M38 Hollow Core Scope Project 2016 - Bulldog44

[Bulldog44[TK]]

I don't think anyone will care what color the parts are as they will all end up primed and painted in the end. Doopy's are the plain resin color and you see the amazing things people do with those! I say save yourself the $ and effort and make leave them pigment free.

 

 

Jim

Thanks Jim. I will try a few pigment free casts and see how things fit. If the results are better, I will go with this route  and maybe offer order made pigmented scopes.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Sorry this project has gone a bit quiet. Still waiting for the screws to arrive to see if they can be part of the kits or not.

Also I have taken a break from using resin after experiencing an odd feeling in my lungs for the past week or so. I have been using a proper respirator mask but not I guess this stuff is rather nasty to work with no matter what.  It could be just a chest cold but I am going to get it checked out before I cast anymore scope kits to be on the safe side. Health before hobby. 

 

In the coming days I will start an interest list for anyone who may want in on a scope kit. I think I have about 10-15 completed kits at the moment. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about these scopes.

[MrBlondle]

ouch get well soon! I'd be very interested in a kit if and when you get to it.

Edited June 2, 2016 by strangelysaucy

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

I am hoping that it is just a quick virus passing through too! People are excited about your scopes BUT I think I can say with all certainty that we are all more concerned with your well being than these scopes!

 

Get well soon, we look forward to more great projects as soon as your feeling up to it.

 

 

 

Jim

[kevin926]

Yeah, these chemicals can be nasty. Hope it's just the common cold. Not sure how much these are but I am definitely interested in one scope. Seconds would be fine and I can find screws as well. Hope you feel better

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Got a check up and the doctor said just a chest cold, not chemical related. Good news. Still hoping to find a better work area and safer environment to make these in. 

Cheese head screws arrived from the UK and look very close to the originals, maybe off a half mm or so. But they look pretty darn good I think. Always a risk ordering a bunch of screws and not getting the right ones. Maybe this week the long thin black screws will come arrive, if they are good then I think i can start the interest list. 

   Bad news I found out is that the silicone I use tends to shrink a lot so many of my small part molds do not last long and I am stuck with parts slightly off in size and some warping. It really is almost unnoticeable but I can't stand it. Dday has been a huge help to confirm all this for me and even found a supplier of Smooth cast in Japan which I didn't know existed. Awesome! Twice the price from the US but he says it won't shrink much at all. Definitley going to order a batch and made new molds once the present ones start failing.  

  Let you all know very soon the full details about price, shipping, and optional hardware, etc. 

 

Shipping is tricky as there are a few ways to ship but the price changes drastically.

Roughly speaking- small package $2.50, registered no tracking - about $5.00 but not 100% sure about this method yet and full Emergency registered mail with tracking $20.00 ~$24.00 depending on where you are at. Gping to pay the post office a visit with a sample package this week to get a better quote.

 

ouch get well soon! I'd be very interested in a kit if and when you get to it.

Hope to get that interest list up soon! Glad to hear you are interested in one.

 

I am hoping that it is just a quick virus passing through too! People are excited about your scopes BUT I think I can say with all certainty that we are all more concerned with your well being than these scopes!

Get well soon, we look forward to more great projects as soon as your feeling up to it.



Jim

Thanks Jim. Got checked out and seems non-hobby related, Hoping it will clear up soon.

 

Yeah, these chemicals can be nasty. Hope it's just the common cold. Not sure how much these are but I am definitely interested in one scope. Seconds would be fine and I can find screws as well. Hope you feel better

Glad to hear you are interested in one. Just got some screws yesterday for the 3 outer ones and still waiting on the inner black screws. Also bought some M3 cheese head screws for the slotted pegs that sit just under the eyepiece part. Problem is they don't fit as is and will need a little mod work to make them look the part. Easy fix I think until I get better suited screws.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Update-

Screws arrived last week. As expected they are not exactly like the originals but they somewhat come close enough for the time being. (Original screws are on the right except for the slotted peg which is on the left in the comparison photo)

The slotted adjustment peg or whatever the heck it might be called is very unique. If you notice in the photos, the shaft under the head is not centered. This creates a problem for the kit as you can't just use a regular screw for this without 1. Drilling another hole to position it properly behind the the eyepiece part. Or 2. Remove the shaft and glue the head in place. Another small problem is the head is slightly shorter than the original part so it will need to be raised a tiny bit, perhaps using a washer or just some green stuff. Also the screw I bought for these pegs replicas are not the exact dimensions I ordered. Slightly oversized. I used Tino's idea of locking the screw in my dremel, spinning it at a modest speed and filing the head diameter down (with a metal file) to fit the holes they rest in on the underside of the eyepiece. Then filing the head contour to match the original peg. Roughly a few minutes to get it close enough.

