt2]

While this is an awesome build, I must offer a word of caution to anyone else thinking of doing it as the feds are very restrictive when it comes to "firearms":  

 

I know the intent is to make a movie prop but the demonstration of the rounds being ejected could cross the federal line.  I'd hate to see anyone get jammed up trying to make an awesome prop.

 

 

I fully agree with this comment and the posting of the Federal Regulation above.  From now on, I'm going full resin or composite.  Besides, the completed prop weighed almost 15 pounds.  Who wants to lug that around?

[sskunky]

They did use blank firing sterling E11s from Baptys. So you could be seeing actual bullets.

[usaeatt2]

Hello all!  It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything! Someone introduced me to the RPF and Astromech sites...need I say more?

 

I've still got posts to make about finishing details; I've been lured back to the dark side...ehhh, FISD, by several members asking questions offline.

 

I left off with bending the T-tracks. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by this step. Mostly because I paid $80 for an envelope of plastic Gino tracks.

NO spares. ONE chance.

 

To start, I only wanted the T-track to extend into each hole by 1/4 to 3/8". This avoids interference with the barrel or inner pipe.

Knowing I was going to make a MINIMUM of 12 bends (maybe more for future blasters), I decided to make a jig.

I found a piece of scrap steel strap and drilled a 1/2" hole to accomodate the full width and height of the Gino T-track.

(I would modify the track to fit the receiver later).

 

 

Next, I heated about the last 1/2" of the track with a heat gun.  Keep the heat MOVING - DO NOT hold the heat in one place - the plastic WILL bubble up if you don't move.  I kept my fingers close, so I could feel the amount of heat being added without burning myself.  I was also spinning the track using my fingers to heat it from all sides.  I directed the heat towards the cut end - I didn't want to take any chance on warping the long straight area that would rest against the receiver tube.  It didn't take long to reach a decent level of heat - maybe 30 seconds each.

 

 

When it's ready, quickly push the T-track through the hole.  The unmodified Gino track is a tight squeeze through a 1/2" hole.  Keep in mind, however much is extending through the hole past the bend is likely going to get trimmed off, so don't cut yourself short on the other end.  Bend the warm plastic to a 90 degree angle.  Don't force it.  If it won't bend easily, pull it out and add more heat.  Alternatively, you could add heat while the track is in the jig - I think I tried both ways, but found it easier to control WHERE I was putting heat by pulling it back out.  There's A LOT more than you initially think happening here, so take your time and plan each move.  The plastic is hot and will pretty much move any way you pull it.  You want a 90 degree bend and just a little vertical pull to bend the "wings" into a slight "V" shape (you'll see that in the next few pictures).  Sorry for the crappy picture, but I did this in August and didn't want to go back and re-stage any pictures...

 

 

See the little "V" shape forming near the top of the jig hole?  You see the same thing on the screen used blasters.  Make 6 bends.

 

 

Here's the completed bend:

 

 

Next, I decided to modify the ends so they would actually fit through the 7/16" hole in the receiver.  I could have waited until both ends of all the pieces were bent, but I wanted to do some fitting to make sure these were as snug as possible.  I used a Dremel tool with a fiber cutting wheel to lightly taper the edges.  Remember, you're only taking about 1/32" off each side at a slight angle (this way, the track gets tighter as it pushes further into the hole). 

 

 

Here's a finished/cleaned up end:

 

 

 

Next comes what I thought was the tough part (after getting past my initial fear of heating and bending).  You have to measure for the length of each piece to determine where to put the bends on the other end.

I took several measurements and realized I would be bending the tracks in 3 different sizes.

I decided to start at the bottom and work my way up, that way, if I screwed something up, it wouldn't be totally obvious, sitting on the top of the receiver.

I measured the length between the holes that would take the T-track, NOT center to center, but outside end to outside end.

I wanted the T-track to fill as much of each hole as possible and leave very little gap at each end.

Here's what I ended up with for measurements from my receiver - starting with the row above the bayonet lug and working around:

1) 6 - 9/16" (row above bayonet lug)

2) 5 - 15/16"

3) 5 - 15/16" (top row)

4) 5 - 29/32"

5) 5 - 29/32"

6) 5 - 29/32"

 

THEN, I took 1/4" off each end to accomodate the height of the track.  That means 1/2" total, off each piece.  So, I ended up with these measurements:

1) 6 - 1/16" (row above bayonet lug)

2) 5 - 7/16"

3) 5 - 7/16" (top row)

4) 5 - 13/32"

5) 5 - 13/32"

6) 5 - 13/32"

 

 

I drilled a few more steel straps with holes spaced per the last set of measurements.  When I was done with that, I cut one of the holes, on each strap, in half.  This leaves a hole to hook the pre-bent end and a half hole to bend the other end through.  Alternatively, you can just measure them off and use the original jig.  I tried it both ways.  If you're only doing this for one blaster, it's probably not worth it to make 3 more jigs...I was just aiming for consistency.

 

 

Heat and bend, just as you did before.  When you're done bending, trim off the excess, taper the ends and do your fitting.

 

 

Final thoughts:

When I was all done with the 6 tracks, I re-heated and bent each end slightly past 90 degrees.

This helps to "clamp" the track into place with sort of a compression or tension fit.

I found you can "set" the bend by blowing on the hot plastic - heat, insert into the jig, bend, blow, remove from jig.

Go slow with your tapering.  Do lots of test fitting.  Keep things tight.  If you trim too much, the fit will be loose.

I'd REALLY like to safety wire these into place just like the rifle (sorry, I'm too much of a noob to know the name), but I know that's not accurate.

In place of safety wire, I placed a few small dots of black 3M weatherstrip adhesive (I think it's just black rubber cement) on the underside of each T-track.

