Miguel MK107
New Member
Amazing job, i would like to place my orders now, AR, MDR, and M6G
Props Spartan Laser Metal & Fiberglass Airsoft Prop (Fully Functioning Electronic Replica)
- Thread starter Redshirt
- Start date
- Status
Xtremenoob
Active Member
Good to see all the mechanisms fitting into place even if you update this thread by just adding a single bolt, I will be drooling because its just 1 part closer to finishing. :0"""
Keep it up
Keep it up
- Member DIN
- S980
Reposted from 7 Mar 2013
With that major work done, I fit everything together to see just how much space I had for the lift mechanism and how everything aligned. The first thing I discovered was that the front attachment points for the upper receiver to the lower receiver interfered with the big outer barrel.
I ended up redesigning and fabricating this new mount. This area will be partly visible when the Splaser is finished, so I'm happy with the cleaner look. I also gained one more attachment point for the front zombie smasher, so I gained some strength there.
Here's the whole thing together. I used to have two big tabs sloppily welded in here, This is definitely an improvement.
Here's the space available at the rear. I have to fit the lift mechanism, feed mechanism, and tracer units into this space! The abrupt end of the outer barrel will be hidden by the shroud and the metal blades that run along the bottom of the shroud.
Here's the shroud resting on top, not quite straight, but validating that I'll have room to situate my sighting laser on top of the outer barrel and have it fire though the front opening of the shroud (not cut).
The business end. The front shroud still bears scars from the last reshaping. There will likely be very little original material in this part the day it finally gets painted.
I also permanently fitted up the completed mid shroud latch and metal details. I don't yet have the latch tabs on the shroud.
Now permanently placed.
Another look at the shiny bits.
The work so far.
Redshirt
With that major work done, I fit everything together to see just how much space I had for the lift mechanism and how everything aligned. The first thing I discovered was that the front attachment points for the upper receiver to the lower receiver interfered with the big outer barrel.
I ended up redesigning and fabricating this new mount. This area will be partly visible when the Splaser is finished, so I'm happy with the cleaner look. I also gained one more attachment point for the front zombie smasher, so I gained some strength there.
Here's the whole thing together. I used to have two big tabs sloppily welded in here, This is definitely an improvement.
Here's the space available at the rear. I have to fit the lift mechanism, feed mechanism, and tracer units into this space! The abrupt end of the outer barrel will be hidden by the shroud and the metal blades that run along the bottom of the shroud.
Here's the shroud resting on top, not quite straight, but validating that I'll have room to situate my sighting laser on top of the outer barrel and have it fire though the front opening of the shroud (not cut).
The business end. The front shroud still bears scars from the last reshaping. There will likely be very little original material in this part the day it finally gets painted.
I also permanently fitted up the completed mid shroud latch and metal details. I don't yet have the latch tabs on the shroud.
Now permanently placed.
Another look at the shiny bits.
The work so far.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 17 March 2013
Happy Birthday?! Kind of a celebration, kind of a badge of shame, but
this project is a year old today and the Splaser is still not done.
Getting there.
This has not been an excessively productive couple
of weeks. That's just as well since the forums have been down and
navigation is still sketchy. I have got some work on the Splaser done,
but I have to admit that my vintage motorcycle project has stolen my
attention. Tomorrow is the big day for the bike. It will be complete and
ready to drive, letting me get back to the job at hand! Of course not
everything will work and I know that I'll be doing some electroplating
to get this thing ready for an April show. It is beautiful, but a time
thief.
In progress.
Almost done! Time Thief: 1967 BSA Lightning!
Now,
for the topic at hand, the Spartan Laser. This and the next few updates
are going to jump around a bit as I solve different parts of the front
shroud project. The main issues are the scissor lift, the motorizing of
the lift, and the external side supports that have to be both tough and
detailed.
First up, the hardened mounting on the side of the
outer barrel. I decided that the front shroud structure will bolt to the
outer barrel to give strength and allow easy removal. To get this, I
had to add a section of welded aluminum angle to each side to give me
thick enough material to drill screw holes into as well as vertical
surfaces to drive the alignment of the lifts. The trick here was welding
fairly thin material to the massive barrel. Typically this type of
welding ends up with the small component in a pool of molten metal
before the major piece gets up to temperature. To solve this, I
preheated the barrel on the grill up to 650 degrees, then hauled it to
the vice for localized welding.
Preheat
setup for the outer barrel. Sharpie lines denote what can and can't be
seen when installed. This helped me plan to keep the weld job out of
sight. The Sharpie is a good indicator of aluminum's readiness to be
worked. A trick metalworkers use is to mark the aluminum with a Sharpie.
When the aluminum gets hot enough to work, the Sharpie marks disappear.
Weld in progress. This angle welded in place will give a straight and stable mounting surface for the scissor lifts.
Next
up, the metal inserts for the fiberglass shrouds. Most of this is
hidden. Only the lower 3/4 inch will ever be seen. The rest provides
attachment points, stabilization, and the lift mechanism. Once again, I
wish a had a mill. At least I have a mill table to use on my drill
press. The drill press can't handle big side loads so I have to go slow
and use soft material.
Milling the side plates for the upper shroud using stone knives and bear skins.
A
little better view of the cutting. In order to cut a slot without the
tool binding, skipping, or gouging, I had to move very slowly and shave
down just a few thousandths at a time.
Thanks for joining on the anniversary post. We'll get there!
Redshirt
Happy Birthday?! Kind of a celebration, kind of a badge of shame, but
this project is a year old today and the Splaser is still not done.
Getting there.
This has not been an excessively productive couple
of weeks. That's just as well since the forums have been down and
navigation is still sketchy. I have got some work on the Splaser done,
but I have to admit that my vintage motorcycle project has stolen my
attention. Tomorrow is the big day for the bike. It will be complete and
ready to drive, letting me get back to the job at hand! Of course not
everything will work and I know that I'll be doing some electroplating
to get this thing ready for an April show. It is beautiful, but a time
thief.
In progress.
