Vette11's DD E-11 build

[Vette11]

Germain, thanks for the info, I will check everything when I get home.  the screws might be big and I am thinking of going to a smaller set.

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

on to the ammo clip.  this is the other piece I am disappointed with.  I will post the pictures of what I have done but will note that I have ordered a new updated one from Gazmosis, so the damage done to this one is being corrected.   thanks Steve!

 

I started by measuring and marking the position for everything in pencil as Tim did. then came the grinding. I was so nervous to be doing this that my hands were actually shaking.  note to anyone following me......if your hands are shaking, wait until they don't or take a sedative before you begin this process.   you will see why in the photos.   When I started with the word off my hands started jumping around and I could not hold the rotary tool steady.  my "off" went sideways considerably and my arrow goes right to the edge of the clip.   the letters are very rough and are messy ie: not neat.   I also wanted to give it a worn look, but decided that I would scribe the word off 1st and then take the sandpaper to it so that the letters would get some wear too.  it wasn't a bad idea, and you may not think that it looks too bad or that it gives it character but I am just not happy with the scribing of the word and arrow.  I Also have been unable to find anything that will fill the bearing hole.  No place I have been to has the correct size and I even went to a bearing shop!   for all of the above reasons I have ordered a replacement from Gazmosis and hopefully will have it by the end of the week.  now all I will have to do is sand out the clip holder to make it fit....what can go wrong there?  lol

[Vette11]

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

You're making good progress Dustin.  It is very nerve-wracking, that's for sure, but you're doing just fine.

 

I think Germain is correct, the screws do look too big.

 

Just a few points of clarification on my build: 

I didn't use a screw to attach my selector switch.  It is a piece of a plastic micro brush, used much like your coat hanger wire.  The plastic allowed me to drill the hole ever so slightly smaller than the plastic post, and by "forcing" it in position, it pretty much created a vacuum seal.

I also didn't use a screw for my front sight post.  It was a nail that I ground down with the dremel.  LoL.  I was making a lot of stuff up as I went along. 

 

Keep at it brother, your blaster is looking good so far!

Edited December 3, 2014 by Dark CMF

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

So... This computer went nuts....

Edited December 3, 2014 by Dark CMF

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

and posted my post about four times...

Edited December 3, 2014 by Dark CMF

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

So, rather than allow/force everyone to have to look at it four times, I'm editing this drivel into them instead. 

 

Once again,

 

Keep at it brother, your blaster is looking good so far!

Edited December 3, 2014 by Dark CMF

[Vette11]

After a quick break so I could run up to the hobby store near my office and pick up some stuff I need I am back with more.

[Vette11]

Going Back to the barrel.  Earlier in the post I may have mentioned that when I was cleaning out the bolt holes for the hex nut heads the epoxy chipped and forced me to do repairs.  some of the photos you will see were after I put in the bondo to make the repairs.  After I did so and I was sanding everything into shape I was reviewing several build threads and I realized that I did not go far enough down on the left one (if you are looking at it straight on) so I grabbed the drill and went at it again.  it actually took out the chipped portions and made it look very nice again.  I still had to do the repairs on the right one and with them done everything is looking good and even.  the bolt heads have been cut and were glued into place last night. (I was getting anxious and wanted to glue something)  once it is painted everything will look good on the barrel.

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

next up was the inner barrel and spring.  the picture I am posting is of the inner barrel which at this time had been sanded down for painting and the spring which I made out of a coat hangar and drum stick.  unfortunately I was moving with the build and forgot to take a picture of the process. the inner barrel has since been painted with a flat black paint.

 

question?  does the spring get painted to or is left alone??

Edited December 3, 2014 by vette11

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

lastly for today's postings is the d-ring.  While shopping at the Depot looking for the screws to hold the folding stock, I found D-rings.  these are truly in the shape of a D rather than the rectangular shape that goes on the sterling.  I bought one and tried out a modification to see if I could make it work.  I am posting the results.

 

I took the D-ring and cut off a little of each end and then put it into the vice to try and flatten it out.  it doesn't look to bad when the cap is on it but I am sure it needs to be more square.  the one in the picture is a size or 2 to small so I will buy the next 2 sizes up and try again.

 

My question is:  once I find the correct size will this modification be acceptable or does it have to be like the ones Karin sells??

Edited December 3, 2014 by vette11

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

That is everything I have done to this point, over the last week.  I have to admit I am at a loss for what to do next.  I have been reviewing Tim's build thread and have become completely overwhelmed with anxiety at what he did.  I am pretty sure I am pretty close to being done with my mods b/c I know I cannot do what Tim did with his scope. the only things I have left are the power cyclinders and the Hengstler counter.  I have not decided what mods I am going to make to the counter yet only that I know I want the numbers to look real.   I still need to tackle the scope rail and counter bracket and have not decided if I want to try to make one myself using Billhaig's diagram or order one from Evilboy.  I think I will try making my own first and see how it comes out, if it is bad I can go the order route.

