New guy with more DL-44 Builds

[Buch]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

The finish on that denix is beautiful!
@Buch - will the fillings take the bluing? Just curious because I'd love to try it myself! I don't know much about metals.

It's a good idea to try your bluing solution on the metal you wanna use for the repair... best result will be with the exact same type of metal...

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Got some paint on and started to weather the DEC M19 for this project. Still need to fill in the letters with white and waiting on some brass black to age the exposed brass areas a bit. Overall, I am pretty happy how it turned out.

 

[veektohr]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Awesome! Ammonia fumes will also tarnish the brass. What did you do for the bumpy finish?

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Awesome! Ammonia fumes will also tarnish the brass. What did you do for the bumpy finish?

The "sandcast" look was done by layering stone finish and antique brass metallic spray paint...layering and rubbing with steel wool until it looked like it had the right amount of texture.

 

[Dann]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

The "sandcast" look was done by layering stone finish and antique brass metallic spray paint...layering and rubbing with steel wool until it looked like it had the right amount of texture.

Real nice work! And yeah, don't bother with the brass black, it'll just blacken the brass.

You wanna stick that scope in a container with some ammonia. Suspend it somehow, or put a riser in the container that the scope can sit on.

You don't need much ammonia. The fumes will tarnish those bright areas perfectly.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Real nice work! And yeah, don't bother with the brass black, it'll just blacken the brass.

You wanna stick that scope in a container with some ammonia. Suspend it somehow, or put a riser in the container that the scope can sit on.

You don't need much ammonia. The fumes will tarnish those bright areas perfectly.

does it have any negative effects on paint?

 

[Dann]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

I don't believe so. I've done things that were painted before.

The part isn't actually making any contact with the ammonia, it's just absorbing the fumes.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

I don't believe so. I've done things that were painted before.

The part isn't actually making any contact with the ammonia, it's just absorbing the fumes.

Just experimented with putting some aluminum black on the brass...aged it perfectly.

 

[Egon]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Did some more work to the "Luke" Bespin over the past few days...Accurized the Denix a bit more by filling and sanding. Also converted my cheap drill press into a mill to mill all the recesses and the bolt. Drilled out the safety like the Mauser Luke's blaster was built on. And started bluing the upper and aging the flash hider.

It isn't perfect but its getting more and more convincing. When my scope comes (pre ordered a Dark Energy M19) I will start making the scope mount.

View attachment 681418 View attachment 681419 View attachment 681420 View attachment 681421 View attachment 681422 View attachment 681423

Mind sharing how you converted your drill press? I am looking at doing something similar - its easy enough to get the x y table, but I am curious as to how you set the depth of the drill, etc.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Mind sharing how you converted your drill press? I am looking at doing something similar - its easy enough to get the x y table, but I am curious as to how you set the depth of the drill, etc.

My drill press, and I am sure most others, has a depth stop. I used that stop to set the depth and just held it down with my right hand while moving the mill vise with my left hand. Super sketch and it wasn't perfect, but I got decent results for 80% of the process. You can see in the photos that the rear pocket on one side got a little deep and chewed up a bit.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Does anyone know the best place to get some resin distributor retainers and motor coils. I could get them on shapeways, but I would prefer cast resin to 3D printed.

***Edit - Found them!

 

[Dann]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Is this the vise you used? Seems to be built better than the one that's $10 less.

http://m.harborfreight.com/6-inch-cross-slide-vise-32997.html

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Is this the vise you used? Seems to be built better than the one that's $10 less.

http://m.harborfreight.com/6-inch-cross-slide-vise-32997.html

Yep! That is the one.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build

Ok, time to get real nerdy.....when I finish these blasters, I am going to build stands with didactics on them. So the question is, according to canon, is this (Luke Bespin) a BlasTech DL-44 Model B or Merr-Sonn Model 57. I see sources stating both, but I am leaning towards Model 57.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Getting there...

 

[Pedro]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Man, I played with that vise at the store recently and found it to be sooooo floppy/sloppy, I'm amazed you pulled this off! I may try it myself after all.

Beautiful work on the blaster! This one is on my short to do list as well and yours is an inspiration for sure! Maybe a little less black on the flash hider? A matter of taste of course.

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Man, I played with that vise at the store recently and found it to be sooooo floppy/sloppy, I'm amazed you pulled this off! I may try it myself after all.

Beautiful work on the blaster! This one is on my short to do list as well and yours is an inspiration for sure! Maybe a little less black on the flash hider? A matter of taste of course.

Yeah, to say that vise is bad is kind of an understatement, I am sure some are worse than others too...but it worked for the most part.

Looking through publicity shots of Luke with his blaster...some have more "carbon scoring" than others. I chose to match this one as I like the more used look.

 

[Pedro]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Sure enough, looks like you nailed that one!

 

[Bradberry00]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Ok, It's pretty much done for now...up next is a Greedo Killer, and it sounds like the Boba Debt ROTJ parts kits are nearing completion too!

Specifications:
Denix Base (with countless hours of filing and shaping)
Boba Debt Flash Hider
Dark Energy Scope
Scottjua Thumbscrew
Reproduction Mauser Grips
Corellian Exports Greeblie
Scope Bracket by me

 

[Dann]

Re: New guy with another DL-44 Build (or is it Model 57?)

Really nice work!