Worklog - Project Sovjetmag

[FiXeL]

Some of you know a bit about this project, since i allready posted some pics here and there on AO. Here's the complete story and worklog for this mag. I am hoping to finish it before march 2008.

History

I have been shooting a mag since the summer of 2006. All the mags i own are special in their own way, and shoot great. But being a woodsball player, i wanted something that would fit the environment i play in perfectly, like a glove. I have been using a STD Xmag for most of the time out there, in different setups. But its weight and it being a rare gun made me want to have something else. The first plan was to buy a used tac one, and get a pair of emag lowers for it. Almost half a year later everything of the initial idea was scrapped, changed, and changed again. :rolleyes:

The start

Geekwarrior was kind enough to sell his tac to me. This was somewhere in june 2007.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3233.jpg

It's the older model, with wingless tac rail and older dye stickies. Not that it bothers me tho, i like this rail better than the short style rail. After getting this mag i've decided to drop the idea of getting Emag lowers, first because of the price of a used set, and second because i wanted to tinker around a bit with a pneumag setup. So i contacted Cyberave68 for a pneumag kit, Ordered some stuff from palmers, a few RPG parts from Rogue, and milled and modified some parts.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3242.jpg

I've aquired the pneumag kit from Cyberave68, and a standard front bottle adapter for a classic rail, NIB. I've milled it so it would fit a RT style rail as a 15 degree front bottle adapter. At the time i didnt have the goods from Rogue and palmers, so i had to wait before installing the kit.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3289-1.jpg

Here i have the kit installed, and functional. I've ran the LPR hose trough the intelli cable hole, and the palmers micro rock on the dye on/off.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3286.jpg

Here's the setup i had in august 2007. I've played with it a couple of times, but the placement of the LPR wasnt all that great. I wanted it moved to the front bottle adapter which was possible because i've ULE-d the rail.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3241.jpg

After this i could route the hose trough the rail, and the only thing left was to modify my front bottle adapter again, so i could place the LPR.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3416.jpg

What i've done was i placed the whole rail together with the front bottle adaper on the milling machine, and made a hole in it perpendicular to the rail. It is a perfect 1/8 npt hole, checked with a caliber, and it sits flush with the rail.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/X7gripmod10.jpg

I've milled a slot in the rail, so the fitting will fit in it, and the hose runs straight into the rail, meaning no hoses on the outside. The threaded hole in the rail is for mounting a modified X7- AK47 front grip. At this time i also dropped the initial idea of having it annoed into a black/green acid wash anno, and started with a sovjet theme, black with red accents.

Before i go on futhrer, let me explain the reason for this. I'm not a left-minded guy, or a communist. but somehow i've always had interest in the subject, maybe because the fall of the sovjet union and the warschaupact happened in my youth. An other reason would be that i've played my first biggames this year on a abandoned russian army base in Mahlwinkel, former eastern germany. It was a very overwhelming expierence to play in a environment that was a former base, and some parts of the base are off limits due to landmines to this day, and there's still alot of stuff there that reminds you of that era. All in all this made a great impression on me, but at the time i never thought of making a mag with a russian theme. At the second time i was there in september, i bought a russian star insigina from a guy that was selling army surplus there. After i got home i decided it would fit my red dot scope very well, and that was the moment my project went into another direction again.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3399.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3401.jpg

Here's what it looked like in october. Still a pneumag, and ive aquired some red macro fittings from Hobbyhorse. The X7 front guard was cut and modified to fit the tac, and i've got some more sovjet star insignias from ebay.

To be continued...

[FiXeL]

Also i did not like the standard stainless jewels found on the tac rail. So i've made these:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3404.jpg

I was almost done with all the stuff i wanted to do, but then...

The plan changes again!

Yup. It so happened i got hold of a emag. The thing was beat up, 2.21 software, cracked led screen, previous owner charged it with a 24V power supply. Well atleast it worked.. I was planning to keep the pneu-tac, and make a etac. But after a few days i realised this would be stupid. I was planning to make a etac from the beginning, and i could always use the pneu parts on a other mag. :slap: <- that is common sence slapping the **** out of my gun whoring side...

