[AtomicDog]

I'm considering building my own 1911, but I don't have any experience. My first Brownell's catalog arrived the other day and the two Kuhnhausen books are on their way.

Is this feasible or should I take a gunsmithing class first? Are there any other books that go through the process of building a gun step by step?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Guest]

While I am certainly not a gunsmith and I do not play one on the internet, in all fairness I feel that it is pretty easy to accomplish.

Take your time and be patient, avoid making mistakes the first time.

I could have used the books, but I had the advantage of owning a lot of custom 1911s as a frame of reference I held my new parts next to the fitted parts, measured and continued.

Good Luck, have fun and post a pic or two.

 

[AtomicDog]

OK, I got the Kuhnhausen books. They *are* really good so I would advise anyone reading this who is interested in DIY gunsmithing to pick up a set.

Does anyone have anything like a list of equipment I would need?

 

[gyp_c2]

I think David just purchased a fairly comprehensive set of "starter" tools :wink: Try a search on his name, perhaps he posted part of it...

 

[paradude]

dont forget the agi video`s on building 1911 pistols worked for me, would`nt build one without them

have fun

 

[imported_PvtRyan]

What David said....I'm doing the exact same thing and I'm posting the full details of my exploits on a website, so that others can follow along. If you are interested in getting into Home Gunsmithing you should check out my site. I've been getting a lot of good feedback from others and they seem to like it.

http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com

Any feed back is very welcome.....we can learn together OK?

Be sure to read the "About" section so you know what I'm doing.
_________________
....I guess if we do that, maybe we all earn the right to go home..........

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: PvtRyan on 2001-08-20 13:33 ]</font>

 

[Hilton Yam]

Hey, nice site! I am particulary intrigued by your PBH1000 blaster. After having bought this smaller model, which model number are you recommending? I see a Campbell-Hausfield compressor on the floor there, what kind of air flow rating does it have? I was looking at Grizzly's blast cabinets, and their systems all require some super large compressor for the appropriate air flow volume. How much did your compressor run you? It seems a little more my size, as I'm limited with shop space too.

Thanks, and keep the updates coming!

 

[imported_PvtRyan]

Howdy:

I'm glad you like the site. It's been a lot of fun so far, and believe it or not I'm getting pretty posative feedback from the website vistors.

I bought the PBH1000 before I ever tried stripping a frame (as you probably know from the site) and I have been very pleased with it so far. However It ABSOLUTELY MUST be upgraded if it will be your "one and Only" cabinet. the basic PBH1000 comes fitted with a "pencil tip" blaster that only uses 1 CFM of air.....and as you can guess the blast pattern is very small (about 1/4 inch) so it would take a month of sundays to blast a frame and even then I'm not so sure it would look right. the pressure just isn't high enough to "dent" the metal very well. I like it for small parts because you can fit the tiny tip of it into all those hard to reach places. I would recommend that if you don't already have one that you should get the PBH200 Dual Blaster. It cost about $100.00 more than the 1000 but you get both style nozzles (the pencil and the trigger). The way it worked out was that I got the same basic set-up for the cost of the 1000....but I'd still rather have spent the extra 100.00 bucks. Here's why. the 1000 cabinet is a bit smaller than the 2000 (about 4 X 5 inches interior) the extra size makes a big different when you install the trigger style gun. the other thing to remember is that the airline plumbing on the 1000 is not really made to accommodate the trigger style gun (the dual one is of course) so you have to run another air feed line through the wall of the cabinet to feed the gun. the line that feeds the pencil is tiny (about the size of fishtank air line) and will not work for the higher capacity trigger nozzle. If you add up the two things (size of cabinet and airline jurryrigging) it seems to be worth the extra 100.00 to me. you can of course do exactly the same thing I did, and buy a 1000 then buy the extra gun nozzle (they sell them for 29.00) and basically you'll have the same thing I do.....but honestly I'd go ahead and spend the extra 70 bucks man you'll be glad you did. Mine works just fine....but it's a bit of a tight fit. I can't justify throwing it away and spending $250.00 to get a new 2000 but if I had it to do over I would have done it differently.

You have good eyes...the compressor that I have is a Campbell Hausefeld contractor grade that delivers 5.3 CFM at 90 PSI. I REALLY LIKE IT !!! It's perfect for what I need and it's so small. The internal tanks are only 4 gallon...so without any external storage you would basically be running full tilt at all times. I added a simple (and cheap) pair of portable 10 gallon air tanks (the kind you air up tires with) they are manifolded together and then all three (the two tanks and the compressor) are fed into a series of PCV pipes that feed my bench. I attached the tanks and the compressor to the PVC with a 4 way manifold and the when quick disconnect fitting on 3 of the 4 holes. this makes it so I can pop the disconnect fitting and take the compressor into the back yard (or across town for that matter) and still have a nice 4 gallon portable system. Try that with a big 25 gallon single unit. I basically just use the contractor compressor as the "engine" behind the rest of the system. the two portable tanks usually stay connected but if I wanted to I could disconnect one or both of them also. It makes for a very nice modular air system and it didn't cost any more than a standard 25 gallon upright rig. I bought mine at Home Depot as a floor model for $199.00 (no box) but I saw them in the store for $275.00 just last week. The portable air tanks cost me 24.95 each and they even have an air gauge on them already. So I have a 27 gallon system now. that's 2 x 10 gallon portable tanks. Plus 4 gallons onboard with the compressor Plus another 2 gallons in the PVC lines for a total of 27 gallons. the compressor only kicked on twice during the sandblasting of the two frames, and pressure never dropped below 90 PSI.

If you are thinking of doing a similar system let me know and I'll do a writeup with pictures and post it on the website.....maybe someone else will be interested too.

Hope that helps....as always I got way too long winded...sorry guys.

_________________
....I guess if we do that, maybe we all earn the right to go home..........

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: PvtRyan on 2001-08-20 17:28 ]</font>

 

[Hilton Yam]

That was by no means long winded, it was very informative. I'd be interested in seeing more about the compressor system, it's the next major item I wish to add to my shop. I'm guessing you bought the additional tanks and hose at Home Depot as well? The Cyclone system seems like a good deal for what I want to do.

 

[imported_PvtRyan]

Sorry Hilton....I just realized I never answered your original question. the new Beadblast gun nozzle requires 5 CFM at 90 PSI to operate at full tilt. You can limit the flow using the trigger, but I always just pull it back til it stops and hold it there. So you want at least 5 CFM @ 90.

 

[gyp_c2]

You know...you might as well go ahead and show us the set-up of your system...I think you have a lot more folks following this than you realize! I'd really appreciate it. If nothing else, the ideas of others usually trigger something that will work within my parameters and saves me a lot of "what-ifs" I thank you for what you've done so far and am following this with a great deal of interest!

 

[imported_PvtRyan]

gyp_C2

I did post it....hahaha. Please read the thread entitled "Hey Hilton......cmpressor details"

It's already on the website.

http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com

then click on "Workshop" then on "Air delivery system" all you could ever want to know and pictures too.

 

[gyp_c2]

WOW! Now that's fast service!

Thanks for that...Looks great BTW...:wink: