So if you can believe it, I've decided to go in yet ANOTHER direction for my third pass at this scope ...
WARNING: This will be a text-heavy post, but may be helpful to anyone looking to take their replica scope to the next level.
First off, I printed up one of
chubsANDdoggers new Compac scope saddle replicas. It's designed to mount on to his printable full Compac scope kit, but I've decided to mod it to fit onto my metal Field Marshall scope. I've never handled a real Compac, but this seems to be the most accurate attempt at the saddle yet. It's the correct model (2 1/2X) and features the logo engraving on top (though unfortunately not the serial number on the side).
It mounts using the same logic as Field Marshall's saddle, so all I had to do was widen the holes for Field Marshall's windage knobs and it fit right on there! I also managed to find some of the proper brass screws. I've been told that these screws are brass on the real deal. Can anyone confirm?
Since finishing my last FM scope, I also found that a thicker, SINGLE dome (not double dome) lens will create a subtle magnifying effect, aiding in the illusion of a real scope. I found a few of these in the right size for this scope and am currently waiting for them to arrive ...
I did purchase a second Field Marshall scope, as I wanted to start from scratch with these updates, but when it arrived I realized that since his design change, it's now far easier to assemble, but it doesn't have the threaded detailing where the small lens mounts. So, after some thought, I decided to set this new scope aside and dismantle my first Field Marshall scope to reassemble with my printed saddle and updated lenses.
Step one was to remove the lenses. I carefully punched the smaller one out with the butt end of a screwdriver, and the epoxy gave a clean break. The larger lens was more complicated, as its retainer is a separate, pressure-fit piece. The fit was much tighter on these older versions of his replica (I had to pressure-fit this one with a bar clamp) and after trying to pull it out with vice grips, I managed to chew up the retainer ring pretty badly (as well as a bit of the main scope body), but it came out. The lens retainer is toast (good thing I have another one from the new scope) but I was able to repair the gouging on the scope body with a bit of JB weld and some careful sanding.
To strip the paint, I decided to try "Citristrip" after hearing some positive reviews here on the RPF. It's citrus-based (allegedly) and supposed to be less toxic, but it worked great to strip the Krylon from the scope. I got it in a rattle can, which is pretty convenient for application. Would recommend! Once the paint was stripped, the smaller threaded lens retainer screwed out effortlessly.
Then, it came time to approach darkening the interior of the scope. I hate looking through the scope to see light bouncing around due to the bright aluminum. On my first 2 scope builds, I played it safe and opted not to attempt to paint all the way through, for fear of the paint accumulating and dripping. I could always notice the aluminum when looking through it, which majorly broke the illusion of a working scope for me. So, this time I decided to try aluminum black to darken the inside. To make a long story short, with careful prep, it worked beautifully, but didn't last long.
After a few hours it started to rust, and the inside lost practically all of its darkness (I didn't get a photo of this). Typically I'd use oil or somthing to prevent this from happening, but I didn't like the idea of anything oil-based inside the tube once it's sealed up. So, having tried that, I've decided to go for flat black paint in a rattle can. I've had some luck experimenting with different processes for this, but this is what has worked best so far:
To prep the inside for paint, I first masked off a 5mm strip at the opening of the wider end so that I'm not putting epoxy on paint when it comes time to mount the retainer. I also masked off the threads at the smaller end so that they wouldn't get gummed up with paint. To prep the surface, I use a rolled-up Scotchbrite pad to buff the inside of the scope. I then mask the outside of the scope to minimize unwanted spray there, and paint the inside using a series of short blasts. I've yet to achieve full internal coverage without getting some drips around the inner rims (see below) ...
Once this dried though, I buffed it more with the scotchbrite pad and was able to get rid of those drips:
From here on out, I'll use the same method to finish the outside that I detailed in post #60 of this thread for my first pass at this scope (give that a read if you'd like a thorough explanation of the order in which to best tackle this kit). Another mod I've made (not pictured) was to trim down the length of the windage knob bolts, so that they don't intrude into the scope. The holes are still very noticeable when looking through (I wish that these were blind-tapped ... a detail that I miss from Solo's Hold's replica) but I can't think of a method to fill them that's worth the effort.
Stay tuned for exterior painting and weathering!