Almost done! Time Thief: 1967 BSA Lightning!
Now,
for the topic at hand, the Spartan Laser. This and the next few updates
are going to jump around a bit as I solve different parts of the front
shroud project. The main issues are the scissor lift, the motorizing of
the lift, and the external side supports that have to be both tough and
detailed.
First up, the hardened mounting on the side of the
outer barrel. I decided that the front shroud structure will bolt to the
outer barrel to give strength and allow easy removal. To get this, I
had to add a section of welded aluminum angle to each side to give me
thick enough material to drill screw holes into as well as vertical
surfaces to drive the alignment of the lifts. The trick here was welding
fairly thin material to the massive barrel. Typically this type of
welding ends up with the small component in a pool of molten metal
before the major piece gets up to temperature. To solve this, I
preheated the barrel on the grill up to 650 degrees, then hauled it to
the vice for localized welding.
Preheat
setup for the outer barrel. Sharpie lines denote what can and can't be
seen when installed. This helped me plan to keep the weld job out of
sight. The Sharpie is a good indicator of aluminum's readiness to be
worked. A trick metalworkers use is to mark the aluminum with a Sharpie.
When the aluminum gets hot enough to work, the Sharpie marks disappear.
Weld in progress. This angle welded in place will give a straight and stable mounting surface for the scissor lifts.
Next
up, the metal inserts for the fiberglass shrouds. Most of this is
hidden. Only the lower 3/4 inch will ever be seen. The rest provides
attachment points, stabilization, and the lift mechanism. Once again, I
wish a had a mill. At least I have a mill table to use on my drill
press. The drill press can't handle big side loads so I have to go slow
and use soft material.
Milling the side plates for the upper shroud using stone knives and bear skins.
A
little better view of the cutting. In order to cut a slot without the
tool binding, skipping, or gouging, I had to move very slowly and shave
down just a few thousandths at a time.
Thanks for joining on the anniversary post. We'll get there!
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 21 March 2013
Update time!
Working on a different part of the lift mechanism here. These are the external supports. They won't perform any function as far as lift, but they will act to locate and stabilize the shroud in both the retracted and extended positions. Unfortunately, they are very exposed and will need to be extremely strong to deal with abuse in the field. This is yet one more way this thing HAS to be stronger than a regular replica prop for it to be viable as an airsoft skirmish weapon.
I made these all again as the original pieces from a couple of months back wouldn't work with the revised mountings in the lift and front frame. This is one of the upper pieces, made entirely from aluminum channel.
Welding complete. They will be cut down matching size later.
Here are the two lower pieces on their initial test fit to the front frame. I had to use brass channel to get what I needed here. I can't weld to brass, so these pieces are actually just locked into place by the cooled metal. I will reach for the trusty JB Weld when I finalize these parts. I will also insert the next smaller sized brass channel inside for added strength.
Perfect alignment! We are on our way folks.
Here's a closeup with the front shroud in place. This helps me figure how short I will need to cut them for final fitting.
The view down the right side. Later, I will bond on thin aluminum sheets with the details cut in. Right now I'm focused on strength and alignment.
The front view--all square. The parts are intentionally not yet cut to the same length.
Here's the whole thing from an angle you're likely to see it in the game.
Next time, I'll pick up where I left off on the scissor lift.
Redshirt
Update time!
Working on a different part of the lift mechanism here. These are the external supports. They won't perform any function as far as lift, but they will act to locate and stabilize the shroud in both the retracted and extended positions. Unfortunately, they are very exposed and will need to be extremely strong to deal with abuse in the field. This is yet one more way this thing HAS to be stronger than a regular replica prop for it to be viable as an airsoft skirmish weapon.
I made these all again as the original pieces from a couple of months back wouldn't work with the revised mountings in the lift and front frame. This is one of the upper pieces, made entirely from aluminum channel.
Welding complete. They will be cut down matching size later.
Here are the two lower pieces on their initial test fit to the front frame. I had to use brass channel to get what I needed here. I can't weld to brass, so these pieces are actually just locked into place by the cooled metal. I will reach for the trusty JB Weld when I finalize these parts. I will also insert the next smaller sized brass channel inside for added strength.
Perfect alignment! We are on our way folks.
Here's a closeup with the front shroud in place. This helps me figure how short I will need to cut them for final fitting.
The view down the right side. Later, I will bond on thin aluminum sheets with the details cut in. Right now I'm focused on strength and alignment.
The front view--all square. The parts are intentionally not yet cut to the same length.
Here's the whole thing from an angle you're likely to see it in the game.
Next time, I'll pick up where I left off on the scissor lift.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 3 April 2013
Alright
everyone, I'm back for a real update. The motorcycle finally runs
right as of today and the Spartan Laser is back as a priority. Took a
long test drive on it, then hopped in the car to go looking for the
parts that fell off. All in all, a pretty standard experience for
classic British motoring! Love it!
I cleaned up the parts and assembled the slide mechanisms.
These pieces turned out really clean.
All finished with the top pieces and starting the base pieces.
I had made good progress (I thought) on the lift mechanism until I tried it:
Looks okay . . . .
Nope, it's crooked as hell!
I thought I had everything symmetrical, but a postmortem showed unequal arm lengths and sloppy channels. Look at that junk, it drops a half inch at the front! Grrrr!
Here's more: Viewer discretion advised.
I'm
ashamed to put my name on that. I only post it because this is an
educational site. The carpet is appalling too, but that's why it's cut
up for scrap in the garage.
So, I ended up starting over on the
arms and the base. The upper visible parts seem sharp, so I'll keep
them for now, otherwise it's a lot of work to remake them.
It
turned out that I had a very small amount of the good stuff--the harder
aluminum alloy. Even in thinner strips, it's stronger than most of the
soft aluminum I have to use. I bonded together two pieces for the base
and stacked up four layers for the arms. Here are the new pieces
rough-cut.
Here they are after machining last night. I will drill and machine everything together to ensure perfect symmetry this time.
