Saving an Excal….or at least an attempt

[Frmrspec]

Creating a 3D file for obscure markers is tedious.. one bad measurement, or one bad offset and a near impossible to replace body is an expensive paperweight..

with that in mind I usually try to find bodies that are already scrap..

this thing sat on EBay for a few years .. it was a diamond dust edge Excalibur that had been improperly stripped

IMG_0773.jpg


so first thing to make and test was the FSP cut

IMG_0861.jpg And then I created a file removing more material than I usually would.. top tube has a wall thickness of .06”, lower tubes .07.. looks like I could actually remove more material but I’m satisfied.. plus there’s a small remnant of the original edge milling



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still haven’t decided what to do with the pitting inside the top tube… I may get it anodized and fill it with some kind of epoxy and remachine it…

a picture of the inside of the upper bore

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[the_matrix_guy]

I subbed to check back. I hope it turns out well.

what caused the pitting? Was it leaving the stripping chemicals inside too long? Was it supposed to get sanded or sand blasted instead? Curious

[Frmrspec]

I can’t say definitively because I wasn’t the person that stripped it or the person that had it stripped but nickel plating is usually stripped with nitric acid which isn’t as reactive as sulfuric acid… I’m betting whoever stripped it either left it in waaaaaaay too long or stripped it with sulfuric acid…. I’ve had a lot of nickel parts stripped and never had a result this bad

[Grendel]

I wonder if you could fill the pitting on the inside with Aluminum Brazing rod then re-machine after? Kind of a tight area but the brazing rod melt temperature is significantly below aluminum's melting point; might be reasonable to heat the whole body up in an heat treat oven or forge and use the brazing rod to fill in the pitting. It is made to flow well through capillary action like solder so it should be fairly self leveling without leaving a lot to be machined. You can anodize over aluminum brazing the only issue is you may get inconsistent color but if it is inside what does it matter what the color is.

[Ecapnation]

That's going to never going to bond or Anno right

[Frmrspec]

I debated machining it for a freak insert and bonding it in place

[TwonTamal]

This is further in the right direction than I thought I would ever see this body, poor thing has been to hell and back. I didn't realize you intended to make this thing functional again, that pitting in the top tube is definitely a bit of a conundrum, but pressing a tube in may be a workable solution.

[Frmrspec]

I didn’t intend on making it functional again.. but then again I’m stubborn and can’t let things die.. it however has served it’s purpose of letting me prove out code… everything else is a bonus.

[TwonTamal]

Alright, that's what I thought you had said. It will be cool if she gets a new lease on life and lives to fight another day! I'll be looking forward to updates on its progress!

[CavemaN]

In for updates on this. You’re doing great work!

[Super Nova]

yea that body sat for a long time, definitely a miracle if it ever is a working marker again.

[Frmrspec]

IMG_0927.jpg IMG_0925.jpg


had a coworker give it a quick polish before I send it out for ano…

[TwonTamal]

Looking better! Any attempt to tackle the top tube yet or you gonna wait til it comes back?

[Frmrspec]

After it comes back for sure… I didn’t want anything I do to impact the feasibility of ano.. there’s no second shot at anno on this thing

[CavemaN]

Looks good man

[Frmrspec]

507EF0E6-57E8-4317-8B1E-3544D1EDF4B8.jpg Sneak peak from the anodizer

[Grendel]

I really like the colors and how the wash was done. This should go a long way in masking some of the imperfections.

[TwonTamal]

Wow, looks good especially considering what it looked like before. That was pretty quick turnaround, who did you use?

[Frmrspec]

Pooty

[Frmrspec]

64E779C3-E48F-4B86-AE70-E9753A73CC40.jpg 0D9DFCF6-896C-4228-8E54-110F0E6D8F84.jpg I’m am excited

[Frmrspec]

No frame yet.. the body by itself wasn’t much to get anodized.. I didn’t want to send a ton of parts if it ends up not being functional.. plus I’m working on a single trigger eblade frame for it and everything else

[TwonTamal]

True, that makes sense. Jury is still out on whether this will be functional given the pitting in the inner tubes.

[Frmrspec]

TwonTamal I’m not actually too concerned about those.. biggest concern is the solenoid area.. the wall where the air goes to the solenoids is pretty thin.. if it leaks there, nothing I can do.. maybe make a custom solenoid manifold and use some permatex gasket maker compound.. and all the threaded air passages are going to take some work to seal.

The valve bore and hammer bore were in surprisingly good condition but the bolt bore was baaaad.. I think I can get around that though, I’ve got a few plans

[FredMnkyDad10]

Wow love the color. Something I would totally go for. A very Swamp Thing look to it.

[CavemaN]

That’s awesome! Reptilian!

[the_matrix_guy]

Very cool, who did the ano?

[Grendel]

Pooty

[Frmrspec]

IMG_1143.jpg I’m absolutely falling in love with this thing..

[TwonTamal]

it's all starting to come together!