These will not be functional, just cosmetic so I guess it shouldn't be a major problem for assembly.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Bulldog44

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Kit Info- Never sold anything here before so I am slowly putting this all together. Sorry for the turtle-like pace on these scopes. 

 

Screws state they are included in the poster below but not sure yet if I should offer the screws as an option instead of automatically including them. Some people may already have screws in hand. Any thoughts on this? 

 

Below you can see the actual parts contained in the kit minus the screws. I will try to post a photo of all the kit contents together. 

 

 

 

Shipping Info-

I visited the local postal office to ask about shipping costs and methods. They were extremely helpful and also very curious of the contents.

Prices are roughly estimated in US dollars since the original currency is in yen.

Here is what I found out:

 

1. EMS-Emergency Mail Service- Quick delivery, 3-7 days but sometimes longer depending on each countries customs check. Registered & Tracking Available ($20.00~$24.00 depending on the country)

 

2. Small E-Packet- Registered and Tracking available for most countries, 7-14 days but probably a bit longer. ($7.00 to USA, EU, AU) Will need to confirm pricing for other countries.

       The only requirement for this is I have to manually register each address into their on line system for tracking &  to print out the shipping labels.

       Their website is not that user-friendly & takes time but good as it also insures the package up to $60.00

 

3. Small Package- Air Mail - Not registered, no tracking- 2 weeks ~  - ($3.00)

                              Sea Mail = Not registered, no tracking  - not recommended by the postal workers ($2.00)

 

Shipping cost is not as bad as I I thought it would be. I am limited to the size and weight of the package for all of these options so I will be using bubble wrap envelopes to ship the kits. I wanted to use shipping tubes or small boxes but the cost for each container is quite high. I test shipped 2 kits already and both survived with the bubble wrap. 

 

I will be heading into a long break from work in a few weeks so I only have now until then to sell kits and ship them until I get back mid August. I have about 12-14 kits ready to go at the moment (all of them M38 with the ID stamping on the side). I misjudged how many larger lens assembly pieces I casted so I need to make some more to complete a few more scope kits.  

 

I do have a few M38 scopes with the ID stamping on the top/ centered but need to add the large lens assembly piece. The original scope was not perfect made so the eyepiece mounting plate sits a bit off center. I covered this in a previous post. Also one side of the scope suffered from oxidation so the surface is very coarse but it gives it character I think. This scope is also an earlier model M38 from 1942. 

 

M19 scopes kits are still in the works. I can offer a few but the side light socket ring doesn't always cast free of pin holes. Also there are a few rough areas resulting from damage to the master mold. 

 

Price projection for the scope kit is about $30.00 for the time being. Since the parts do not always fit together as smooth as I had hoped and require some work, I think this is a reasonable price. There are also 8 pieces to this kit so its not a quick and easy mold and cast job.  I will most likely raise the price when I am able to make improvements to the scope parts & how they fit together. Also hopefully offer upgrades like lenses when I find ones that fit the lens assembly like the do on the originals . For now, I hope what I have to offer is well received enough.   

 

I will set a final price when I post the sales thread. I still need to account for packaging costs & Paypal fees. 

 

Again sorry for the long wait, almost there!

Edited June 20, 2016 by Bulldog44

[crisisfilms]

I'm gonna have to get in on this. Way too impressive to miss. Well done.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Interest Form Link below for anyone interested in a scope kit:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VAUupantnEgJQ4meTS-wgtWMVDPpqj0-4AdJtF_gISw/viewform

 

Please let me know if the link is not working or if you have any questions.

 

I posted the link for a minute and I didn't even have time to test the link. Already I have some responses! Cheers!