I should have the remade slides riveted together in a day or two. Once
that happens, it won't take long to fit them up to the gun and then
mount the shroud.
Redshirt
Alright
everyone, I'm back for a real update. The motorcycle finally runs
right as of today and the Spartan Laser is back as a priority. Took a
long test drive on it, then hopped in the car to go looking for the
parts that fell off. All in all, a pretty standard experience for
classic British motoring! Love it!
I cleaned up the parts and assembled the slide mechanisms.
These pieces turned out really clean.
All finished with the top pieces and starting the base pieces.
I had made good progress (I thought) on the lift mechanism until I tried it:
Looks okay . . . .
Nope, it's crooked as hell!
I thought I had everything symmetrical, but a postmortem showed unequal arm lengths and sloppy channels. Look at that junk, it drops a half inch at the front! Grrrr!
Here's more: Viewer discretion advised.
I'm
ashamed to put my name on that. I only post it because this is an
educational site. The carpet is appalling too, but that's why it's cut
up for scrap in the garage.
So, I ended up starting over on the
arms and the base. The upper visible parts seem sharp, so I'll keep
them for now, otherwise it's a lot of work to remake them.
It
turned out that I had a very small amount of the good stuff--the harder
aluminum alloy. Even in thinner strips, it's stronger than most of the
soft aluminum I have to use. I bonded together two pieces for the base
and stacked up four layers for the arms. Here are the new pieces
rough-cut.
Here they are after machining last night. I will drill and machine everything together to ensure perfect symmetry this time.
I should have the remade slides riveted together in a day or two. Once
that happens, it won't take long to fit them up to the gun and then
mount the shroud.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 11 April 2013
Cheers to all the diehards that are still following. Lots of pictures today as I build Gen 3 of the scissor lift
mechanism. I've just come in from the garage with the pics and this one
works!
I expect lots of wear and tear as this thing cycles and I
don't want it to get sloppy so I adapted some steel airsoft gearbox
bushings for the slides and the pivots.
I drilled them out to accept 1/8 inch rivets.
Where I needed them in fixed locations, I pressed them into the aluminum parts.
Using the original upper parts and reworked lower slides, I built my two mechanisms.
You
can see how much of an improvement in alignment the Gen 3 (top)
assembly gives over the Gen 2 disaster on the bottom. The top setup has a
lot less play as well.
I completed the second Gen 3 lift next.
These
two show show my check for symmetry. Spot on! If there was any
difference, the system would bind or twist in use once the two halves
are welded together.
Next I bolted the two assemblies to the hard points that I'd added to the lower edge of the cosmetic barrel assembly.
Here's the whole thing in the retracted position.
Shroud frame in the raised position.
Next was to make sure it would fit inside the gun and function.
Nice and straight, but still a long ways to go.
Very
tight back in there, but the slide mechanism fits all the way to the
side. Any room saved here helps because I still have to get the actuator
along with three hop-ups, three tracer units, and three eed tubes into
this area.
The system isn't without its problems. I will once
again have to rework the shroud's profile to fit around the mechanism
and seat properly against the lower receiver.
Close, but needs some work.
That's
ugly. I can't just use Bondo, because I need lots of strength. This
area will end up getting cut further back so I can let in structural
fiberglass that can withstand hard use and BB hits.
Was it worth it? Heck ya! Here's the assembly in place with the shroud next to a picture of the game model.
I think this setup will nail it when I get everything cleaned up.
Next
is the welding up of cross pieces and setting up the mountings in the
fiberglass shroud itself. Until that is done, I can't solve the actuator
issue or the fit of the shroud to the lower receiver.
Thanks for looking.
Redshirt
Cheers to all the diehards that are still following. Lots of pictures today as I build Gen 3 of the scissor lift
mechanism. I've just come in from the garage with the pics and this one
works!
I expect lots of wear and tear as this thing cycles and I
don't want it to get sloppy so I adapted some steel airsoft gearbox
bushings for the slides and the pivots.
I drilled them out to accept 1/8 inch rivets.
Where I needed them in fixed locations, I pressed them into the aluminum parts.
Using the original upper parts and reworked lower slides, I built my two mechanisms.
You
can see how much of an improvement in alignment the Gen 3 (top)
assembly gives over the Gen 2 disaster on the bottom. The top setup has a
lot less play as well.
I completed the second Gen 3 lift next.
These
two show show my check for symmetry. Spot on! If there was any
difference, the system would bind or twist in use once the two halves
are welded together.
Next I bolted the two assemblies to the hard points that I'd added to the lower edge of the cosmetic barrel assembly.
Here's the whole thing in the retracted position.
Shroud frame in the raised position.
Next was to make sure it would fit inside the gun and function.
Nice and straight, but still a long ways to go.
Very
tight back in there, but the slide mechanism fits all the way to the
side. Any room saved here helps because I still have to get the actuator
along with three hop-ups, three tracer units, and three eed tubes into
this area.
The system isn't without its problems. I will once
again have to rework the shroud's profile to fit around the mechanism
and seat properly against the lower receiver.
Close, but needs some work.
That's
ugly. I can't just use Bondo, because I need lots of strength. This
area will end up getting cut further back so I can let in structural
fiberglass that can withstand hard use and BB hits.
Was it worth it? Heck ya! Here's the assembly in place with the shroud next to a picture of the game model.
I think this setup will nail it when I get everything cleaned up.
Next
is the welding up of cross pieces and setting up the mountings in the
fiberglass shroud itself. Until that is done, I can't solve the actuator
issue or the fit of the shroud to the lower receiver.
Thanks for looking.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 21 April 2013
Not giant progress today. It's been a week of other things and the fact that my first round of work on the Spartan laser didn't make the cut and had to be redone. My vintage bike came together and won at its first show yesterday. Now it can stay out of the way of the Spartan Laser for good. I'm going to stick with the Spartan Laser and get it finished before getting really seriously back into the engine rebuild for my sporty car.
I set out to join the two sides of the shroud frame together permanently. There will be a front and rear cross member. The front has to be arched to clear the sighting laser. The rear can be flat, but it must project backward for the actuating lever to engage.
