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Your interior kit installation looks better than mine!!! The weathering is incredible! SUPER COOL. Nice work, Kevin! Two questions: What is the black foam liner? I like it! What did you use / how did you apply the weathering? Aaron

Metalmite replica received! THANK YOU CHRIS! This is a BEAUTIFULLY machined part and the caps are painted with incredible precision. Considering the rarity of originals, these are WELL WORTH every penny for a complete set. Here's a little game: Which one is the replica?

Outstanding! MORE PLEASE!

Great observation, Lichtbringer. Every time I watch ANH, I notice the "realistic weight" effect when Luke is on the Death Star bridge with Leia. As he raises the E-11 to fire at the stormtroopers above, the barrel seems to come up sluggishly. Like he's a big wuss and can't handle the weapon properly... I couldn't understand why they didn't reshoot that scene until I built my steel E-11. It takes some muscle to raise several pounds of steel QUICKLY with one arm. I tried that move with my E-11 and got a similar result - the barrel comes up slowly due to the weight and inertia. Or (I hadn't thought of this until just now) maybe I'm a big wuss too... It's subtle, but I think you can definitely see the effect of realistic weight in this scene.

I'm picturing the guitar and giant speaker scene from Back to the Future...On the road, or I'd post the picture...anybody?

Nice work SlyFox! I know we're all OCD about this stuff, but the difference between 26mm and 26.5mm works out to about the thickness of 5 sheets of copy paper. Either way, I can live with the custom machined result. I got all wound up with these measurements until a friend pointed out NO ONE has a REAL set of power cylinders. Photogrammetry is awesome, but there are so many variables that being off by 0.5mm becomes debatable. In the end, as long as your power cylinders are proportional and look the part, nobody can question them... Unless they produce the legit found item cut from a radar rack... That thought eased my mind a little. I know...BLASPHEMY!!! Aaron

I hope I'm the "Aaron" you mentioned because I'm very interested to see your replica caps. I have half a dozen vintage Metalmite caps (loose) and many more in power cell props. A side-by-side comparison would be awesome! BTW, THANK YOU for properly identifying the metal parts of the counter. I've been saying pot metal and cadmium since my first Hengstler, but the brass myth STILL persists.

Good point. In my opinion, your example is a different scenario. In my example, an artist created a grenade sculpture. In your example, the scope and counter are known objects. Is there a difference, even if it's only very slight? I suppose it's possible Mr. Hengstler could consider his counters as sculptures? I think counters, scopes and gun parts that are molded don't count as recasting. Otherwise, Doopy-Doo and a lot of others could be considered recasters. I read an argument several months ago claiming any stormtrooper armor derived from original armor is recast. This comment occurred in the middle of a heated discussion between two members, and whether I like it or not, the statement does have some merit. So why do people who hate recasting accept armor with lineage that traces back to the suit found in the dumpster? The problem with recasting discussions is the infinite number of scenarios you could dream up usually results in differences of opinion (and why these threads usually end up locked). I'm just trying to offer advice and answers for someone who asked. The podcast link I provided is probably the most level headed discussion I've ever heard about recasting. I've listened to it several times because I believe it contains valuable information and ideas.

Great analogy. Every case is different, which is why it's sometimes very difficult to pin down a black and white, yes or no answer. In general, I would say recasting is OK for PERSONAL USE ONLY. That's the basic jist of the podcast. But then, you have to wonder, where do the boundaries of personal use start and stop? If you recast something for your collection, but then use that item at a convention as part of a costume, is that public use or personal use? You're not making a profit wearing your costume at a convention, but what if you run into the person who made the original prop? What if a fan walks up and asks where you got the item or if you could make one for them? Potentially, the beginning of a slippery slope... You might think maybe you could make just one more for your new friend... But they might share their new prop publicly, and before you know it, things spiral out of control, you're labeled a recaster and banned from forums. I've witnessed it happening on this forum and a few others. Use your BEST judgement. If you're only trying to understand the issue, then good for you. If you're fishing for approval to recast, then you're likely crossing a line.

