South Florida Bluewater Build.

    Quote from Reefchief

    Thanks for the tip I like that and its what Ill do. I dont really need to hide weight in the handle either. I can just put it in the back of the gun and it will be hidden by the rubber butt pad.

    I don't know if you're aware, this handle has weights that fit exactly inside the frame. Easier to do this and the weights are removable if you ever choose to add a reel which will change the balance of the gun. If you epoxy the grips they will not be removable, and it will be difficult to access the rear two screws of the handle frame if ever need to remove it for travel/storage. For these reasons I recommend you use the built in screw holes to hold the grips together.

    Quote from Dan

    I don't know if you're aware, this handle has weights that fit exactly inside the frame. Easier to do this and the weights are removable if you ever choose to add a reel which will change the balance of the gun. If you epoxy the grips they will not be removable, and it will be difficult to access the rear two screws of the handle frame if ever need to remove it for travel/storage. For these reasons I recommend you use the built in screw holes to hold the grips together.


    I may go with that, but I really dont wanna put holes in my pretty grips :D




    Im almost finished with the poured track. In the end the large overpour was a bad idea. The large volume of epoxy caused the track to expand and contract too much leaving stress fractures in the center of the track. I had to route part of it out and repour.


    Luckily epoxy/graphite is amazingly workable and filling/sanding parts and pieces is easily possible. My next pour I didn't do very high and I also used a torch for airbubbles. It worked almost perfectly, no cracks and almost no bubbles, but I was still left with a few near the wood. I am now patching the bubbles with globs of graphite epoxy. Then I will re finish the top, recut the track to clear out the globs, and be ready to recut the pocket epoxy style.


    Although I ended up doing a number of things twice Ive enjoyed trying stuff and Ive learned a lot on this build so far. And luckily the few mistakes ive made so far have been fixed in ways that I think in the end will really enhance the gun.


    Edited 2 times, last by Reefchief ().

    Quote from Reefchief

    I may go with that, but I really dont wanna put holes in my pretty grips :D


    Just a thought, but AB shell dots make a nice way to cover pins and other hardware. Not the best pic, but you get the idea.


    "Whiskey don't make liars, it just makes fools. So, I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said."
    -James McMurtry

    Quote from Wishihadgills

    Do you have any pics of the stress fracture you're describing?


    Xan, I'm not sure i do but I can describe it a bit better. The portion of the track sticking out was basically flawless since it was able to contract as it cooled. When i was almost finished flattening the track i noticed random white lines going down the middle of it. Then, when I cut it with the ball mill, these cracks chipped out in a bunch of spots. It seems like where the track interfaced with the wood it wanted to contract as it cooled but couldn't because the sides of the track we're epoxied to the wood. So it separated down the middle in random cracks instead. A smaller half pour into he same hole (routed the cracks out) with very little overpour resulted in a perfect pour.

    Edited 2 times, last by Reefchief ().

    Finished up the track after patching the last few little bits. Im really happy with how it turned out. It looks and feels pretty amazing. Hopefully the pocket turns out as clean.


    Quote from Reefchief

    Xan, I'm not sure i do but I can describe it a bit better. The portion of the track sticking out was basically flawless since it was able to contract as it cooled. When i was almost finished flattening the track i noticed random white lines going down the middle of it. Then, when I cut it with the ball mill, these cracks chipped out in a bunch of spots. It seems like where the track interfaced with the wood it wanted to contract as it cooled but couldn't because the sides of the track we're epoxied to the wood. So it separated down the middle in random cracks instead. A smaller half pour into he same hole (routed the cracks out) with very little overpour resulted in a perfect pour.


    Thats weird. Im not sure why that happened. I've poured tracks that are over 3/4" thick with no problems. Maybe it was the set time of the epoxy you were using or the lack of micro fibers. Either way it looks like it turned out nicely.

    Thanks guys. I better hurry up and finish before decent offshore weather gets here!


    Can anyone here give me a sanity check on my band hole plans?


    Im planning 4 5/8 bands. So I was planning on cutting the hole 1/2" x 2" I figured this would keep the bands tight but not kill them.


    Does this sound like the best size to anyone with more experience?


    Also should I just center the band holes on the stock? This leaves 3/16 between the bottom of the epoxy track and the slot. And 5/16 between track and slot.


    Current plan:

    Edited 2 times, last by Reefchief ().

    I would go with 9/16 hole size and closer to 2.5" long. It doesnt sound like a big difference but its a PITA to get a 5/8 band in a 1/2" hole. Its doable but tough. Also the more the bands stay deformed (crammed in a hole) the faster they wear out.


    As for the location the higher the better. The closer to in line with the spear the less muzzle flip.

    Hard to see but I angle the band slot upward at the rear, and chamfer the slot at the top rear edge.
    As the band are cocked they slide up closer tow the axis of the shaft. I add a Ti plate to ad strength to the thin area. I have had 3-5/8s hot bands live in this slot. when I store the gun I pull the bands thru the hole to the wishbones to un-stress the rubber.
    The band slot is 3/4'' x 1-1/2'' as I used to run 2- 3/4'' bands in one configuration.
    Sorry that first imaged is angled making the wood above the slot look thick, the top is only 1/4'' to the shaft.
    Cheers. Don

    I recessed the line anchor and cut the hole for the bands. Going to round off the band hole quite a bit. Might even do some recesses. Going to wait until the gun is router before I decide that one though.


    Thanks Xan for the advice on sizing. Had to go buy a 9/16 bit but its perfect.


    Quote from tufual

    nice hardware :cool2:


    Thanks It's a Speardiver line anchor. Definitely the best looking I've seen. Between the mech, handle, and anchor, the stainless hardware on this gun is gonna be beautiful.


    I'm still considering if I want to fabricate a plate for the muzzle wrap or if i want to use a stainless pin.

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