Help! Patriot80Builder's troubleshooting thread.

Racer88 said:
Except frames are no longer available, eh?
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True. Not P80s but there are numerous other options for getting this project to the finish line. I'm sure everyone here knows my feelings about 76% frames. It's like hitting yourself with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop. :)

All that time and effort and even if done well you still have a hacked up frame. I confess that's my OCD talking. I cant stand to look at something that looks home made. Every time I field stripped mine, just looking at it pissed me off. And it worked fine.

I threw the first one away. I just didnt trust it. Tried again. Better, as one might expect but it still was a POS as far as I was concerned. Pin holes were never an issue with me. 76% or 80%. The trigger pocket for the 76%.... there is no way to do that well enough to make me happy. I dont care how skilled someone is with hand tools. You still end up with a POS.

Not everyone agrees. That's OK. There's no law that says we have to.

When confronted by a perp with a handgun, my hope is he made it himself from a 76% frame. And is wearing thick gloves because it's cold. :)
 
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Bongo Lewi said:
True. Not P80s but there are numerous other options for getting this project to the finish line. I'm sure everyone here knows my feelings about 76% frames. It's like hitting yourself with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop. :)

All that time and effort and even if done well you still have a hacked up frame. I confess that's my OCD talking. I cant stand to look at something that looks home made. Every time I field stripped mine, just looking at it pissed me off. And it worked fine.

I threw the first one away. I just didnt trust it. Tried again. Better, as one might expect but it still was a POS as far as I was concerned. Pin holes were never an issue with me. 76% or 80%. The trigger pocket for the 76%.... there is no way to do that well enough to make me happy. I dont care how skilled someone is with hand tools. You still end up with a POS.

Not everyone agrees. That's OK. There's no law that says we have to.

When confronted by a perp with a handgun, my hope is he made it himself from a 76% frame. And is wearing thick gloves because it's cold. :)
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Also... ain't nothin' wrong with using a 100% frame like those from SCT. Yes... they're serialized and require an FFL. But I sure hope everyone here can legally acquire one and firstly wants to LEARN how to build / assemble a gun. Everyone has different abilities (and prior experience) when it comes to manual dexterity (working with their hands and using tools) and different learning curves.

With a 100% ready-to-go frame, you still get the experience of building a customized gun that's "all yours." Like this crazy thing! ;)

Ray Gun First Assembly (4).jpg
 
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Patriotp80builder said:
Do you have a photo? Kinda hard to understand with the characters.
I'm pretty sure this time i roughed my pinhole enough, I took an x-acto and the provided m3 drillbit and ran them against the walls of the hole, until there were deep gouges and the inside of the hole looked very rough and uneven.
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Read the first sentence of the post, again. It explains what I was attempting to depict in the illustration. Bevel each side of the hole to prevent it from falling out when you insert the pin.
 
Bobster said:
A source of graphite powder--found in the lock section of hardware stores. Also pinewood derby cars--to lube the axles (Cub Scouts).
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Ok, this is bringing back memories. When I was a Cub Scout, I built a Derby Racer and lubed the axles with soap. I won the competition in my Pack. Only later did I realize that lubrication of the axles was specifically prohibited by the rules. I had to confess my sins in front of the whole Pack and my trophy was revoked. Bobster, I'm probably older than you so the rules may have changed by the time you built your car. :)

On topic: I really like graphite + superglue. It makes a VERY strong bond. The drawbacks are that it cures quickly so you don't have much time to work with it.... and it's not easy to get a smooth finish before it cures. It tends to cure a bit bumpy and rough but you can sand it after it cures.
 
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marsbase said:
Ok, this is bringing back memories. When I was a Cub Scout, I built a Derby Racer and lubed the axles with soap. I won the competition in my Pack. Only later did I realize that lubrication of the axles was specifically prohibited by the rules. I had to confess my sins in front of the whole Pack and my trophy was revoked. Bobster, I'm probably older than you so the rules may have changed by the time you built your car. :)

On topic: I really like graphite + superglue. It makes a VERY strong bond. The drawbacks are that it cures quickly so you don't have much time to work with it.... and it's not easy to get a smooth finish before it cures. It tends to cure a bit bumpy and rough but you can sand it after it cures.
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If it is rough and bumpy, you need to mix better or need more superglue to graphite ratio. Should go on smooth. I've changed my recipe a bit over time, for most applications, I mix in a disposable container and apply with a wooden swab. Yeah, it dries fast so not much work time. Not as fast as super glue and baking soda though. I let sit overnight before using as the center of the glue will not cure as fast as the exterior.
 
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FrankenGlock said:
If it is rough and bumpy, you need to mix better or need more superglue to graphite ratio. Should go on smooth. I've changed my recipe a bit over time, for most applications, I mix in a disposable container and apply with a wooden swab.
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I think I need to make my mix more standard. I tend to just dump in an unknown quantity of graphite in an ad hoc way. I should start pre-measuring the graphite to figure out how much I need with a small disposable one-use tube of superglue. That's a useful tip. Thanks!
 
marsbase said:
Ok, this is bringing back memories. When I was a Cub Scout, I built a Derby Racer and lubed the axles with soap. I won the competition in my Pack. Only later did I realize that lubrication of the axles was specifically prohibited by the rules. I had to confess my sins in front of the whole Pack and my trophy was revoked. Bobster, I'm probably older than you so the rules may have changed by the time you built your car. :)
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They never take the trophy from the kid whose dad built the entire thing. I was never a scout. My brothers were Cubs and later, both Eagle Scouts. Not being a joiner, I had no interest in it. Pissed my father off. He was a scout leader.