 

 

Just a reminder, at the moment the estimated price for a scope kit is about $30.00 plus the cost of shipping/ Paypal fee.  Thanks again for your interest!

Edited June 20, 2016 by Bulldog44

[MrBlondle]

fantastic! registered interest, thanks!

[Bulldog44[TK]]

I'm gonna have to get in on this. Way too impressive to miss. Well done.

Thanks. Still work to be done to improve the kits another notch up but glad you like what see so far. Cheers.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

fantastic! registered interest, thanks!

Thanks for registering. Sales thread to start this week once I get some kits fully packaged and ready to ship.

[kwakermad[TK]]

Fantastic work really looking forward to seeing the final results. I have registered my interest for two kits, will you be only charging one lot of postage for two kits?

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Fantastic work really looking forward to seeing the final results. I have registered my interest for two kits, will you be only charging one lot of postage for two kits?

Cool. Thanks for your interest in the scopes. I think the limit for the packet shipping is 100g but will check. If its a bit more to ship two together I will let you know aSaP. Cheers.

 

Edit: I checked the website, they say up to 2 kg for the e-packets. No problem! The scopes are really light. I am actually afraid people might be turned off by how light they are, thinking they feel cheap. I guess that can't be helped since they are almost fully hollow on the inside.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Bulldog44

[kevin926]

Just signed up, looks great and thanks for offering these.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Thanks again for those who have shown interest in a kit. I noticed that there is a preference for the top centered ID stamped scope. I only have a few of those kits at the moment but they are not 100% A grade to my standard. To make more I will need to make new molds of small parts since my present molds produce slightly shrunken parts or bear some distortion. If you are not picky about parts fitting loose or a bit off in some ways, I might have a few more kits I can round up of the Model #1 scope.  Let me know what you think about that. I wouldn't want to sell you something not up to par.

 

At the moment I have:

                                     12-14 Model #5 M38 scope kits set to go  (This is mainly the scope I will be offering and will re-mold when it become necessary.)

 

                                     3-4   Model #1 M38 scope kits ready but only with a mix of B grade parts.  

                                             ( Caution- again this scope also has a slight offset eyepiece mounting plate opening on the scope making the whole eyepiece assembly look a bit ......off.  

                                               I just want to let everyone know so they will not suffer any sort of disappointment if you are in search of a perfect looking scope)

 

I will probably have B grade kits at some point but I don't want to get in any deeper at the moment with options. For this first run I want to keep it simple and hopefully deliver a scope kit you are happy with for the money paid.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Bulldog44

[Bulldog44[TK]]

 

 

Hardware-  

     As you can see in the photos the 2 screws that are installed under the eyepiece have a larger head diameter than the outer screws. This will require the builder to file down the head diameter.  Since the original hardware were actually a fillister style screw head, the head contour will need to be replicated as well by filing it to shape. How to actually install these screws on the scope mounting plate will be another challenge for the builder but that can be dealth with in a few ways which I will try to cover at a later point.

 

Mixed Colored Parts-

     A few kits may have one or two parts casted in the natural resin color. These parts were earlier casts that were less prone to warping and shrinkage like later casted parts due to the silicone molds shrinkage. They may not look uniform but they fit very well on the scope body. Once they are primed and painted & weathered, it will be undetectable. 

 

Lens Assembly Parts-

     The large and small lens assembly had to be casted as a solid piece. I was not able to remove the real lenses without causing damage to the original brass housing so I opted to cast them each as a solid piece. Making a complete size cast just adds more drilling and resin removal to install a lens so I made partial castings for an easier job. The important detail of the lens assembly is the front ring part with the notches. The opaque lenses need to be removed as mentioned but this gives the builder some flexibility to add a lens that either sits behind the notched ring or fits almost exactly the inner diameter of the ring. 

   So while the partial casts may not look nice and complete, they will be easier to modify when installing lenses. (most of the small lens assembly parts are full casts)

 

Kit Preview-  Mostly I will have #5 M38 scope kits available and have limited stock #1 scope kits.

 

 

 Hope to update more this weekend when I can.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Bulldog44

[Griffin-X[TK]]

Great work on this scope kit, really amazing!