I initially welded together an arch for the front from a piece of curved sheet and two side members to stabilize it.
Looks OK here.
Until I tried to weld it and it went all warped. I also discovered that my drill had wandered in making a pilot hole for one side of the scissor frame, placing the right side about 1/8 of an inch forward. This resulted in asymmetric lift, binding, and twisting.
I cut out the crooked arch and realigned the frames. I discovered that I still had some stock of the monster tubing I used to make the outer barrel, so I cut a one-inch section and hammered part of it into a badass arch.
Waaay better--and I haven't even dressed up the welds.
Both sides of the frame are perfectly aligned. Set screws from the outer fiberglass shroud (in embedded metal channels) will engage the flat tab on the side of the arch.
Straight and tough!
I'll clean it up and work on the aft cross member before reattaching it all to the lower receiver and fitting the shroud once and for all. After that, I'll engineer the actuating rod and the stop switch.
Redshirt
Not giant progress today. It's been a week of other things and the fact that my first round of work on the Spartan laser didn't make the cut and had to be redone. My vintage bike came together and won at its first show yesterday. Now it can stay out of the way of the Spartan Laser for good. I'm going to stick with the Spartan Laser and get it finished before getting really seriously back into the engine rebuild for my sporty car.
I set out to join the two sides of the shroud frame together permanently. There will be a front and rear cross member. The front has to be arched to clear the sighting laser. The rear can be flat, but it must project backward for the actuating lever to engage.
I initially welded together an arch for the front from a piece of curved sheet and two side members to stabilize it.
Looks OK here.
Until I tried to weld it and it went all warped. I also discovered that my drill had wandered in making a pilot hole for one side of the scissor frame, placing the right side about 1/8 of an inch forward. This resulted in asymmetric lift, binding, and twisting.
I cut out the crooked arch and realigned the frames. I discovered that I still had some stock of the monster tubing I used to make the outer barrel, so I cut a one-inch section and hammered part of it into a badass arch.
Waaay better--and I haven't even dressed up the welds.
Both sides of the frame are perfectly aligned. Set screws from the outer fiberglass shroud (in embedded metal channels) will engage the flat tab on the side of the arch.
Straight and tough!
I'll clean it up and work on the aft cross member before reattaching it all to the lower receiver and fitting the shroud once and for all. After that, I'll engineer the actuating rod and the stop switch.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 27 April 2013
Thanks all! I appreciate the comments. I'm really looking forward to getting this thing operational and out to the field.
It's been a couple of days, but I've had some god progress on the lift
mechanism. The work has been a split between getting a good fit to the
outer barrel and building the actual servo lift mechanism.
Once
I got the scissor frame and outer barrel attached to the front frame, I
found the lift couldn't close all the way due to interference with some
screw heads as well as with the external stabilizers. The black Sharpie
mark shows where I had to trim away material to achieve proper
clearances. I switched to flush screws where the heads caused
interference.
Here's the servo test fit. Notice the lift point is off-center due to the lift rod having to clear the central BB barrel
I sketched up a design for the rear cross member, including the attachment for the lifting rod from the servo.
Here's
the finished piece being tested for the lifting rod before being welded
into place. In this picture, I've pre-welded beads of Alumiweld along
the attachment points to aid getting good final welds.
All welded up and fitted!
Another view. Starting to look complicated?
Here's the whole assembly so far with the fiberglass shroud sitting more or less in place. This just might work!
Unfortunately,
the added weight of the fiberglass shroud quickly identified a problem.
With the lift point off center, the shroud does not raise
symmetrically, frequently binding on the right side to prevent the right
side of the shroud from lifting fully. I'm going to have to re-imagine
the lift point to a central location as well as address the problem with
the mechanism binding under load. More work!
As always, thanks for watching.
Redshirt
Thanks all! I appreciate the comments. I'm really looking forward to getting this thing operational and out to the field.
It's been a couple of days, but I've had some god progress on the lift
mechanism. The work has been a split between getting a good fit to the
outer barrel and building the actual servo lift mechanism.
Once
I got the scissor frame and outer barrel attached to the front frame, I
found the lift couldn't close all the way due to interference with some
screw heads as well as with the external stabilizers. The black Sharpie
mark shows where I had to trim away material to achieve proper
clearances. I switched to flush screws where the heads caused
interference.
Here's the servo test fit. Notice the lift point is off-center due to the lift rod having to clear the central BB barrel
I sketched up a design for the rear cross member, including the attachment for the lifting rod from the servo.
Here's
the finished piece being tested for the lifting rod before being welded
into place. In this picture, I've pre-welded beads of Alumiweld along
the attachment points to aid getting good final welds.
All welded up and fitted!
Another view. Starting to look complicated?
Here's the whole assembly so far with the fiberglass shroud sitting more or less in place. This just might work!
Unfortunately,
the added weight of the fiberglass shroud quickly identified a problem.
With the lift point off center, the shroud does not raise
symmetrically, frequently binding on the right side to prevent the right
side of the shroud from lifting fully. I'm going to have to re-imagine
the lift point to a central location as well as address the problem with
the mechanism binding under load. More work!
As always, thanks for watching.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 6 May 2013
This update covers the fix for the lift mechanism raising up crooked
and binding. I've also got the first part of my solution for attaching
the frame to the lift mechanism.
Because the solenoid is too wide
to mount with the lift arm centered (and the lifting rod has to
circumnavigate the central BB barrel), I located the lift point on the
shroud frame off to the left of center. This was a mistake. The lift
mechanism has enough play that this resulted in the shroud raising
tilted to the right. However, the mechanism was tight enough to bind an
lock when this happened.
I
cut off the tab and welded on a new tab that stiffened the cross member
and provided a more centralized attachment point. The vertical tab is
where I will thread a screw into a mating surface on the fiberglass
shroud.
I put a double 90 degree bend in the lift rod. The lift
rod still comes up off center, but bends to apply the lift centrally.
It now lifts quite smoothly and without twist! I'll get better pictures
for a future update.
