ADA: Ask Doc Anything!

[XEMON]

Believe it or not, it's actually legal to own more than one machine tool.
Doc.

that's not what my wife was saying when I brought the second lathe home ...

[DocsMachine]

Hey Doc, so are you still modifying and customizing markers today?

-Er, yes. Point in fact, I'm pretty much booked solid for the next month, maybe two.

I ask because I would love to have one of your ring triggers for a 'Mag, and I have a parts ICD Desert Fox with damaged powerfeed that sits forgotten just begging to be converted into a modern centerfeed...

-Both are easily accomplished, but there's no way I could even start on them 'til maybe May. What's your timeline?

Hey Doc, what is the best method to grill a steak?

-Using liquid oxygen, of course!

curious what your thoughts are of this. 1940/50s vintage Craftsman 109.21270 Mini lathe.

-Wouldn't be my first choice, but as I've said before, any lathe is better than no lathe. How much? $100 for that thing as-is is stretching it. Free is ideal.

Everything seems to be free and moving. Ways need attention as they are rusted.not horribly.

-Best way to take rust off of precision ways is a single-edge razor blade. No, really, get a pack of them, and literally shave off the rust. You'll have to replace the blade frequently, especially if they get a nick and start making scratches. Do NOT "flip them over" to use the other side. Use one side 'til it's not scraping as well, toss it, start with a fresh one.

Once the precision surfaces are cleanish, get some Scotchbrite and some WD-40. I use old ratty scissors to cut the Scotchbrite into maybe 2" squares (don't use good scissors- they'll go dull in very short order) and then with liberal amounts of WD, scuff off the surfaces 'til they're clean. They'll never be "bright and shiny" again, but they'll be a lot better than rusty.

For things where the razor blade trick won't work, get yourself a jug of Evap-O-Rust, or try one of the other rust-removal tricks found online. White vinegar is my go-to, or reverse electrolysis for larger bits.

I do have a couple motors I could use. But not the original.

-The original was probably ungrounded and used sleeve bushings, anyway. Find any half-horse 1725-RPM motor (depending on where you are, should be common as dirt- I have like six of them if you want to pay shipping ) and get a cheap pulley to match. Inside the headstock is, I believe, a three-step, maybe four? V-belt pulley. Find a replacement (eBay, McMaster, even Amazon) that's roughly the same size and progression, that fits the shaft of whatever motor you get. (Likely 1/2".)

Obviously part size is limited with it. Not sure about the max size it will hold.

-I'm not overly familiar with that particular model, but I think that's just a 3" chuck. Meaning you can actually hold something up to maybe 1-1/2". Between centers is probably nominally a foot, maybe 14" as a blind guess. Hole through the spindle, if it even has one, is probably less than 1/2".

Is it worth restoring? Or at least getting running.

-Yes, generally speaking. There's a metric F-bomb ton of those things out there, and for the most part, parts are available. There's also a lot of info out there from people who have spiffed theirs up to various degrees.

It'll never be a toolroom lathe, don't get me wrong. Even in top shape it's limited by speed, accuracy and rigidity. But if it doesn't cost you much to buy, and you have a corner of the garage to tinker with it, I'd say go for it!

It's an excellent starter lathe. If you find you need bigger/better, keep an eye out for a replacement, and if/when one arrives, pass this one on to another worthy sort, or keep it on hand for small work. (Believe it or not, it's actually legal to own more than one machine tool. )

Doc.

[cougar20th]

It is not big at all. I can pick it up and carry it easily holding both ends.

[XEMON]

How big is this thing?
One thing to consider with older machinery is how many accessories comes with it and how easy/hard/expensive it is to get them if you need ...

[Siress]

I restored one of these in my teenage years. Thanks for the flood of nostalgia. The issue I had with it was that the surface corrosion was too significant to recover. The best I could do was avoid carbide tools and use sand paper for finishing the parts I turned. Even then, I think I had to start around 220 grit sand paper.... she was rough.

[scottieb]

Well done, hee hee!

[cougar20th]

curious what your thoughts are of this. 1940/50s vintage Craftsman 109.21270 Mini lathe.

Everything seems to be free and moving. Ways need attention as they are rusted.not horribly. It sat in a garage for many many years. I do have a couple motors I could use. But not the original.