I can't think of any other maker subject that hits the "panic button" faster than recasting. Nearly any comment, positive or negative, sparks controversy, but I believe it's worth discussion for people trying to understand. There are obvious and blatant cases where recasting is BAD. There are also grey areas that aren't as clear. If you want understand recasting better, listen to this podcast several times: http://www.tested.com/art/makers/451612-still-untitled-adam-savage-project-recasting-11272012/ A great "grey area" example from the podcast: I want to make a grenade belt prop from a certain movie and an artist sells screen accurate grenades for $100 each. A complete belt requires 10 grenades. You could buy 10 grenades for $1000. OR you could buy 1 grenade and recast 9 to complete your belt, but would this be frowned upon? By definition, it's obviously recasting. But if you're only making a single prop for yourself, then what's the harm? Don't be surprised if you get a bunch of negative responses to your question. It's a touchy subject. Listen to the podcast.

https://www.adafruit.com/products/2341

I used brass tubing from K&S Metals (although I went to K&S in Chicago, you can usually find it on a display rack at Ace Hardware). They make "telescoping" brass tubing 3/8" x 0.014" x 12" (each size slides into the next size) or regular 3/8" x 0.029" x 36". Either wall thickness will work.

Hi Sean, I originally used cap nuts, but then I found the glass fuses during a trip to the auto parts store one day. Cap nuts work, but I like the shape of the fuse caps better - the edges are less rounded. The drawback to the fuse caps is the engraved lettering and they still need to be shortened, but it's a good start. Here's a little comparison for you: On the left is my initial attempt using a cap nut (also I believe that screw is a 2-56...much too large!) In the middle is an AGU50 fuse. See how the shoulders are a little more square? I chucked the fuse in my drill press and filed off the engraved letters on one end. On the right is a fuse cap installed on a 3/8" tube cut to the correct length for a set of power cylinders. Next step is to "shorten" the cap to the correct size. DON'T try to remove the fuse caps by breaking the glass - it makes a mess and could result in an injury. Use a propane torch. Wave the flame back and forth across the cap while pulling gently with a pair of pliers. When the solder melts, the cap will slide right off the glass tube. The glass tube is 3/8" diameter and the walls are 1/16" thick. The rear resistors are "carbon composition resistors". The resistance value doesn't really matter, but the size does (don't tell women!!...) Each resistor measures 0.365 inches long by 0.143 diameter and is a perfect cylinder (no flared or rounded edges). Just for kicks, the resistance values of the two kinds I use are 82 ohm (grey/red/black/gold) or 150 ohm (brown/green/brown/gold). I think any resistor will work as long as it's the correct size and shape. Andy sent me some of the resistors he uses and they're the same size and shape. Hope this helps! Aaron

I didn't make a shopping list, but here's what I know off the top of my head: 3/8" brass tubing for the cylinders 5mm brass tubing to replicate the Metalmite capacitors 30-50 amp AGC glass fuses (use the metal fuse ends to make the cylinder caps) 10BA (British association) cheese head screws and nuts 1mm thick metal for the base plate Rear resistors Orange/red braided sleeving Thin wires for the capacitors

As always, beautiful work Tino. Maybe worth mentioning, almost any aluminum strip you can buy at a hardware store is 6061 aluminum. 6061 is the most commonly used aluminum since it can be cut, machined and welded very well. HOWEVER, 6061 does not bend well without cracking. In other words, it's not very malleable. If you want to bend aluminum and avoid cracks, order 5052 aluminum.

Thanks, Derrek. Yeah, I thought about it for about 3 seconds... By then, it ALREADY bugged the crap out of me.

I found unbelievable good fortune in my toolbox today... In the punches and pins drawer, I found a solid copper cylinder the exact same size as a Sterling bolt. You may or may not know, but welding doesn't work on copper. This means I had a PERFECT backer for adding welds to reshape the over sized holes. This looks messy, but it gets better. Filling in the outer edges of the hole. Here's the tragic hole all cleaned up. Not perfect, but good enough to be covered by the t-track. And finally, back to welding the dummy barrel and pin. This time I used the furthest forward hole (I like the 3 empty holes in a row and didn't want to interrupt that). A little careful grinding and I should be back on track. WHEW!!! Dodged a bullet this time! Aaron

Warning: the following may contain content that might be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. Well, the machine shop can't get to this for 3 weeks, so I pulled out a brand new 7/16" drill bit and had a go on my drill press. I was able to drill out the welds, but due to good penetration, the holes needed to be larger than 7/16" to separate the pin. The worst hole in the receiver is on the bottom and will be covered by the folding stock. Good news? The spool came out without any notable damage. I'll lay some "Roy" track over the top, damaged hole to see if I need to rebuild the edges with weld. Then weld a pin through the FRONT barrel hole... This seemed more dramatic yesterday - Today, it seems like it can be salvaged. If nothing else, it'll have character and look well used...