Well after i changed the plan again, i've made a shopping list of all the parts i would need to get the emag frame up and running again. And some more.

- Xmod programmer
- New Led screen
- Magnets (the old ones are pretty much rusted away/damaged)
- New sear
- PTP battery pack
- New battery

I liked the emag style rail better than the wingless tac, so i've ULE milled this one too.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3438.jpg

I've made some improvements on my first attempt, and it does look very clean. Also i've flashed the software on the emag frame, and swapped the tunablade out of my X, to fit this gun.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3442.jpg

Here's a quick mockup of all the parts sofar.

More milling

I wanted a true custom gun, and working with CNC milling machines gave me that oppertunity to do some custom milling. After vectorising some images, some hours spent in mastercam, and some more editing in cimco edit, i've made a few engraving programs to customise the marker.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/CimcoCCCPSOLD.jpg

Using mastercam and cimco edit enabled me to write programs that are compatible with the CNC mills i work with. Then it's just a matter of chucking the part, get the right tool, set the datum and start milling. I did most of the milling during lunch breaks, and after work.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3238.jpg

I milled the parts on a vertical milling centre similar to this one. On this one i've ULE-d the wingless tac rail, and the rest was done on the other mill i've been working with the last couple of months. Unfortunatly, i'll start 2008 on a different CNC mill, one with a 13 foot length table in the X axis, and hardly suited for private milling jobs... :(

The project sofar:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3453.jpg

This is what i have sofar. Most of the parts are machined, and ready for anno. But i still have some idea's that i want to do, but i'm not sure yet if i can do this. I want to have this marker anodised before the end of january.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3454.jpg

There are some parts missing, but you get the general idea...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3455.jpg

Here's a detail pic of the battery casings. They were milled PTP style, and CCCP text added. The standard pack also was engraved with the soldier on it.
After anno the engraving will hardly show, but i've added this for detail, not a bling feature. I'll probably use the PTP pack on it anyway.

To be continued...

[FiXeL]

Also the rail got some additional milling:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3456.jpg

I've milled out slots like on the wingless tac rail, to place my custom jewels. Since i like the wings on a emag rail, i decided to use this one instead of the tac rail. Also note the text engraved on the bottom of the rail.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3457.jpg

Also i've engraved a fitting warning label onto the rail. I'll fill out the lines with white paint after i get the marker anodised.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3458.jpg

A more readable view.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3459.jpg

If you've read the topic about rogue getting banned on AO, you should recognise this... I engraved the RPG Sub-zero feedneck that day, and posted it there because of the irony of it. After anno you probably won't see much of it, but i added it for detail.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3461.jpg

Front guard and scope fitted with the sovjet insignias.

Update 12-25-07

I have contacted gruntbull for a anno quote, and even though i did not add all the milling i wanted i'm going ahead and i'll try to ship the parts out this week. I have this project going on for too long now, and adding too much milling could be undesireable. I've cleaned up the rail, because there were some vibrations during milling, and they were clearly visible. So i filed and sanded it smooth, and it should be ready:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3462.jpg

It's not sanded perfectly, but there's also no need because the marker will get a dust finish.

Also i've given the original battery pack a new shrinkwrap. I still had some shrinkwrap that i used to crimp 7.2V stickpacks for my RC cars. This turned out to be quite a undertaking due to the fact i do not have a heat gun. I've crimped the pack above the stove, and after 4 attempts i finally succeeded. The first attemt ended up in melting a hole in the shrinkwrap, the second it came out all wrinkled, the third a small hole, and the fourth just a few inperfections that could be repaired with a sigarette lighter.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3464.jpg

The next thing i will be tinkering with is how to get these russian stars fitted to my grips....

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3465.jpg

The stars are a bit rounded like a sphere, and i would like it to be flush with the grips. Maybe i'll heat one up and use that one to melt it into the grips, or i'll cut the shape with a exacto knife.. Not sure yet but we'll see. I have spare stars, but no spare grips.

Update 04-01-2008

Well, in the past few days i did some modification to the reloader i got in for this marker. I've ordered a B, but i received a B2. I'm not so fond of the magnetic lid, but atleast i payed for a normal B loader. :)

This loader has to fit right in. Not just some loader i would slap on every marker i have, but just for this gun. So the soviet theme should also be seen on the loader aswell. I've searched the net for some images i could use, and to be honest, what i allready had was right on the money.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3469.jpg

I've printed out the soviet soldier that also is on one of the battery packs. Next i cutted some vinyl adhesive sheet in double layers and placed this on a special sheet of paper, used for arranging vinyl adhesive letters. Next i used a xacto knife to cut out what i wanted for a mask.

To be continued in the next post.

[FiXeL]

After i masked off all the bits, i took the shell to work and gave it the glass bead blasting threatment... (i love my job!)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3472.jpg

Nothing special.. Just a star and most of the rest of the shell has a nice matte black finish. I didnt like the brand new shinyness of the shell for woodsball play, so i had to come up with something that would be functional, and pleasing to the eye. So i came up with this:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3471.jpg

Yep, thats our soviet soldier again, in gloss black, and the rest of the loader in dust. Just the effect i wanted. Also added was the red ano rip drive wheel.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3473.jpg

Other side. I was afraid that the masking would not hold against the force of bead blasting, but it turned out very crisp and detailed. Atleast that hour of cutting vinyl by hand wasnt for nothing.

And to top it off, i've got the fitting back panel to boot:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3479.jpg

Not a very good pic, but it's the soviet back panel from hybrid. It fits the theme very well, although i rather have it without the agg theme "pride, dont run" and "contract killers"

So far this update... I've allready programmed the part i need to mount the front grip to the battery pack, but i need to mill it yet. Grips i have also been tinkering with, will post pics of those too.

The to-do list

Sure have alot of stuff to do before i can call this marker finished, but i hope everything will be done before march 2008. This will be the main marker i will be playing with for some time, atleast i hope so. :D

Stuff to do:

- Finishing some parts
- Getting it annoed (shipped out to gruntbull 12-28-07)
- Replace cracked Led screen (A-tach hooked me up with one)
- Replace Magnets (A-tach)
- Replace Emag Sear (Ordered from rogue)
- Adapter for mounting the front guard to the battery (program ready)
- Custom grips?

Thanks for looking!

I'll update this topic when i've made some more progress. :)

[RogueFactor]

Very cool. Very cool indeed.:clap:

[nmib]

very cool indeed, im not feeling the red stars but none the less outstanding work. :wthumpup:

[Geronimo7]

I love it :clap: very creative and well thoughtout :machinegun:

[Warbird 007]

What a work of art!:minigun:
I can't wait to see it as a completed project....

[mostpeople]

Since this is a theme gun -- I will say this. But dont none of you take this the wrong way!!!

obviously you are looking for an AK-47 look.. I would say since you have custom metalworking skills, to create a black AK syle stock and stick it on there in an appropriate manner, and route the macroline through it.. you might need to attach it to the rails on the mainbody, and deal with ironsights - which imho would look sexier anyways..

and who can forget the bananna clip? You need to grab a real AK clip, and somehow mount the battery pack inside that imho..

dont know how speedballish you want this gun to be - but I really think you cuold take it far and imho it looks beautiful now as well.

[FiXeL]

Since this is a theme gun -- I will say this. But dont none of you take this the wrong way!!!

obviously you are looking for an AK-47 look.. I would say since you have custom metalworking skills, to create a black AK syle stock and stick it on there in an appropriate manner, and route the macroline through it.. you might need to attach it to the rails on the mainbody, and deal with ironsights - which imho would look sexier anyways..

and who can forget the bananna clip? You need to grab a real AK clip, and somehow mount the battery pack inside that imho..

dont know how speedballish you want this gun to be - but I really think you cuold take it far and imho it looks beautiful now as well.

Thanks for your comments, but...

I never wanted to have this look like a AK-47. The front grip was placed before i got the emag lowers, and i've adapted it to fit the battery pack. And the reason i adapted it to fit the mag was so i could handle it like a rifle, if needed and never to replicate the look of a AK. The modification was purely functional, and never for looks. And yes, i've thought about making a adapter to place the battery under a angle, to represent a AK magazine more, but i'm not trying for the look. Also i have given a stock a quick thought, but the matter is i hate remote lines, so a bottle_on_gun is the only option for me.

Also a other thing to consider is that i could break the law in the netherlands by making it look like a firearm, which is not allowed. IMHO, i think it's allready over the limit of what would be acceptable, because it allready has that look in a way.

When i started this, i wanted something that would be comfortable and fun to shoot. I only cared about mil-sim realism when i just started playing, and the A5 i had did a very good job at that. Sure, this tac has some mil-sim things about it, but the idea i have with this marker was focussed on functionality, not realism. If i wanted realism, i probably would be playing airsoft. (illegal in the netherlands tho)

Please don't take this the wrong way aswell... Your ideas are great, but i do have to try to keep it legal in my country, and the mil-sim look was not really what i was looking for, maybe a little tho... ;)

[Papa_Smurf]

Excellent craftsmanship!

[Sn toter]

Very nice work so far, I love it man, can't wait to see some post ano pics ;)

[SPECTRE184]

cool marker :wthumpup:

question though, what front tip do you use for the freak back?

[senghing27]

Wow.. That looks... Amazing...

One dancing banana for you

:banana:

[FiXeL]

cool marker :wthumpup:

question though, what front tip do you use for the freak back?

Probably the 16" tactical front as standard, but the 14" AA also fits very nicely. I'll keep that one for a more compact marker if needed, or when i'm not using the front guard.

[TnDeathInc]

high five -

[ClassicMagger]

Hey:

You've done some pretty good work-keep it up.

-ClassicMagger

[Shadowlord]

that is freakin amazing looking.
:wthumpup: :cheers:

[FiXeL]

Thanks for all the great replies!! :cheers:

I am currently packing up all the parts, and i will try to have them shipped out tomorrow. Only thing is, my black ink cartridge in my printer is empty so i cannot print the order form yet, and i'm out of tape for packing. Ow well, i'll get those first thing tomorrow. I didn't get to do all the milling i wanted, but this could be a good thing, since too much milling will be "over the top" so to say. And i will be starting 2008 on a different mill, that is not really suited for this kind of work because of it's size, and a spindle that can only run 4000 rpm max. But i'm sathisfied with the result sofar, and some gruntbull anno will do the rest. :D

After i get the parts back its just basicly assembling it and work out the details. I really want this marker to be fully operational in march 2008, so i can play with it again and work out any problems that may occur. Then it will be mowing some germans at the Mahlwinkel biggame in may!

Here's a Mahlwinkel vid:

WARNING!! I have not checked this for any cursing or profound language! View at your own risk!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQRGmVBzdbU

Enjoy... :D

[p8ntbal4me]

You might want to contact Tom K or RobAGD and see who did the Marine Corps Coins on my Shark Attack X-Mag grip pannels.

I have the same type of coin size with a dome like shape to it and they actually put the coing IN the pannels.

That and the pannels are colored to match the anno.


Your gun is amazing. Not thats its all colorful and all,.. but just look at the work that goes into something like that.
I get why people enjoy their guns so much. Much more when they do the work to them on their own.

Your blessed with the ability to do the work, on a nice machine, and in a nice shop, with the right knowledge. Props to you bud!

~ P8nt

[Smilestyler]

If you have spare emblems, I have a set of emag grip molds to make clear sets. They emblems can be placed inside.

[tymcneer]

Now... That is awesome!

I need to talk to you about CNC stuff... I'm on the steep learning slope, and not making too much headway :(

Ty

[FiXeL]

If you have spare emblems, I have a set of emag grip molds to make clear sets. They emblems can be placed inside.

Thanks for the offer, but its most likely i'll stick with my current grips. Maybe i'll send you some emblems to have fun with, because the idea sounds interesting. :)

Now... That is awesome!

I need to talk to you about CNC stuff... I'm on the steep learning slope, and not making too much headway :(

Ty

No problem. It's all in the code, if you spend some time with CNC mills and programming you can read the code and see what's going on. If not, there's always some software available that can. I'm not sure if i can help you out alot on the programming side, since ISO/Fanuc is the main programming language in the states, and we use Heidenhain dialogue programming over here. The basics a similar, but Heidenhain doesnt use the "G" or other letter codes that are common with ISO/Fanuc.

