ADA: Ask Doc Anything!

[dartamon]

-That's easy: Calculating the tap-drill size for 15/32"-32.

Mathematics is not my strong suit....
Doc.

See, you say that, but that brings me back to the vert feed calculations on the old Tinker's Guild FAQ (that I maintained for a year or two):

https://web.archive.org/web/20031205...enterfeed.html

Now the last phrase "There will be a quiz in Dr. Nickel's class next Thursday." I thought always alluded to you having written it. Was it Have Blue or someone else?

[WORR13]

what would you recommend for a lathe table? ive got a south bend model 9a, 3 1/2' bed that ive been wanting to get up and running. workbench? with butcher block? or ??

[DocsMachine]

What's the most complicated mathematics you've busted out for paintball and are willing to share?

-That's easy: Calculating the tap-drill size for 15/32"-32.

Mathematics is not my strong suit. It's not even an old ratty suit in the back of my closet I only wear once every eight years. I know it seems odd for a machinist- especially one that works in fractions, decimal inch and metric on a regular basis- but it's the truth. I am highly reliant on a calculator even for simple stuff, it's just not the way my brain is wired.

I can stare at a mechanical device and almost intuitively understand how it works, and can diagnose most mechanical problems just by ear, but numbers in general are NOT my friend. I've come to terms with common fractions and decimal-inch conversions just from regular use, but if it involves geometry or trigonometry or really, even just most algebra, I gotta get out Google, a calculator and some scratch paper.

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

Which Paintball gun (In your opinion)had something really going on, but just got a close but no cigar award. Missing the mark in execution or some other huge flaw.

-I could write a book on that subject alone.

While there's several strong contenders, the one right off the top of my head is Sheridan's Equalizer. That was very much a promising design, that was committee'd to death.

While it had several poor design decisions (the plastic grip frame with no bottomline or tank-mount option, the insistence on a back-bottle fitting when even back then everyone was going vertical air, etc.) the big one was the literal committee decision to redesign the trigger valve from the original.

For those that don't know, a fellow by name of Evan Scott (if I recall correctly) was the primary designer of the Equalizer- the same guy that designed the rotary-breech Phoenix. His design for the EQ included an internal, Automag-style vertical trigger valve.

Wasn't anything like the Automag valve, didn't work the same way as an Automag valve, and the Automag valve wasn't patented or copyrighted in any way, anyway, but the boardroom bandits at Sheridan were terrified that they'd start to produce this gun, and AGD would slap a monstrous lawsuit or something on them for copying the valve.

So they redesigned it to be the external valve with the truly idiotic seal and mile-long air passages we all know and love today.

That is, they basically intentionally crippled the gun, in fear of a lawsuit over a part that wasn't protected anyway.

Some of the other factors- primarily the aforementioned plastic grip frame- were going to hurt the gun anyway, but at the time, with an actually fairly narrow supply of good semiautos in general, players would have put up with at least some of that. The gun would still have flopped, but maybe not so spectacularly. But what the players would NOT put up wit, even in the dim, dark days of 1996, was an ROF nearly as slow as an un-autotriggered pump.

The mechanism had potential- maybe not "change the game" potential, but definite market value, at least in those early days. I've thought for years that I'd love to redesign the gun back to maybe what it should have been, and see how it performs. But I'd have to make about 80% of the gun from scratch, and I've simply never had the time for that.

Doc.

[Siress]

What's the most complicated mathematics you've busted out for paintball and are willing to share?

[Paintslinger16]

Which Paintball gun (In your opinion)had something really going on, but just got a close but no cigar award. Missing the mark in execution or some other huge flaw.

[snaparen]

more beer.

[DocsMachine]

Pancakes or waffles?

Doc.

[Jonnydread]

Pancakes or waffles?

[Siress]

I haven't thought about the fastback in a long time. Looking at it now, all I can think of is 'oh lawd, the pinch points...' 😆 Still one of the most beautiful 'cocker designs out there. You should pester Sergei to take a crack at the modern space dildos. Oh, forgot the rules... What will Sergei say when you ask him to take a crack at redesigning the modern space dildos?

[Cunha]

Nice fastback history. I have liked them since the beginning because of their half block goodness and most importantly nice threaded feedneck as opposed to trashcan WGP threads.

But even seeing them new and following them all this time, I have still only seen around 5 used ones sold online, total. They must be well loved because they have remained quite obscure.

[DocsMachine]

So yes, while they were "Doc Nickel Fastbacks", they were 100% designed and made by Sergei. I was basically just the dealer.

-I was thinking about this last night, and I recalled that I did do some very minor design tweaks. From his original prototype, I streamlined the "sled" a little, I came up with the little locating pin on the underside of the bolt which helped immensely when reinstalling, I suggested the porting/bore of the bolt (the thing to do at the time was make the hole Big As Possible, and that's exactly the opposite of what you actually want for efficiency and consistency) and I also redesigned the ASA to take a tank O-ring (squished into a pill shape) and came up with the E-Cocker-only version that had a notch alongside the O-ring, to pass the solenoid wire, rather than the through-hole for the standard 3-way link.

But really, those were only minor tweaks to Sergei's design.

And one other reason he wanted a 'machine shop' as a dealer, remember that the Big Thing at the time was E-Blade kits. I'd say at least two thirds (as a guess) of FB kits that were sold, the customers wanted drilled for eyes. Sergei didn't want to pre-drill all of them, and wasn't set up to drill-on-demand. So a shop like mine, that could, as well as assemble, tune and test to specific requests, was kind of an ideal outlet for them.

Doc.

[Lt. head-shot]

-I did not get a list, no. There was no preorder/prepayment, etc. But as soon as I have that batch back from anno, I'll post them- and a couple other bits- in the dealer section.

And yes, when I get a moment, I'll be reposting the 'recreating a masterpice' thread. We'll have lost the responses, of course, unless Carter can ressurect it, but if not, I can rewite it, and of course still have the photos hosted. I've gotten as far as getting the grip frame made- though not yet finished- and that was actually kind of a fun one.

Doc.

Awesome, looking forward to seeing more. It was a great thread to read. Thanks Doc!

[DocsMachine]

Since we lost all PM's, do you have a list of people who wanted the tank rings you were working on? I know you were doing some great work on those, and there was a good bit of interest.

-I did not get a list, no. There was no preorder/prepayment, etc. But as soon as I have that batch back from anno, I'll post them- and a couple other bits- in the dealer section.

And yes, when I get a moment, I'll be reposting the 'recreating a masterpice' thread. We'll have lost the responses, of course, unless Carter can ressurect it, but if not, I can rewite it, and of course still have the photos hosted. I've gotten as far as getting the grip frame made- though not yet finished- and that was actually kind of a fun one.

Doc.

[Lt. head-shot]

Since we lost all PM's, do you have a list of people who wanted the tank rings you were working on? I know you were doing some great work on those, and there was a good bit of interest.