I was in several science fairs in middle school and high school. It was obvious when a kid's parents did the entire project and the kid placed or won. Good training for the real world though. A lot of those young fake brainiacs went to good schools but never really accomplished anything special in their lives. Some just out and out failed. The wages of cheating.
 
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Racer88 said:
Also... ain't nothin' wrong with using a 100% frame like those from SCT. Yes... they're serialized and require an FFL. But I sure hope everyone here can legally acquire one and firstly wants to LEARN how to build / assemble a gun. Everyone has different abilities (and prior experience) when it comes to manual dexterity and different learning curves.

With a 100% ready-to-go frame, you still get the experience of building a customized gun that's "all yours." Like this crazy thing! ;)

View attachment 37154
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Not many alternatives today. But I agree you get the same outcome. A gun you put together the way you want it. Orange you glad you did it?
 
marsbase said:
I think I need to make my mix more standard. I tend to just dump in an unknown quantity of graphite in an ad hoc way. I should start pre-measuring the graphite to figure out how much I need with a small disposable one-use tube of superglue. That's a useful tip. Thanks!
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I get in bulk from Amazon, but the small tubes may be better for smaller applications as they don't have a tendency to dry out. The worst one for drying out was Gorilla Glue super glue. I barely got any out of the bottle before it cured and it was a large bottle, so I don't recommend theirs unless you are using all at once.
 
Bongo Lewi said:
I was in several science fairs in middle school and high school. It was obvious when a kid's parents did the entire project and the kid placed or won. Good training for the real world though. A lot of those young fake brainiacs went to good schools but never really accomplished anything special in their lives. Some just out and out failed. The wages of cheating.
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I was also a science fair nerd. I did all my own work... 100% of it. And yeah... the ones done by the parents were SUPER-obvious.

We (my son) had a bad experience with the cub scouts. He worked hard to earn some merit badges (his first, as he was new). When they had the award ceremony, they called each kid, by name, up to receive his badges / awards. One by one they went up to the stage when called. My son was never called up. They left him out completely. He was devastated. When we (parents) confronted the leaders, they just said, "We can mail them to you." No shit. And that was the last cub scout meeting we ever attended. I have a VERY low opinion of the "Scout" organization.
 
Hope it works.

I'll bet a chicken pot pie and pineapple shake it doesn't hold up when the holes are re-drilled. The filling will fall out like Mexican dental work. Every time the frame flexes, it will stress the patch. The hardness of the metal pin will prevail. The cured patch is softer material than the frame and molecular bonding is not as easy to achieve as glue makers would have us believe.
 
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If I were going to save the frame (which I wouldn't) I'd forget about using homemade goop and drill the hole larger to fit an upsized roll pin of a suitable OD and call it a day. PSA puts a roll pin in their frames at that location.
 
Bobster said:
My local ACE Hardware has a divided display with varieties of brass, aluminum and plastic tubes, rods, squares and the like...
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I get stuff like this at a variety of local stores. I have never seen the metric sizes stocked. Not sure about online other than the link I gave. I do like to support local stores. Amazon is fast but not as fast as a 10 minute bike ride to my local hardware store.

It would be interesting if Benchies Go Boom could modify his jig to a repair jig with .5mm oversized bushings. The drill guides are pressed in, it would be easy enough to use a different size. Maybe. I don't think the jig would survive pressing out the bushings and pressing in a new size.
 
bkbrno said:
I get stuff like this at a variety of local stores. I have never seen the metric sizes stocked. Not sure about online other than the link I gave. I do like to support local stores. Amazon is fast but not as fast as a 10 minute bike ride to my local hardware store.
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I agree that Metric is still under-repped at many stores, especially in "standards" like rods and squares, for example. The ACE I go to (and have a house charge acct with) has been run by the same guy for like 30yrs and has a LOT of stuff you definitely won't find at a chain ACE or Home DeLowe's.

bkbrno said:
It would be interesting if Benchies Go Boom could modify his jig to a repair jig with .5mm oversized bushings. The drill guides are pressed in, it would be easy enough to use a different size. Maybe. I don't think the jig would survive pressing out the bushings and pressing in a new size.
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Maybe if the bushings were shouldered? 🤔
 
The brother is struggling with getting pin holes plumb and you guys have him fabricating bushings. Which also may fall out because they are not molded into the frame.

Just sayin'.

Me... I'd chalk that frame up to experience, toss it in the shit can and get a new SCT frame. Or... for those who refuse to throw in the towel, slap am oversize roll pin in that hole and call it a day. Be sure to use a proper roll pin punch.
 
Bongo Lewi said:
The brother is struggling with getting pin holes plumb and you guys have him fabricating bushings.
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The bushings I suggested were for the jig. (I think?)

I was going to suggest he make a mold of the frame then get an injection-molding setup and fix it the right way with a hot new replacement frame... :D
 
Bobster said:
The bushings I suggested were for the jig. (I think?)

I was going to suggest he make a mold of the frame then get an injection-molding setup and fix it the right way with a hot new replacement frame... :D
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I stand corrected.

Still, I'd drill a larger hole in the jig. Re-drill frame. Then throw both away and get a new frame :)
 
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