But the most important pointer i could give you is: Know what you are doing.
Basicly this means to check, and double check your program/setup before you start milling. Cut once, measure twice is what they say and for CNC milling its usually checking the program, is the tool correct, coordinates, spindle speed, feeds, etc. Milling (running a program) is easy, you just have to keep an eye out for any pitfalls that could screw you.

Second pointer i could give is: Learn to program with "Q" parameters if you have those on the TNC (console) you are using. It makes life so much easier if you can program with these. Q parameters are basicly variable values you can assign/add/subtract/multiply/divide to coordinates, spindle speed, feeds, etc. And they can be changed in the program on the run by formulas.

Example:

7 ; STICHEL (tool name)
8 TOOL CALL 1 Z S6000 (Calling the tool and tool change with working axis and spindle speed)
9 TOOL DEF 24 (Calling next tool from magazine if using a pocket table, tool 24 is our 3D probe)
10 FN 0: Q1 = +0 ; DATUM SHIFT X
11 FN 0: Q2 = +0 ; DATUM SHIFT Y
12 FN 0: Q3 = -0.1 ; CUTTING DEPTH
13 FN 0: Q4 = +100 ; FEED
14 FN 0: Q5 = +0 ; ROTATION
15 CYCL DEF 7.0 DATUM SHIFT
16 CYCL DEF 7.1 X+Q1
17 CYCL DEF 7.2 Y+Q2
18 FN 4: Q40 = +Q4 DIV +2 (Divinding the feed for plundging feed)
19 ; MIDDELING DATUM PGM (these programs have the datum set in the lower left corner, this incremental datum shift moves it to the middle)
20 FN 4: Q10 = +6.228 DIV +2
21 FN 4: Q20 = +5.948 DIV +2
22 CYCL DEF 7.0 DATUM SHIFT
23 CYCL DEF 7.1 IX-Q10
24 CYCL DEF 7.2 IY-Q20
25 CYCL DEF 10.0 ROTATION
26 CYCL DEF 10.1 ROT+Q5

And the third and most important pointer: Be safe! Use shop glasses and other safety precautions, and don't wear rings or gloves when operating a mill. There's a guy here on the forums that had a near miss while wearing gloves. I think it was Cyberave68.

Btw, if you want to discuss CNC, here's a forum you might be interested in:
http://www.cnczone.com/

Hope this helps you. :cheers:

[SummaryJudgement]

I think that may be one of the best themed mags I've ever seen!

That looks like it's taken a heck of a lot of effort to get it to this point. What else were you planning to do to it?

Keep us updated!

:clap:

[Mechanic79]

That is an awesome concept with lots of details in your work and photography.

Awesome work. I wish I had capabilities to do even 1/4 that.
:clap:

[FiXeL]

I think that may be one of the best themed mags I've ever seen!

That looks like it's taken a heck of a lot of effort to get it to this point. What else were you planning to do to it?

Keep us updated!

:clap:

For the moment i have little to do. The marker is currently going to gruntbull for anno so i will have to wait on that before i can totally assemble it. In the meantime i will try to make something special of the loader i have bought for this gun. (reloader B2)

That is an awesome concept with lots of details in your work and photography.

Awesome work. I wish I had capabilities to do even 1/4 that.
:clap:

Thanks! :wthumpup:

I'll post updates when i have more work done!

[Hell-Bunny]

Pretty spiffy

[FiXeL]

Updated. :coffee:

[tymcneer]

FIXeL,

Thanks for the pointers. I learned something very interesting today... I always thought that G-Code was universal... stupid me!

I have the scars to prove that stupidity near machinery is just that... stupid, oh yeah, and painful.

One of the things I am trying to figure out is the 3d side of CNC milling. My machine is a 4 axis mill, but I am trying to understand how to relate the movements of the A axis and the X/Y/Z axis. I understand about telling the machine to mill from a point to a point, and the machine will interpolate the path. I guess it is similar for the A axis...

The last bit of knowledge I am trying to acquire is how to make SolidCAM create g-code my Sherline will process. Of course I am trying to undertand how to get SolidCAM to do 4th axis milling...