Paired with the fix to the shroud frames
goes the workup for the permanent mounting arrangement for the
fiberglass shroud. This has been a long time coming, so I've had some
time to think about how many attachment points and how to conceal them.
I came up with the idea of using the existing detail on the sides of
the shroud and a single screw in the back to lock forward and aft
movement of the shroud.
I
figured I would use the two dimples as a place to hide set screws
pressing into divots I'd cut into the frame. I held off on this as I
didn't have faith in the strength of the setscrew through the fiberglass
and Bondo. I figured it would strip in no time and I'd get a busted
shroud.
And
then my local Ace Hardware came to my rescue with brass threaded
inserts to take my 8/32 x 24 standard setcrews. I drilled the oversize
holes and threaded in the inserts. Next, I locked in the inserts with
super glue. Before I use the setscrews to actually mount the shroud,
I'll come in from the back and glass the inserts in permanently.
Here
the inserts are in flush and with extra long set screws in place.
these stick out of both ends to keep Bondo and resin from fouling the
threads.
Next,
I patterned a piece of aluminum to go into the back of the shroud. The
outer tabs are to be drilled, bent, and then glassed into place. The
small inner tab will have a thick piece welded on to the back, then
drilled and tapped to accept a locating screw.
Here is the end plate glued into position. This was before I welded in the central lift point and mounting tab.
Here's
it all together later. After the fiberglass is in, I'll drill a hole
through both the central tab and the end plate. During final assembly,
the end plate will have Velcro to attach the cosmetic cover plate.
Up next, fiberglassing in the mountings inside the shroud.
Redshirt
This update covers the fix for the lift mechanism raising up crooked
and binding. I've also got the first part of my solution for attaching
the frame to the lift mechanism.
Because the solenoid is too wide
to mount with the lift arm centered (and the lifting rod has to
circumnavigate the central BB barrel), I located the lift point on the
shroud frame off to the left of center. This was a mistake. The lift
mechanism has enough play that this resulted in the shroud raising
tilted to the right. However, the mechanism was tight enough to bind an
lock when this happened.
I
cut off the tab and welded on a new tab that stiffened the cross member
and provided a more centralized attachment point. The vertical tab is
where I will thread a screw into a mating surface on the fiberglass
shroud.
I put a double 90 degree bend in the lift rod. The lift
rod still comes up off center, but bends to apply the lift centrally.
It now lifts quite smoothly and without twist! I'll get better pictures
for a future update.
Paired with the fix to the shroud frames
goes the workup for the permanent mounting arrangement for the
fiberglass shroud. This has been a long time coming, so I've had some
time to think about how many attachment points and how to conceal them.
I came up with the idea of using the existing detail on the sides of
the shroud and a single screw in the back to lock forward and aft
movement of the shroud.
I
figured I would use the two dimples as a place to hide set screws
pressing into divots I'd cut into the frame. I held off on this as I
didn't have faith in the strength of the setscrew through the fiberglass
and Bondo. I figured it would strip in no time and I'd get a busted
shroud.
And
then my local Ace Hardware came to my rescue with brass threaded
inserts to take my 8/32 x 24 standard setcrews. I drilled the oversize
holes and threaded in the inserts. Next, I locked in the inserts with
super glue. Before I use the setscrews to actually mount the shroud,
I'll come in from the back and glass the inserts in permanently.
Here
the inserts are in flush and with extra long set screws in place.
these stick out of both ends to keep Bondo and resin from fouling the
threads.
Next,
I patterned a piece of aluminum to go into the back of the shroud. The
outer tabs are to be drilled, bent, and then glassed into place. The
small inner tab will have a thick piece welded on to the back, then
drilled and tapped to accept a locating screw.
Here is the end plate glued into position. This was before I welded in the central lift point and mounting tab.
Here's
it all together later. After the fiberglass is in, I'll drill a hole
through both the central tab and the end plate. During final assembly,
the end plate will have Velcro to attach the cosmetic cover plate.
Up next, fiberglassing in the mountings inside the shroud.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 12 May 2013
Big progress this week! I
completed final work to mount the front shroud to the lift mechanism and
fitted the locking tabs to the mid shroud. With that, all the major
components are mounted together and rock solid! Here we go:
I've been getting ready to use this for some time. It's a combo of fine glass fiber, resin, and Bondo.
It's expensive and messy, but massively effective at building up
details with super strength. I used it here to perma-mount the brass
inserts for the set screws on the front shroud. No flex, no fail.
I
also glassed in the aluminum plate at the rear of the front shroud.
The extra thickness in the center is where the rear mounting screw will
tap into.
And
here it is, the front shroud all mounted up into its final
arrangement. Perfect? Not at all, but I'll roughen the edges and add
the fiber hair on to both pieces to square it all up for a precision
closure.
Here's the first try in the open position. I've since been able to square the alignment.
Open from the sides. Lots of detail to work to do, but look along the top. It's perfectly parallel to the lower receiver.
At
the same time, I cut, bent, and drilled the mounting tabs for the mid
shroud. The holes allow the resin and glass to bond though the tab for a
nearly indestructible joint.
Next, I marked and drilled the holes for the pin latches to engage.
Here's an overview of the arrangement. The spring-loaded pin pulls out to engage the hole, locking the shroud in place.
Locked! This whole setup works in an outstanding fashion with no gaps or jiggles. I couldn't be happier.
And
now for some beauty shots. I put everything together and photographed
it out on the lawn. The dials in the back are just temp-secured with
hot glue.
And finally, the profile:
It's finally really starting to look like the game renders.
'Till next time.
Redshirt
Big progress this week! I
completed final work to mount the front shroud to the lift mechanism and
fitted the locking tabs to the mid shroud. With that, all the major
components are mounted together and rock solid! Here we go:
I've been getting ready to use this for some time. It's a combo of fine glass fiber, resin, and Bondo.
It's expensive and messy, but massively effective at building up
details with super strength. I used it here to perma-mount the brass
inserts for the set screws on the front shroud. No flex, no fail.
