ADA: Ask Doc Anything!

[DocsMachine]

Hol' up. Are you saying you can machine a like-quality, typical 12"-14" long barrel on your lathe(s)? How?

-Yes and no. It's true it's not easy to machine a proper solid-bore barrel in a small-shop environment, but it IS relatively trivial to make a Freak barrel. Neither bore needs to be particularly accurate nor particularly smooth- the insert takes care of that for the important part. Drilling and boring to 5-1/2" deep is relatively easy, look at how many people offer Freak boring services.

And it's easy to extend that to 8" with a conventional chucking reamer.

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

What color/pattern should I anodize this? I know these were sold as body kits, but any parts you'd change if trying to be period correct?

-First, a solid color or a gradual fade. A 'splash' or sponge pattern would obscure the lines too much.

If that were my build, I'd lose the Impulse bolt and go back to the stock one, as that bolt will cost you gas efficiency. There's a reason I designed the originals the way they are. (And yes, that was one of the relatively few things I contributed to that design.)

I'd also mill down the tail so it better matched the grip frame, but apart from that, give it a nice solid copper anno, or a fade between two of your favorite colors.

And post pics when you're done.

Doc.

[Hooptie]

Greetings Doc, I'm looking to understand First Strike rounds, and figure rather than investing in a new marker, why not modify a beat-up old Spyder.

Are you available to provide hints on the best way to remove welds from the previous power-feedneck? Also, is there anything that can be done to make loading the First Strike rounder easier? It seems like I'll have to shove the First Strike rounds further into the breech to prevent a chop.

[DocsMachine]

Are you available to provide hints on the best way to remove welds from the previous power-feedneck?

-Virtually anything. Dremel, belt-sander, hand file, milling machine, rasp, rotary file, Foredom tool... if you're careful, even a sharp chisel and a hammer. Cleanest and best would likely be the milling machine, but if you don't have access, that's not an option. Dremel and patience, an air sander, a 4" grinder with a flap wheel?

Also, is there anything that can be done to make loading the First Strike rounder easier? It seems like I'll have to shove the First Strike rounds further into the breech to prevent a chop.

-You might not have the capability for this, but here's an idea for you. Remove the pin that links the bolt to the hammer. That way the bolt is no longer actuated by the hammer movement. Come up with a locking method to keep the bolt forward- a really trick idea would be to mill an L-shaped groove in the upper tube, and add a rifle-style bolt handle to the bolt. Lift, draw back, chamber, push forward, fire. You'd want to add a block or pin or something to keep the bolt from simply flying out the back of the gun when you yanked on it, but it's doable.

And the slower bolt movement should help feeding.

Doc.

[Arsenal]

Instead of removing the pin entirely, shorten it so it still rides in its channel but won't engage the bolt. Don't want the hammer rotating enough to stop engaging the sear. Don't ask how I know.

[ford]

Any tips for polishing aluminum? I really like the finish you get out of the compact gas-through grip and the flat-top front block bolt (I know, they're stainless). Presently I'm hand polishing test pieces for a project and always get inconsistent results.

[Grendel]

Okay Doc did you feel the earthquake?

Edit - Holy shit Alaska has had 24,909 earthquakes so far this year....who knew?

[DocsMachine]

Any tips for polishing aluminum? I really like the finish you get out of the compact gas-through grip and the flat-top front block bolt (I know, they're stainless). Presently I'm hand polishing test pieces for a project and always get inconsistent results.

-You could write a book on polishing, and, oddly enough, several people have.

Simply put, it's all in the sanding stage. For an aluminum part, depending on how rough it was to start with, or if I had some tool marks to get rid of, , I might start with 320 grit, wet-or-dry, and sanded wet. (Makes the paper last longer, and keeps the dust down- don't breathe aluminum dust. Plain warm water with just a drop of dish detergent to help float the schmutz away.)

Then bump that up to 800- and always "cross the streams". Sand one direction, then another at angles to the previous, etc. Use a sanding block if it's flat, and an old hotrodder's trick is to use sections of things like fuel line or heater hose for sanding curved features.

After 800, I'll do 1,000 or 1,200, and if I really want a shine, I'll follow that up with some 1,500. If you're dealing with steel or stainless, and want a mirror finish, you might need to go higher than that, but aluminum and brass are soft metals, and the buffer can usually take it from there.