BTW... This is awesome! Too bad you are on the other side of the pond, as most of us will not be able to see this beauty in person :(

Ty

[dixieoutfitter94]

thats awsome!

I'm too lazy to read it but the pics look great!

[Dark Side]

Anyone else sense MOTM?

Great work!

[SummaryJudgement]

Just curious, why the Soviet theme? Seeing as you're in the Netherlands, are you from the Netherlands or just living there? Are there no Netherlands soldiers?

[FiXeL]

FIXeL,

Thanks for the pointers. I learned something very interesting today... I always thought that G-Code was universal... stupid me!

I have the scars to prove that stupidity near machinery is just that... stupid, oh yeah, and painful.

One of the things I am trying to figure out is the 3d side of CNC milling. My machine is a 4 axis mill, but I am trying to understand how to relate the movements of the A axis and the X/Y/Z axis. I understand about telling the machine to mill from a point to a point, and the machine will interpolate the path. I guess it is similar for the A axis...

The last bit of knowledge I am trying to acquire is how to make SolidCAM create g-code my Sherline will process. Of course I am trying to undertand how to get SolidCAM to do 4th axis milling...

BTW... This is awesome! Too bad you are on the other side of the pond, as most of us will not be able to see this beauty in person :(

Ty

G codes are used for different things. I have little expierence with it, but things like G70 or G71 (changed to G20 and G21) at the begin of the program indicate its in metric values, or inches. G00 is rapid traverse and G01 is traverse at indicated feed. Here's a wiki page with codes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code
The M functions are similar in heidenhain, and are used for machine specific funtions, like starting the spindle, coolant pump, chip conveyer, and more.

3- or 4 axis interpolation can be done on a machine. You could program simple linear or circular toolpaths on the machine, but if you want to do something like 3- or 4D milling, you definatly need cad-cam software that is able to do this. As far as cad-cam i am able to create simple 2D engraving programs in mastercam but that's about basicly it, but i have expierence with milling in 3D from my previous job. I was making alot of molds and dies back then. Quite fasinating how a large block of metal gets the shape of a egg carton, or something else. The way it is programmed is that you start with a large size mill, and start roughing out the complete surface at a certain depth, omitting the parts you want to keep. Then it goes down to the second level, and so on untill the final depth is reached. This operation keeps some stock on the workpiece. Then a smaller tool is used, and in a same way everything gets roughed again, with a bit less stock. This is repeated untill theres enough material removed for the finishing operation. This can be done in 2 ways. Flow cut, meaning it goes to a depth and finishes contouring only in X Y movements, or 45 degree 3D finishing. The tool will start in one corner of the workpiece, and is moved over it in a 45 degree angle, following the geometry of the workpiece. After that it goes to the other side and repeats the operation.

I'm not sure if i'm helping out alot, you should talk to people that are familiar with the system you are using, and are programming it.

Just curious, why the Soviet theme? Seeing as you're in the Netherlands, are you from the Netherlands or just living there? Are there no Netherlands soldiers?

Sure there are. Our country even has them dispatched in afganistan. As for me, i'm 100% dutch. Why i made this a soviet theme? Maybe it was because of the cold war. In my youth i was fashinated with army stuff, and there's a military airfield and military training facility near where i live. At the time i also collected military stuff, and this was about when the berlin wall fell. After that you could find former warchaupact items at surplus stores, and well the uniforms and the looks of it all was rather impressive. When i started with this mag i had a totally different thing in mind, black green acid wash. But during the last biggame in mahlwinkel (former eastern germany) i aquired a soviet star, the ones you would find on a cap or something. I thought it would look really cool if i made something that was themed, so i went with the soviet theme.

[Altec]

This is a amazing project you got going. The milling on the rails, and all the engraving. I wasn't a fan of the shroud on the pneumag setup as it hides the great placement of the LPR. On the E-Mag setup its the finishing touch though!

Also- All this talk about CNC is amazing me. Just sucks I'm gonna have to learn it!

[FiXeL]

Thanks!! :wthumpup:

Btw, here are some M functions. They are similar in ISO and Heidenhain. Some machine tool builders assign some misc. M numbers to machine specific funtions, but these are the ones i'm familiar with.