I
also glassed in the aluminum plate at the rear of the front shroud.
The extra thickness in the center is where the rear mounting screw will
tap into.
And
here it is, the front shroud all mounted up into its final
arrangement. Perfect? Not at all, but I'll roughen the edges and add
the fiber hair on to both pieces to square it all up for a precision
closure.
Here's the first try in the open position. I've since been able to square the alignment.
Open from the sides. Lots of detail to work to do, but look along the top. It's perfectly parallel to the lower receiver.
At
the same time, I cut, bent, and drilled the mounting tabs for the mid
shroud. The holes allow the resin and glass to bond though the tab for a
nearly indestructible joint.
Next, I marked and drilled the holes for the pin latches to engage.
Here's an overview of the arrangement. The spring-loaded pin pulls out to engage the hole, locking the shroud in place.
Locked! This whole setup works in an outstanding fashion with no gaps or jiggles. I couldn't be happier.
And
now for some beauty shots. I put everything together and photographed
it out on the lawn. The dials in the back are just temp-secured with
hot glue.
And finally, the profile:
It's finally really starting to look like the game renders.
'Till next time.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 17 May 2013
I'm itching because it's so close now. I know actual finish details will take a while though.
Hopefully it will shoot soon. I am
really looking forward to the first stripped-down test firing and
adjustment of the sighting laser and hop-up units.
I've been
trying and trying to get the lift mechanism to be happy with the
external stabilizers that I welded up some time ago. They weren't
square, had binding, and wobbled. I kept making adjustments with little
success. Finally, when the band saw grabbed one and hopelessly mangled
it, I realized it was time to cut bait and start over.
The
biggest problem with the welded stabilizers was their lack of square.
the heat of welding caused alignments to shift. Attempts to be more
careful often ended in 'cold' joints that failed. Finally, the brass
inserts in the lower sections were not weld-compatible at all.
My
new plan involved carefully-aligned cuts with maximized contact
surfaces to use JB Weld to make the joints. As long as I didn't go
overboard on the glue, there'd be no interference or binding. Finally, I
would eliminate the brass and use all aluminum channel for the job,
The black pieces sticking out of the side are what I'm working on here. Bungie Photo.
Here
are the welded parts after the band saw caught a cold joint and tried
to pull the whole thing through the saw. Tried to get my fingers
too--why I wear gloves. Too bad about the welded pieces, long-time
followers will recognize that these are already second and third
attempts from earlier posts.
Here are the new parts during their initial cure. The dark lines represent the JB Weld joints.
Here are the top two pieces jigged for alignment, something that never worked well with the welded pieces.
Here
they are test fitted in the closed position. Perfectly aligned,
perfectly symmetrical--I'm depressed at how much time went into the old
pieces to get to this point.
I still need to actually mount them
up and make sure there are no binds. If you look in the game, these
actually have quite a bit of detail on them. I haven't decided whether
I'll add this detail by gluing on cover pieces, or by molding it in a
special liquid-metal filler I have waiting in the wings. Either way,
that will have to wait a bit as I'm now working on the fit of the shroud
to the lower receiver and some other fit and finish sideshows.
Redshirt
I'm itching because it's so close now. I know actual finish details will take a while though.
Hopefully it will shoot soon. I am
really looking forward to the first stripped-down test firing and
adjustment of the sighting laser and hop-up units.
I've been
trying and trying to get the lift mechanism to be happy with the
external stabilizers that I welded up some time ago. They weren't
square, had binding, and wobbled. I kept making adjustments with little
success. Finally, when the band saw grabbed one and hopelessly mangled
it, I realized it was time to cut bait and start over.
The
biggest problem with the welded stabilizers was their lack of square.
the heat of welding caused alignments to shift. Attempts to be more
careful often ended in 'cold' joints that failed. Finally, the brass
inserts in the lower sections were not weld-compatible at all.
My
new plan involved carefully-aligned cuts with maximized contact
surfaces to use JB Weld to make the joints. As long as I didn't go
overboard on the glue, there'd be no interference or binding. Finally, I
would eliminate the brass and use all aluminum channel for the job,
The black pieces sticking out of the side are what I'm working on here. Bungie Photo.
Here
are the welded parts after the band saw caught a cold joint and tried
to pull the whole thing through the saw. Tried to get my fingers
too--why I wear gloves. Too bad about the welded pieces, long-time
followers will recognize that these are already second and third
attempts from earlier posts.
Here are the new parts during their initial cure. The dark lines represent the JB Weld joints.
Here are the top two pieces jigged for alignment, something that never worked well with the welded pieces.
Here
they are test fitted in the closed position. Perfectly aligned,
perfectly symmetrical--I'm depressed at how much time went into the old
pieces to get to this point.
I still need to actually mount them
up and make sure there are no binds. If you look in the game, these
actually have quite a bit of detail on them. I haven't decided whether
I'll add this detail by gluing on cover pieces, or by molding it in a
special liquid-metal filler I have waiting in the wings. Either way,
that will have to wait a bit as I'm now working on the fit of the shroud
to the lower receiver and some other fit and finish sideshows.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 26 May 2013
Looking back at last week's job of re-making the side stabilizers, I reflected upon how irritating it is to discover that you'd wasted so much time trying
to improve a bad job when starting over would have taken less
time. You'd think I'd be a better judge of when to
quit . . . .
Some bad jobs have to be solved rather than redone
however. That's this update in a nutshell. Now that the front shroud is
fitted and the relationship between the shroud and the the upper
receiver is set, I have to solve the gaps and adjust the bevels on both
pieces to be symmetrical.
First
I reinforced thin areas and areas I would be filing away with a layer
of fiberglass mat on the inside. In preparation for adding the
fiber-hair filler on the outside, I gouged and roughed-up the areas I'd
be building up. This would promote adhesion as fiberglass really doesn't
like to bond to itself without good surface preparation.
I
coated a couple of pieces of angle channel and wedged them in place, I
needed to build these ares out, but not upward. The channel would ensure
a nice straight edge after filling in the fiber hair filler.