 

I hope this post helps someone!

I was really scared to do this when I started, but it turned into a really fun and relaxing project!  The result is extremely satisfying too!

 

Thoughts or suggestions?

 

Thanks for watching!

Aaron

Edited October 16, 2014 by usaeatt2

[Dday[501st]]

Hi Aaron,

 

Thanks first for helping with a few questions I had on the side regarding parts and measurements!

 

I like what you did here and I was thinking of a similar jig to bend the tracks.

 

One thing I was thinking of doing is making the jig out of a piece of pipe, in a similar fashion to yours. The reason I was thinking pipe vs the steel bar is the pipe is rounded like the barrel and maybe the bends will fit and bend more exactly. Based on your photos it doesn't really matter though, I think

 

Thanks again!

[usaeatt2]

Hi Aaron,

 

Thanks first for helping with a few questions I had on the side regarding parts and measurements!

 

I like what you did here and I was thinking of a similar jig to bend the tracks.

 

One thing I was thinking of doing is making the jig out of a piece of pipe, in a similar fashion to yours. The reason I was thinking pipe vs the steel bar is the pipe is rounded like the barrel and maybe the bends will fit and bend more exactly. Based on your photos it doesn't really matter though, I think

 

Thanks again!

 

Derrek,

 

You're welcome for the help with parts and measurements.  My steel blaster will likely never leave the house and I built in mostly for reference.  It's a pleasure to share.

 

I think the curved groove in the bottom of the T-track makes up for the rounded barrel, but making the jig from a pipe definitely sounds like a good idea - certainly worth a try!  Especially if you have a few extra lengths of pipe!  The steel strap was just a convenient piece of scrap for experimentation.  Rare that an experiment turns into the final solution!

 

Aaron

Edited October 15, 2014 by usaeatt2

[gazmosis[501st]]

If I were you, I'd make another one that duplicates the one you did. Just leave out the hole that leads from the mag housing into the main receiver.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

I expected Steve to tell you to make another and send it to him for further inspection as I was reading his post.

 

Since he didn't, send the extra to me

 

Awesome work on the T-tracks and the documentation, as always Aaron!!

 

RPF is a dangerous playground. LoL. As is the Astromech builders forums, I'd imagine.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Nice work

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[usaeatt2]

If I were you, I'd make another one that duplicates the one you did. Just leave out the hole that leads from the mag housing into the main receiver.

 

Everything ends up being a tradeoff.  If you leave out the hole that leads from the mag housing into the main receiver, that helps it meet federal regulations, but you could still load individual rounds through the ejection port...and you can't use a regular magazine.  The magazine projects into the receiver, so you would have to shave off the business end of the magazine until it fits.  I'm almost convinced there's no way to meet federal requirements without terribly defacing some portion of the gun...

[usaeatt2]

I expected Steve to tell you to make another and send it to him for further inspection as I was reading his post.

 

Since he didn't, send the extra to me

 

Awesome work on the T-tracks and the documentation, as always Aaron!!

 

RPF is a dangerous playground. LoL. As is the Astromech builders forums, I'd imagine.

 

Honestly Tim, I thought that's where Steve was going too, but as it turns out, I think he was trying to help me with the law...but you took up the slack!

 

RPF and Astromech are expensive playgrounds!  In just a month, I ended up with a Salzo V4 studio scale X-wing with armature and about 1/4 of the parts for an aluminum R2 build...

 

LOL, I told my wife these things will keep me busy and youthful when I retire in about 15 years...

[usaeatt2]

Nice work

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, Sly11!

[kev011]

What a spectacular thread with so many details I was searching for! Thank you for taking the time to detail your whole process. I am in the beginning process of reconstructing a cut up sterling to e11 of my own so I appreciate the insight.

[I'm Batman[501st]]

You should finish off this thread some time Aaron. It will be a good reference source for many years to come....

[usaeatt2]

I thought I was done!  What did I forget?

Maybe I should post a link to my completed E-11 photo shoot thread?

 

Anyway, this thread was almost obsolete, but you resurrected it! 

Edited January 22, 2015 by usaeatt2

[I'm Batman[501st]]

Most of its there, but the final installation of components after painting, installing the t-tracks after bending, then some final completed shots

 

As I said, this thread wil never be obsolete!

[sskunky]

Honestly Tim, I thought that's where Steve was going too, but as it turns out, I think he was trying to help me with the law...but you took up the slack!

 

RPF and Astromech are expensive playgrounds! In just a month, I ended up with a Salzo V4 studio scale X-wing with armature and about 1/4 of the parts for an aluminum R2 build...

 

LOL, I told my wife these things will keep me busy and youthful when I retire in about 15 years...

I know exactly where you are coming from. I just spent the last few years accumulating Alu, Steel and electronic 2-3-2 R2 parts! My wife gave up on me years ago.

[SeanTX]

Did you cut the whole charging handle slot with a hack saw?

[usaeatt2]

Did you cut the whole charging handle slot with a hack saw?

 

I cut nearly all the odd shaped holes with a Dremel and reinforced cutoff wheels.  For the charging handle slot, I cut close to the line, then fine tuned the slot with files to ensure it was perfectly straight.  My replica is as accurate as possible using hand tools, but it's really just a prototype for something better...

 

If you're interested in saving yourself an enormous amount of time, contact Dday about an aluminum or steel receiver cut on a CNC mill.  I helped Derrek with the research and dimensions used in his CNC program.  I'm fairly certain Derrek will be doing another run of receivers soon - and when it happens, I'll be on the list.

 

Pardon the dramatic advertisement, but the Phoenix Props blaster will rise triumphantly from the ashes of the DVH blaster and I fully expect it to be the ULTIMATE blaster kit.