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Great work on this scope kit, really amazing![/quote<br>

Thanks Jim. Been a long journey to make them but loads of fun and lessons learned along the way.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Mystery Gunk! -

 

  

    I am not 100% satisfied with the screws I bought to replicate the adjustment pegs that go between the mounting plate and the eyepiece. I have labeled them adjustment pegs as they are not actually screws but some sort of slotted hardware to allow the eyepiece to be installed with some flexibility ( allowing proper alignment of the lenses for optimal magnification?) No idea really but hope to find out someday.  Well I have struggled to think how the screws I have in the kit can be incorporated without a lot of filing and cutting, etc. Then I remember that on most of my scopes, the holes on the eyepieces where these slotted pegs should be visible are plugged with some hard black mystery filler. At first I thought that this stuff was years of hardened dirt built up in those holes but then thought is was too coincidental that almost all the scopes had this stuff jammed in there. When I molded the first eyepiece, a chunk of it fell out of the hole and I could tell it was more like dried black paint than dirt. I still have no idea what it actually is but think that the filler may have been used to block up the pegs after the the eyepiece was properly fitted to the main scope. If the eyepiece was not supposed to move after it was installed, it would make sense the peg holes needed to be filled to prevent any tampering with the set position.  This is pure speculation here but think it gives some valid reason for the filler gunk.

 

 So..... if the screws I am putting in the kit do not work out well, I think it may be safe to say that the peg holes can be filled with green stuff (or other) to replicate the filler gunk, making this another accurate way to complete the scope kit.

 

If anyone has information on this or think this is not an accurate representation of the original scopes, please feel free to share your knowledge or voice your thoughts. 

 

*  Side note - I found out my kids must have played with the photo settings on my phone as all my recent photos started to reveal unnecessary sparkles. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Bulldog44

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

I like the unnecessary sparkles, it's what I saw when opening my mail from you. As for the "mystery gunk" that is totally something that they would do. Like you said, once it got set/calibrated at the manufacturer or depot (after receiving service) they'd make it so that "Joe" doesn't mess with it. You can never totally "Joe proof" anything but by filling those in it would be "out of sight, out of mind".

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Bulldog44[TK]]

I like the unnecessary sparkles, it's what I saw when opening my mail from you. As for the "mystery gunk" that is totally something that they would do. Like you said, once it got set/calibrated at the manufacturer or depot (after receiving service) they'd make it so that "Joe" doesn't mess with it. You can never totally "Joe proof" anything but by filling those in it would be "out of sight, out of mind".

 

 

Jim - TK50899

Great. Thanks always Jim for your info. Love the term Joe Proof. I might use that to describe the filler from now on. Special credit given to you for this!  "Joe Proof Filler"

Sounds much better than "hard black mystery filler gunk".

 

I do like seeing the adjustment pegs but the Joe Proof Filler way makes life a whole lot easier .  Need to talk to my kids about the sparkle filter they set on my phone.   Fun having a little bling here and there in some photos. 

[T-Jay[TK]]

Great information, Brian. As most of the parts I ever had in hands were made from resin, I always thought that were inaccuracies of the casts (and painted silver accents there oh dear)

However, just this weekend I had hands on two real M38 scopes and examined them closely. One scope missed just 1 of the two "Joe Proof Fillers"

On the other position the adjustment screw was visible. So your speculation sounds absolutely reasonable to me.
 

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Great information, Brian. As most of the parts I ever had in hands were made from resin, I always thought that were inaccuracies of the casts (and painted silver accents there oh dear)

However, just this weekend I had hands on two real M38 scopes and examined them closely. One scope missed just 1 of the two "Joe Proof Fillers"

On the other position the adjustment screw was visible. So your speculation sounds absolutely reasonable to me.

 

Cool to hear you could examine those hole fillers. It sounds like maybe one hole may have been left open perhaps for fine tuning if needed. I too thought the holes were plugged up with clay for making silicone molds but this search for proper replacement pegs has made me look at the filler stuff in a whole new way. I think anyway they are replicated is correct, even if you painted the holes silver. Its about capturing the spirit of how they look either with real screws or an idea of metal there. Open to interpretation from the many scopes seen or held. Lots of options for such a strange tiny detail on the scope!