I
took time to make sure both sides were symmetrical by ensuring the
sides were both parallel and the same height front and back.
Here it is with the filler in place. I slightly under-catalyzed it, so will have to wait a few days to sand it.
I'm quite happy with the strength and shape. I should have no trouble getting the performance I'm looking for from this part.
I
discovered that I never posted a picture of the inside of the shroud
when I added the brass inserts for the set screws that hold it in place:
I used the same fiber hair filler. Those set screw mounts will fail--never.
Until next time.
Redshirt
Looking back at last week's job of re-making the side stabilizers, I reflected upon how irritating it is to discover that you'd wasted so much time trying
to improve a bad job when starting over would have taken less
time. You'd think I'd be a better judge of when to
quit . . . .
Some bad jobs have to be solved rather than redone
however. That's this update in a nutshell. Now that the front shroud is
fitted and the relationship between the shroud and the the upper
receiver is set, I have to solve the gaps and adjust the bevels on both
pieces to be symmetrical.
First
I reinforced thin areas and areas I would be filing away with a layer
of fiberglass mat on the inside. In preparation for adding the
fiber-hair filler on the outside, I gouged and roughed-up the areas I'd
be building up. This would promote adhesion as fiberglass really doesn't
like to bond to itself without good surface preparation.
I
coated a couple of pieces of angle channel and wedged them in place, I
needed to build these ares out, but not upward. The channel would ensure
a nice straight edge after filling in the fiber hair filler.
I
took time to make sure both sides were symmetrical by ensuring the
sides were both parallel and the same height front and back.
Here it is with the filler in place. I slightly under-catalyzed it, so will have to wait a few days to sand it.
I'm quite happy with the strength and shape. I should have no trouble getting the performance I'm looking for from this part.
I
discovered that I never posted a picture of the inside of the shroud
when I added the brass inserts for the set screws that hold it in place:
I used the same fiber hair filler. Those set screw mounts will fail--never.
Until next time.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 1 June 2013
I figured I'd kick in gear and give the stalwarts something to look at again. Like Dr
Evil, I had one simple request, sharks with frickin' laserbeams on their
heads. With no shark available, I turned to my Spartan Laser project.
This update covers the addition of the sighting laser! This comes on
when the trigger is pulled and stays on through the 4 second timer and
the initiation of the firing sequence. My plan has always been for the
sighting laser to be mounted on top of the cosmetic outer barrel and
fire through the rectangular slit on the front of the upper shroud.
When I went to build the laser mount, I quickly saw that my setup could
never work as the laser would have to pass though the sloped portion of
the front of the shroud. I was in a real bind as There really wasn't
any other space that I had room for the sight laser. Eventually, I
found a space under one of the barrels and sandwiched against the
central barrel, the foregrip internal mount, and the master switch. As
you will see, it was a very tight fit. What you can't see is that it
adds and extra layer of difficulty to reassembly from any field repairs.
Sorry about the bad camera. It's now retired.
This is actually my third attempt at building a mounting plate. The
others were either too thick (laser interfered with a BB barrel) or the
tab needed mover to avoid interfering with the foregrip or switch.
What
you see here (sort of) is the picatinny rail for the laser screwed onto
the mounting plate. I had to use a taper drill to enably my screws to
end up fully recessed and not interfere with the laser.
Here's my laser in place. On the ring around the front of the laser
are the two adjustment screws. Normally, these would be arranged for
vertical and lateral adjustment. I canted mine 45 degrees. In the
installed position, I wouldn't be able to get to the horizontal adjust
screw if I'd mounted it conventionally. As it is, the right BB barrel
will pass between the two adjustment screws enabling me to adjust my aim
with minimal dis-assembly
Here are the two barrels that had the potential to foul the sight laser. Very tightly spaced.
All
in position. With things this tightly packed, it's a real challenge to
get the outer barrel assembly mounted over all of this. There's still
more that goes in this space. Just above the central barrel, an LED
tail light bulb mounts to backlight the BBs as they leave the gun,
enhancing the 'laser' effect.
Sorry I didn't have the power
hooked up. A demo shot would have been cool. You'll have to go back to
my old video of the bench test of the completed electronics to see the
laser.
The laser is a UTG
running about $50. It is easily the brightest red laser I've seen in
that price range. The XBOX controller rumble motors that mount nearby
should impart a vibration or flicker to the sight laser's beam to better
match the way the in-game sighting laser works. Cool stuff.
Redshirt
I figured I'd kick in gear and give the stalwarts something to look at again. Like Dr
Evil, I had one simple request, sharks with frickin' laserbeams on their
heads. With no shark available, I turned to my Spartan Laser project.
This update covers the addition of the sighting laser! This comes on
when the trigger is pulled and stays on through the 4 second timer and
the initiation of the firing sequence. My plan has always been for the
sighting laser to be mounted on top of the cosmetic outer barrel and
fire through the rectangular slit on the front of the upper shroud.
When I went to build the laser mount, I quickly saw that my setup could
never work as the laser would have to pass though the sloped portion of
the front of the shroud. I was in a real bind as There really wasn't
any other space that I had room for the sight laser. Eventually, I
found a space under one of the barrels and sandwiched against the
central barrel, the foregrip internal mount, and the master switch. As
you will see, it was a very tight fit. What you can't see is that it
adds and extra layer of difficulty to reassembly from any field repairs.
Sorry about the bad camera. It's now retired.
This is actually my third attempt at building a mounting plate. The
others were either too thick (laser interfered with a BB barrel) or the
tab needed mover to avoid interfering with the foregrip or switch.
What
you see here (sort of) is the picatinny rail for the laser screwed onto
the mounting plate. I had to use a taper drill to enably my screws to
end up fully recessed and not interfere with the laser.