 

I almost forgot, last night I did make my charging dowell, using the leftover pvc pipe that used for my inner barrel.  need to sand it and paint it black and get it ready for the rod. unfortunately I didn't take any pics of the process.  it tracks pretty closely to Tim's.

 

near as I can figure, I am pretty close to assembly stage for some of the parts, once I make some previously suggested corrections. 

 

as always, comments, critiques, suggestions are welcome and thanks to all of those who are helping me along the way.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Ugh... The scope. LoL

 

I actually stopped after about 1 inch of drilling at each end so I could install the lenses, and Aaron (usaeatt2) made a comment about my not drilling it all the way out, so I went back, looked at it and decided it could be done. Then I did it. I will add however, that it is NOT for the faint of heart. I very nearly destroyed the scope (and I'm sure that I'd have done a number on the hand that was holding it at the time) by drilling right through the side of it.

 

You've done great work so far. Your question about the spring... I painted mine, but I had a couple of different colors of paint that I was using.

 

You do look to be pretty much ready to start assembling it!

Edited December 11, 2014 by Dark CMF

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Dustin,

 

  Sorry I have not been keeping up with your build. I read about your front sight block and if you are still not happy with what you got I can try and make a new one for you out of PVC. It won't be perfect but it will be more accurate than what doppy's supplies. This would just be the inside sight block part not the outer protective part or the metal sight itself.

Or if you contact Dday, he might be able to sell you a nice resin cast of the inner sight. 

 

For the button thing on the magazine, you can try looking in home centers for domed rivets. they come close in size to that part. Sometimes those small plastic eyes you sew onto stuffed dolls come in the same size and shape for this.

 

As Tim mentioned, drilling out the scope is risky business. I ordered an extra scope from Doopys just in case I screwed it up. Luckily I was able to drill through but not without the proper drill bits. 

Your build is looking great, and I applaud you for just going for it and putting it together. Mistakes happen so no worries, its plastic.  Try using the Tamiya smooth surface epoxy for fixing any cracks or rebuilding areas. It takes a little bit of practice to use but it works well. I have been able to re-sculpt small parts with it and make repairs.

 

I will probably end up painting the spring if I ever source one I am happy with. Another option is to leave it outdoors and let the elements naturally weather the metal, thats if you have the patience to wait.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

I missed this earlier somehow, but I think that your D-ring will probably be alright.

 

When you're looking at it from the "inside" (back) it looks rough, but from the outside I think it looks fine. Once you get it painted and assembled it won't draw any attention to itself.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

For the D-ring, I am not sure what type of acceptance level there is regarding the shape. I would imagine if you are applying for Centurion clearance they may say its not accurate enough. But I amy be wrong. Hopefully someone who knows will chime in on this.

[Vette11]

Thanks for all of the input. I haven't been able to get much work done on it lately, with the holidays just around the corner. I have gone to a bigger d-ring and it came out looking much better. I also received a new magazine from gazmosis and I have hollowed out the magazine well to accommodate it. I nearly went through the wall so I have gone as far as I am going to go. I put epoxy on the inner walls to thicken them up a little bit and then I will sand it smooth. I am currently trying to make my own scope rail and h bracket but the first attempts were not so good. The aluminum that I bought isn't strong enough to support the scope without bending. I am going today to buy some brass rails and give those a try. No pictures as of yet to show b/c I was so happy that I was able to get work done on it, I just wanted to work. Photos soon.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Dustin, did you take a look at my scope rail fabrication process? If you head to my build thread and navigate your way to page 17, that's where the scope rail fabrication begins. I'm by no means a master, but mine turned out pretty well.

[Vette11]

Ok, as promised I have photos to upload.  I was able to work on it over the weekend and made great progress.  I am currently on the paint stage and have made some changes. I will discuss those as I get to the photos so here we go. 

 

as I mentioned before I hollowed out the magazine well and almost went through the wall of the well.  I used some testor's epoxy and put it on the walls to try to thicken them up a little bit.  in the photo you will see that it is rough on the bottom.  I decided not to smooth it out as the magazine still fit good and the bottom of the well would be covered by the magazine.  the 2nd photos is the magazine inserted into the well.  you can see that it sticks out a little too much but i don't want to go any further into the well for fear of going through the wall.  I am happy with it. 

the magazine has been glued into the well using e-6000 and is solid.

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

Next up.... in reviewing some other builds I really liked the idea of using pins to hold the various parts onto the barrel.  these next photos will reflect the pin placements.  I did try to use paper templates but they kept ripping when I would tape them and try to get them off.  what I ended up doing was drilling the holes into the pieces and then placing the pins into the pieces.  I then took the pieces and dipped the pins into paint and then placed the pieces onto the barrel where they went and the spots to drill were marked by the paint.  once I drilled into the spots on the barrel I then placed the piece onto the barrel and checked for fit.  I then adjusted the pin height accordingly.