Kevin, if I could drill a shallow hole for the t-track, then I'd be half way to replacing the pin. The receiver is only 1/16" thick, but the entire area is now an alloy of E309 stainless weld and the original receiver steel = really hard. Like dulling a lot of drill bits hard. It would probably be best to let the machine shop have a go at this where they can continuously spray the drill bit/end mill with coolant. I'll have to do a bunch of careful measuring and punch my best guess for the exact center of the hole. Hopefully, a carefully placed hole drilled on each side of the receiver will allow me to tap the pin out without damaging the barrel. Before any further building, I'm thinking I should go read the entire E-11 Reference Guide again...

Drilling stainless is tough, but maybe worth a try. Lord knows I don't want to go through all the silver soldering again! Per your suggestion, I think I'll weld a stainless pin in the next hole forward, then take the whole thing to the machine shop to see if they can mill out the back pin. Still can't believe I did this!!! I've been wanting to install a dummy barrel in my blaster for so long that I guess I got in a hurry today... Haste makes waste!

Ugh. Good call, Tino. I left the last hole open for T-track...totally FORGOT about the scope rail. After welding, removing the pin is almost impossible without destroying the receiver. I REALLY glad somebody caught this BEFORE I paid for professional bluing... THANK YOU, Tino, for your keen powers of observation. I might be able to salvage it, but that's going to mean more drilling, cutting and welding and it's already kind of a Frankenstein gun... Looks like I'll be starting over now. Aaron

I completed installation of a "Sterling Spool" on my personal replica today. Referencing Brian's interest in gun bluing (above), I wasn't sure about aluminum, so I did some research. As it turns out, traditional bluing only works on steel and stainless steel, which is PERFECT, since I want a shiny aluminum barrel and everything else satin black. Just a personal preference and the shiny barrel will only be visible through the row of holes in line with the bayonet lug - the rest of the holes will be covered by T-tracks. Following is the process of pinning and welding a dummy barrel into my replica. I had to file back the black KG Gunkote to prep the surface for a good weld. I was shocked to find the Gunkote in the immediate area totally withstood the heat of TIG welding. No blistering or peeling. Brilliant product! I'm even MORE impressed with it now. Stainless steel pin fitted: This angle is almost like an optical illusion...You can see the barrel, then it disappears, then reappears a few holes later. Upon final assembly, all of this will be hidden by the T-track. Pin welded top and bottom. I did quite a bit of build up with the filler rod, which would leave plenty to grind flush. Grinding and filing completed: Here's that "optical illusion" shot again! At first, I only added the 3 barrel holes as an additional way to PROVE this replica could NEVER fire a round, even if someone tried to bore it out. After completing two installations, I LIKE the barrel holes. Makes for interesting pictures! I found a gunsmith in my area that does professional hot bluing, so that will be my next step before reassembly. Aaron

Thanks Tino, I'm leaning towards KG Gunkote again (because it is resistant to scratches and chips), but it's worth considering a different coating this time... With the barrel welded in the receiver, getting a good coating on the interior will be a challenge. Without a coating, the gun starts rusting almost immediately. For complete coverage and corrosion protection of hidden areas, it would be best to "dip" the entire gun. Perhaps a traditional gun bluing? After that, I can top coat with anything in an effort to replicate the original Sterling finish. I WISH I had your paint and weathering talent!!! Aaron

EXCELLENT results in the shop call for a musical link before getting started... ROYAL THUNDER Live at Saint Vitus Bar My wife and I went to see this band in Chicago a few weeks ago. POWERFUL female vocals and guitar work. The sound guy had the master volume at "blood shooting from your ear drums" level, and it was GOOD. REALLY GOOD. Recapping, I used Rhino 5 software to draw up a SOLID aluminum barrel and had it CNC machined at a local shop. I haven't done my personal blaster yet, but I completed installation of a solid barrel for a friend. In addition to using the original Sterling hardware, the barrel is PINNED and WELDED into the receiver. This replica uses a CNC steel receiver and a 7/16" stainless steel pin to permanently install the aluminum barrel (TIG welded with E309 rod). Believe it or not, THIS barrel was a machine shop screw up - they were going to toss it in the scrap bin, but I figured out a way to make it work. The dummy barrel CANNOT be removed without doing serious damage to the receiver. This also means this replica can NEVER chamber or fire a round of ammunition. I'm QUITE pleased with the results!!!

Great stuff, Henry!