Here's my laser in place. On the ring around the front of the laser
are the two adjustment screws. Normally, these would be arranged for
vertical and lateral adjustment. I canted mine 45 degrees. In the
installed position, I wouldn't be able to get to the horizontal adjust
screw if I'd mounted it conventionally. As it is, the right BB barrel
will pass between the two adjustment screws enabling me to adjust my aim
with minimal dis-assembly
Here are the two barrels that had the potential to foul the sight laser. Very tightly spaced.
All
in position. With things this tightly packed, it's a real challenge to
get the outer barrel assembly mounted over all of this. There's still
more that goes in this space. Just above the central barrel, an LED
tail light bulb mounts to backlight the BBs as they leave the gun,
enhancing the 'laser' effect.
Sorry I didn't have the power
hooked up. A demo shot would have been cool. You'll have to go back to
my old video of the bench test of the completed electronics to see the
laser.
The laser is a UTG
running about $50. It is easily the brightest red laser I've seen in
that price range. The XBOX controller rumble motors that mount nearby
should impart a vibration or flicker to the sight laser's beam to better
match the way the in-game sighting laser works. Cool stuff.
Redshirt
Last edited by a moderator:
- Member DIN
- S980
Restored from 8 June 2013
Last week I did some mechanical work, but this update takes us back to arts and crafts with fiberglass and Bondo. A couple of updates back, I beefed up and straightened the edges of the upper receiver where it meets the front shroud. I refitted the shroud to see the big picture fit and alignment. Not good. I'd really like to know the percentage of original material that remains in that damn shroud because I've reworked it so much. Today is no different.
Here's the view from the front. You can see some tilt on the front bottom edge, but otherwise things line up at the front of the shroud and upper receiver (the main fiberglass part)
Viewed along the top, things are not so hot at the very back of the shroud. It is as if the whole back end is offset to the right. It's not though. Internally and along the bottom edge everything lines up.
Here the problems are much easier to see. I've labeled the corrective action required.
Here goes:
I marked out the area that needed built up. Some places needed at least a quarter inch of material added.
I gouged up the area to promote adhesion in order to prevent any delamination later.
Disgusting mess. I hate working with this stuff, but it does such an awesome job. This is the NAPA version of Bondo with short (ish) strand glass fiber added. I use this material because I need the strength and crack/chip resistance it brings.
Here's the patch after leveling with the belt sander. I lost so much of my detailing that will have to be reaccomplished. The good news is that the trailing edge is perfect. The bad news is that further forward along the side will need additional material added.
On the opposite side, things are tidier. What you can't see is that I had to add material on the inside to keep from sanding through. Again, I weep for my detailing.
A view from above down the side I added new material to. Because I shot straight down that side is the reason the other side looks crooked--it's not.
I'll take on the next round of fill and sand soon.
Redshirt
Last week I did some mechanical work, but this update takes us back to arts and crafts with fiberglass and Bondo. A couple of updates back, I beefed up and straightened the edges of the upper receiver where it meets the front shroud. I refitted the shroud to see the big picture fit and alignment. Not good. I'd really like to know the percentage of original material that remains in that damn shroud because I've reworked it so much. Today is no different.
Here's the view from the front. You can see some tilt on the front bottom edge, but otherwise things line up at the front of the shroud and upper receiver (the main fiberglass part)
Viewed along the top, things are not so hot at the very back of the shroud. It is as if the whole back end is offset to the right. It's not though. Internally and along the bottom edge everything lines up.
Here the problems are much easier to see. I've labeled the corrective action required.
Here goes:
I marked out the area that needed built up. Some places needed at least a quarter inch of material added.
I gouged up the area to promote adhesion in order to prevent any delamination later.
Disgusting mess. I hate working with this stuff, but it does such an awesome job. This is the NAPA version of Bondo with short (ish) strand glass fiber added. I use this material because I need the strength and crack/chip resistance it brings.
Here's the patch after leveling with the belt sander. I lost so much of my detailing that will have to be reaccomplished. The good news is that the trailing edge is perfect. The bad news is that further forward along the side will need additional material added.
On the opposite side, things are tidier. What you can't see is that I had to add material on the inside to keep from sanding through. Again, I weep for my detailing.
A view from above down the side I added new material to. Because I shot straight down that side is the reason the other side looks crooked--it's not.
I'll take on the next round of fill and sand soon.
Redshirt
Rysjin7717
New Member
Hey Red, wow you've made some progress on this wonderful Beast!!!!! I happened to be a few days behind on my inbox Hey!!! a notification:cool anyway keep up th' great work
- Member DIN
- S980
Thanks, Seems like it's been close for a long time. I am getting there though!
There will be several videos when I get close to done. First video should be of initial shots and sighting in once the mechanicals are in. The big one will be the fully finished test shots at dusk with all the paint, lights and everything completed.
Welcome back! Amazing how the traffic on the site exploded once we reverted. It's great to see the regulars again.
Still working on the shroud this week. More large-scale shaping before I can put the details back in.
The right side of the shroud and the corresponding areas of the upper receiver were still not perfectly aligned after the last round of fill and sand.
I marked the trouble spots and gouged them for adhesion.
I applied the next layer of filler with fiberglass in it.
It's not a tumor! Looks like it though. I had to build up some areas on the upper receiver as well.
I took the belt sander to the whole mess to level it off.
Another view showing how extensively I had to reshape this side. The other side is less dramatic because it wasn't as badly out of shape. I actually had to fill that side on the inside because I ground away material.
Here's a centerline view from the top. I finally achieved symmetry at the front of this gun. It took long enough.
I still have some gaps between the pieces that will need sorted before I can transition over to doing the detail work.
For followers new and old, if you review this build, you'll see that I have spent untold hours just on this front shroud. Why? Two words: Bad Pep. So many times I see the experts tell the noobs to start over rather than try and reshape a bad or warped pep. Mostly the noobs don't listen because they've 'invested' ten hours into pepping. Well here's how we old timers know what we are talking about. Because we once were fool noobs. Starting over would have SAVED ten times the time and materials that have gone into this shroud for want of good judgement when resining warped my shroud and upper receiver. Can I get an amen!!?
So good to have the forums running like clockwork again.
Until next time.
Redshirt
- Status