For a buffer, I'll usually use a "sisal" wheel, which is relatively hard, and what's usually- but not always, the red or brown rouge. If I need to do some heavy cutting with the buffer, I'll try some black emory, but usually it's the brown stuff.

The tricks there are do NOT mix grits. Use a different wheel for each type of rouge, and periodically clean the wheel. They sell rakes specifically to scrape clogged old compound out of the wheel. Keep in mind both the rakes and the wheels are consumable- they can and will wear out and need to be replaced.

That ought to get you started. Let's see some of your work!

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

Okay Doc did you feel the earthquake?

-Um, no. It was over five hundred miles from me. People forget just how big Alaska is. The epicenter was seventy-five miles South of Chignik, which is two hundred and fifty miles South of Kodiak, which is a hundred and thirty miles South of Homer, which is ninety miles South of where I sit.

Edit - Holy shit Alaska has had 24,909 earthquakes so far this year....who knew?

-The vast majority of which can't even be felt. Really, anything below a 4 is basically imperceptible, or at best, feels like a truck just drove by or something. Anything below a 3 is basically something only instruments can detect.

Welcome to Life on the Ring of Fire!

Doc.

[lew]

Monsieur Doc, how much to whip up a simple foregrip or two for a Shocker Sport? 1/4-20" female threads at the top, maybe some low-profile finger grooves (more like gentle swells), solid or hollow in the body (dealer's choice)? Doesn't even need to change OD at the top like the SP Gadget Grips.

[Magmoormaster]

What is the most difficult job a customer asked you to do [that you actually did]?

Who is your favorite character to write for on the Whiteboard?

[DocsMachine]

Monsieur Doc, how much to whip up a simple foregrip or two for a Shocker Sport? 1/4-20" female threads at the top, maybe some low-profile finger grooves (more like gentle swells), solid or hollow in the body (dealer's choice)? Doesn't even need to change OD at the top like the SP Gadget Grips.

-Easy. But I have an option, if you're interested. I still have a boxful of these:



I came up with those and made a batch just before the '03 Shockers came out, and only sold a few before any real interest disappeared when the new guns came out. I still have a fair handful in a box somewhere, if you want a couple, I'll let'cha have 'em cheap.

If not, I can sure whip up a screw-in one like you asked for.

Doc.

[DocsMachine]

What is the most difficult job a customer asked you to do [that you actually did]?

-Almost certainly the double-barreled LCD Angel I made for Enoch Paintball:





That one was a serious brain-twister to get right, including the oddball inner air passages. And there was a lot of funky setups, holding an already oddly-shaped body at even more odd angles.

But it works.

Who is your favorite character to write for on the Whiteboard?

-They're all fun in their own ways, but of course Doc is probably my favorite. Yeah, there's a shedload of "wish fulfillment" in there- plenty of money, plenty of time, lots of workshop space, a very nice local paintball field, none of which I actually have - but it's still fun writing a guy that hey, if he feels like making a nuclear coffee maker, he's got the tools, the space and the Plutonium already on hand.

It's also a lot of fun to blow him up and have him spring back, Wiley Coyote style, in the next strip.

Doc.

[Axel]

I am... speechless... Over that Angel body. You made that from scratch?

[lew]

-Easy. But I have an option, if you're interested. I still have a boxful of these:



I came up with those and made a batch just before the '03 Shockers came out, and only sold a few before any real interest disappeared when the new guns came out. I still have a fair handful in a box somewhere, if you want a couple, I'll let'cha have 'em cheap.

If not, I can sure whip up a screw-in one like you asked for.

Doc.

Doc, thanks for the offer, but I already have two Nunmech VASA's that I don't use, and I'm one of those guys that likes my support hand and the foregrip under it right close to the trigger frame.

That V Twin Angel is even more nuts than the Cocker. Truly astonishing work.

[DocsMachine]

I am... speechless... Over that Angel body. You made that from scratch?

No. I nailed two customer-supplied LCDs together. I cut away the battery tube of one, and milled it to 'nest' over the hammer tube of the other.

Then made a "rail" that bolts the two together- which was surprisingly complex all by itself- flipped the door of one, made a custom one-piece backplate that also helped tie them together, and a bunch of other little bits.

No CAD, pure brain, baby.

Doc.