M00 - Program stop, spindle stop, coolant stop (can vary with some machines)
M01 - Program stop, jump to first line
M02 - Not sure since i hardly use it, but basicly the same as M01
M03 - Spindle on, clockwise
M04 - Spindle on, counter clockwise
M05 - Spindle stop
M06 - Tool change
M07 - Coolant trough spindle on/special cooling
M08 - Coolant pump on
M09 - Coolant stop
M10 - Misc. function, usually clamping axis like a rotary table
M11 - Misc. function, usually unclamping axis like a rotary table
M13 - Spindle on clockwise, coolant pump on
M14 - Spindle on counter clockwise, coolant pump on
M25 - Spindle, program, coolant stop, traverse spindle in Z axis up all the way for Bridgeport machines
M30 - See M01
M40 - Swarf cleaning pump off for Quaser machine tools
M41 - Swarf cleaning pump on for Quaser machine tools
M50 - Chip conveyer off
M51 - Chip conveyer on
M89 - Contouring open contours
M90 - Rounding corners depending on machine parameters
M97 - Calculate and partially mill contours that cannot be milled with this tool (radius too big)
M98 - Cycle call?
M99 - Cycle call

Also there are other funtions from M100 and up, but these are fairly new and not available on all machines. From M200 and up are usually assigned to CNC laser cutters.

[Sumthinwicked]

maybe have you do some uleing for me LOL gj btw

[FiXeL]

After months overdue, i hope to see my marker back again within the week... Gruntbull took it's sweet time to anno this, and due to a missing invoice it was held at DHL for another 2 weeks... But soon, very soon i will be able to update this topic.... Atleast i very hope so! :D

[SithSteve]

I can't wait to see the finished product (as I'm sure of all of us are saying). This has to be one of the most extensive theme markers I have ever seen!!!

Very impressive!!!

[Thotograph]

MOTM, the last letter could easily stand for millennium... comrade ;)

[obscure.m925]

I was almost about to pm you asking about this thing...I'm sure your glad to have it back soon. It's gonna look amazing.

[FiXeL]

Well the wait will be over soon. After the DHL disaster Todd shipped it USPS and today i've found 2 notes from the postal service that they have 2 packages for me that have customs duties on them. This can mean only 3 things.... Both packages are from the states, one from palmers, and the other must be my mag!! :clap:

[mostpeople]

Im looking forward to pics!

[FiXeL]

Well, have patience. As soon i got home today i rushed out to the post office to collect the package, not sure if it was allready there or not. But fortunatly for me it was there!! First thing i did when i got home was unpacking it, and i've noticed i've never been so exited when opening a package. I've been assembling all evening and i have the marker assembled for the most part, but i've ran out of locktite so i cannot install the new sear yet. Also i will have to cut the reloader B2's neck to fit the subzero feedneck, and make something to mount the X7 AK-47 foregrip. I was planning to make some grips out of oak wood, but all black with red accents just looks so darn hot.

Either way, even with the horrible turnaround time from gruntbull, the DHL disaster and a few weeks extra, it was well worth the wait. Todd did a great job on it annodising all the parts to match.

[FiXeL]

Ok, a quick pic then:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k65/FiXeL666/DSCN3564.jpg

I still need to do some things before i can call it done, so you will have to do with this pic for the moment. :D

[TnDeathInc]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[A-Tach-One]

I want more pics damnit! :glare:

[obscure.m925]

I want more pics damnit! :glare:

Especially of the seperate battery housing, I want to see how that came out.

[mostpeople]

How did you find someone able to anno the logo and the battery pack?

[FiXeL]

How did you find someone able to anno the logo and the battery pack?

Well in fact, it's not anno. I've engraved the logo's and text into the parts and i allready planned to fill the warning text with paint so it would be clearly visible. When i got the parts in, i thought why not do the rest aswell?

The paint i used is for painting polycarbonate RC car bodies, and it allready has proven that it's resistant to paintball fill. (painted a halo before with this stuff) What i've done was spraying a bit of paint into a bottle cap, and then applying with a pencil letting the paint flow into the engraving. Then a light wipeoff with a paper hankerchief and some paint thinner to remove any excess paint.

I will be posting the final result today, so just have a little more patience. :D