Obviously part size is limited with it. Not sure about the max size it will hold.

Is it worth restoring? Or atleast getting running.

[Meleager7]

well done sir!

[Axel]

Hey Doc, what is the best method to grill a steak?

Set it under a bright light, and bring a buddy to play the "bad cop"

[Meleager7]

Hey Doc, what is the best method to grill a steak?

[Walking Stick]

It's also worth noting that I have done relatively few "full custom" builds in the last... well, quite a few years. I've repaired tons of them, done minor mods or upgrades, made thousands of parts, etc. but not that many 'complete' markers.

Hey Doc, so are you still modifying and customizing markers today? Jeez, I still remember that glorious Doc9000 Model 98 with 68Automag piggybacked on top from my heyday!

I ask because I would love to have one of your ring triggers for a 'Mag, and I have a parts ICD Desert Fox with damaged powerfeed that sits forgotten just begging to be converted into a modern centerfeed...

[Dirklax39]

You are a legend! Thanks for the information.

[DocsMachine]

Any idea why this phantom I just bought has a milled hammer? If it's an upgrade mod, how can I utilize the lighter hammer best?

-Old trick to lighten the hammer. People have been doing it since the 007 days.

The idea is to try and get more shots per cartridge, and it can work, if you're willing to fiddle.

What you want is, generally, a medium-stiff valve spring, maybe a bit stiffer than the factory CCI. Then what you want is a good stiff main spring, but a short one. That is, when the hammer is not cocked, the main spring should not be pushing on the hammer. (Or at worst, should only have a very minimal "preload".)

The idea is the short, stiff spring gives the light hammer the energy to open the valve, but leaves the hammer free- IE, no remaining pressure from the spring- to 'rebound', or let the valve close, as fast as possible. That gives the best per-cartridge efficiency, all else (like paint/bore match, etc.) being the same.

The only real drawback is that the gun tends to be a little more sensitive to pressure variations- you get more of a swing as the cartridge empties.

Doc.

[Dirklax39]

DocsMachine

Any idea why this phantom I just bought has a milled hammer? If it's an upgrade mod, how can I utilize the lighter hammer best?

Thanks!

[DocsMachine]

What is the one paintball gun you have built or modified of which you are most proud? Basically the one that gives you warm fuzzies when you say, "Yeah, I built that."

-That's kind of hard to pin down. There's been more than a few guns I made that I'm proud of, not necessarily because of how stunning the end result is, but how well the actual work came out.

For example, one of my all-time favorites is this gun:



Compared to hundreds of more modern guns, it's really not all that spectacular. BUT... that started out as a side-feed body, which I milled out, and then fitted that block. Which fit perfectly. To the point where when I got the parts back from anno, I had to slightly warm the body to slide it in- it's not a press fit, but it's damn close. Better still, I fitted the top tube so that when the block is bolted down (you can see the dots of the two tiny stainless screws) that "clamps" the feed tube in place.

Moreover, I did that on a worn-out mill-drill, very few endmills, using a sh***y drill press vise, in the first year I as in business, and with all of about half a week of actual machining experience under my belt.

For one where the result came out well, as well, I've always been fond of this one:



Wasn't happy with how the Freak back came out, but I love the grip frame, which was 100% from scratch, including the trigger and sear.

It's also worth noting that I have done relatively few "full custom" builds in the last... well, quite a few years. I've repaired tons of them, done minor mods or upgrades, made thousands of parts, etc. but not that many 'complete' markers.

That said, I'm kind of proud of how the Duke came out, too...

It doesn't seem to make any practical performance difference. Is my buddy's one some kind of prototype or earlier production run?

-It happens. The industry term is "stacked tolerances". Generally speaking, my adapters- and yes, I've done dozens and dozens of separate runs- are within about 0.001". From 0.9995" to 1.0005". Automag bodies are a little wider than that- I've measured them from 1.002" to 1.005", with most of them being on the lower end.

Really, without hand-fitting, or making the insert a press-fit that you never take out, there has to be a tiny bit of tolerance. Most people are lucky and get very minimal wobble, others wind up with a touch more clearance and see a bit more.

It's worth noting. though, that the worst fit I've ever personally seen, was still notably better than almost any twist-lock barrel.

Doc.