Looking for a someone who can do cutting/welding on stainless Automag bodies…

[pneumagger]

My search for vertical feed Minimag bodies has not gone well… So let’s try a different approach.



I’m looking for someone who can attach the vented Minimag extension onto the front of a centerfeed RTP/Emag body. It can be butt welded, cleaned up smooth, then bead blasted so the body is matte gray again… press fit… silver soldered… brazed…

I’m open to just about any way you’d want to go about it as long as it can be done nearly (within reason) seamless/factory looking. I actually have a small shop and TIG stuff myself, but I suck at welding and doing it as clean as I like is beyond me. If you like I can supply both the centerfeed and donor Minimag bodies ahole, I can supply the chopped ready to weld bodies, I can make an Minimag-vented section of tubing made from scratch, etc.

Anybody interested?

[jpdgas]

Looks like a fun project for which I have no skill to contribute. However, if you don't want to chop up bodies, XMT is going to be doing a run of bodies soon and there are a few options you can choose from. Its under the dealer section of automags.org

[pneumagger]

DocsMachine can likely do that - he converted a Classic RT body from PF to centerfeed for me.

yeah… I sent both Luke and DocsMachine an email (through the websites) almost two weeks ago.

Luke no longer does welding/custom mod work like that and I haven’t heard back from Doc’s Machine.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I work at a welding and fab shop I could definitely weld that up nicely and make it look seamless. Both pieces are the same diameter? I can tumble it after it’s blended but I don’t have a bead blaster I could definitely polish it a bit after not mirror but think stainless hand rails that’s what we specialize in.

I can ask and see what he would charge since I would have to do it at his shop.

You just need the end cut off the one and welded on the other? We got a nice cold saw that will put a nice square cut on that.

[Super Nova]

Haha lots of people wanting to change feeds around on their mags currently. I wanted the powerfeed removed and a direct feed added to replace it on my minimag.

[pneumagger]

Haha lots of people wanting to change feeds around on their mags currently. I wanted the powerfeed removed and a direct feed added to replace it on my minimag.

Why direct feed instead of vertical feed?

that actually shouldn’t be too difficult, just cut off your power feed and solder on a piece of .875 OD x .063 wall stainless tube (cheap). Once you notch the 7/8 tube for the 1.125 body it’s pretty much self centering. Then braze or solder. I’ve done some stainless soldering on my brewing rig with Stay Brite 8 and it’s pretty easy.

[pneumagger]

So digging into this concept more, I think it’s probably better to buy 1.125 OD x .049 wall 304L welded stainless tubing than chop up Minimag bodies.

a one foot piece of such tubing (enough for fabricating 3 MM extensions) only costs about $50 delivered. Sure, I’d have to mill in my own cuts and clean up the weld seam inside… but Minimag bodies go for $80-120 each.

another variable is that on the Emag/RTP bodies and Minimag bodies versus the Classic bodies, there is a step up in inside diameter at the extension:

[Chuck E Ducky]

What if you just cut the power feed off and mount one of these with an inception clamping feedneck. Wouldn’t that be easier or am I missing something.

Or a CCM/ Spyder feedneck base plate would mount with two screws.

Looking at the one I got the Powerfeed body hole is off set from center. So that won’t work.

[pneumagger]

The PF tube is angled - wouldn’t an clamping adapter be sitting at an angle?

[cougar20th]

I cant do it but my thought.

Locate & get a old diggers vert minimag body.
Locate & get a desired emag body.

Unsolder the feed from both bodies,
Have desired feed silver soldered to the diggers minimag body


Doing the mods the way you proposed I believe would warp the hell out of the body.

[Ecapnation]

Thin stainless...

Lots of weld heat...

That's 100% going to be a Pringle chip after

[pneumagger]

Square cut on the existing body and then symmetric full circumferential weld wouldn’t warp a body badly if at all I wouldn’t imagine. Suppressor makers put full circumferential welds on .050” stainless tubes all the time and they maintain excellent concentricity.

Even if you got a little bit of distortion, the end of the body out there is hanging off the front of the rail and is even in front of the barrel O-rings, it’s not precision at all like the rest of body where barrel and valve seats. So any minor warpage wouldn’t actually affect fit or function of the valve and rail until body runout actually hits the barrel itself… And the inside of the body up there is probably .030 over the widest OD of the barrel.

heck, when Doc modified that RT body to be vertical feed, he welded in a piece of filler on the side of the body to close the powerfeed hole. That wasn’t remotely symmetric and if that didn’t warp the body. I doubt adding an extension would.

are those digger minimag bodies the ones with a really tall high rise center feed necks? I’ve actually got one of those. Those are actually the right diameter to just cut off short and groove for an empire clamping feedneck.

[Chuck E Ducky]

You could definitely do it without warping it. But you need to clamp and tack it good, then alternate your tacks because the stainless will move as you apply heat. But it moves in a predictable way so there is definitely some finesse to it. Making it all blend after that’s an Art. The right tools definitely help. Good pipe clamps are a must. We have these special cleats that hold two pieces of pipe they have rollers on them so when you clamp it you can rotate it around the joint and it self centers it. Also lets you tack and rotate the clamp out of the way. You can also clamp both piece into a piece of angle iron as long as the OD is the same. They self center and it keeps everything square key is clamping it good so it don’t pull out of square when you start applying heat.

[BLachance75]

NONOBLITUS post some pictures of that home brew vert feed body.

[Jordan]

I did a write up on it in the custom section, too

[pneumagger]

Jordan I just read through that thread… very interesting vert feed mod indeed.

Do the old holes and sear slot show on the rail when installed? Or do you have to weld those closed?

Unfortunately, all Minimag bodies are powerfeed so in addition to moving the body screw I’d have to replace the PF feed tube with a vertical stub too. Doable, just more brazing work.

[NONOBLITUS]

Sorry forgot to add this here. This was Jordan’s body that I removed the feed neck and then drilled and set in an 8/32 nut. Tig welded the nut in place then smoothed it out. It accepts a Phantom open class feed neck adapter with a CCM feedneck.

[LudovicoSoldier]

I really wish Luke was still doing his mods… I have two mini mags that I’d love converted to offset VF…