Author Topic: Theoben Rapid Mk2 (Read 13989 times))

Hobbyman2007 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 26, 2019, 08:58:12 AM »

I missed an MKII a few months ago in one of the classified sections here in Canada . One day I’ll own one in .177 . Nice work on the refurb/ build . What a great project .

YEMX · « **Reply #21 on:** February 26, 2019, 04:59:25 PM »

Quote from: Hobbyman2007 on February 26, 2019, 08:58:12 AM

I missed an MKII a few months ago in one of the classified sections here in Canada . One day I’ll own one in .177 . Nice work on the refurb/ build . What a great project .

Thank you sir! I couldn't have done it w/o Scott and RAW though- he did the assembly/tune and added a SSG, and RAW made the FX reservoir adapter... They made this build possible!!

Plus a lot of people here are such enablers!!

On a slightly serious note, I do hope this build motivates others to build something cool!

YEMX · « **Reply #22 on:** February 27, 2019, 05:32:57 PM »

Small progress... I did some work for the receiver/trigger area:

The angle and lighting is bad, but the piece w/the trigger cut out and stock screw holes fits quite well... I'm actually quite surprised it turned out that good...

YEMX · « **Reply #23 on:** February 28, 2019, 07:35:56 PM »

Little more progress

Better shot of the trigger area:

Cut out the fill nipple opening:

Started marking out some of the shapes I want:

One of the mistakes above you probably noticed was the butt-plate area, and the bottom is cut off. TBH, that was a good mistake- it'll allow for the rifle to ride a rear bag better... So I'm keeping it. Also, I took some measurements from the stock I'm using as a pattern, and luckily, my stock is already a touch thinner than the original pattern. Less work!

Anyhoo, not much work done. I'm still waiting for that foam cutting tool so I can make more accurate cuts easier. TTYL

YEMX · « **Reply #24 on:** March 04, 2019, 02:42:11 PM »

I got the foam cutting guide I've been waiting on, and am waiting for the glue to dry- I had to assemble it. Once the glue's dry, I can trim down this plug and get ready to make the mold...

The mod to the stock is pretty much done- I filled in the cut-outs on the sides. I'm gonna get some filler/primer and start getting the stock ready for paint. It's about as much as I can do until I send off/get back the parts that need work... But I'm sending a few projects at the same time, so it'll be a little while before There's any real updates...

But the Cothran valve is coming in!! So I can send the parts off soon...

YEMX · « **Reply #25 on:** March 06, 2019, 10:33:45 AM »

The new hot wire foam cutter fence is finally done (I had to assemble it), and I got a little bit of work done...

I wanted the taller cutting fence so I could make more accurate cuts in the foam. I had to make a slight step in the trigger area. I made the filler piece of foam larger, so I could accurately cut away the waste when the glue is dry. Since I'm using gorilla glue, and its basically a strong expanding foam, the hot wire cutter goes right through it. Tomorrow I'll cut away the waste and open up the holes. I'm still waiting on RAW to let me know what kind of screws I'll need. Now all I have left to do is shape the stock and cover it w/Epoxy and fiberglass...

... and primer
... and sand
... and fill
... and...

YEMX · « **Reply #26 on:** March 07, 2019, 04:01:37 PM »

Did some more work on the stock. Not much. Cut down the waste, opened up the holes for the fill nipple, stock screws and trigger/safety.

It's rough looking now... But I think it'll clean up well. Anyhoo, I filled in some gaps and such with some left over PC-7 from my BS4 build, so I'm gonna let that dry and figure out how I want to tackle shaping this stock... I'm also going to probably make a cover for the fill nipple, so I have a bit more to grab. I can remove the cap as is, but just barely.

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #27 on:** March 07, 2019, 10:23:04 PM »

This is gonna be "Sweet"!

YEMX · « **Reply #28 on:** March 08, 2019, 12:55:19 AM »

Quote from: KnifeMaker on March 07, 2019, 10:23:04 PM

This is gonna be "Sweet"!

I hope so... I've never really made a stock before. I'm going to have to go real slow...

I'll say this: Next time, I'm going to use thinner laminate wood, like for model airplanes. Maybe even thin plies of bass wood. All the shaping will be on a foam layer... Then do the same thing, cover with epoxy and fiberglass... Shaping wood is too nerve wracking...

jackssmirkingrevenge · « **Reply #29 on:** March 08, 2019, 06:58:11 AM »

Quote from: KnifeMaker on March 07, 2019, 10:23:04 PM

This is gonna be "Sweet"!

Agreed, following with interest especially after watching that Carbon Fiber tutorial!

YEMX · « **Reply #30 on:** March 12, 2019, 05:50:25 PM »

Not really much of an update- I did a little shaping of the stock today... Overall, the shape and size is there. What's going to take a little while is going to be from the grip back. I do have a pattern to work from, thankfully. It's a simple stock, mostly just rounded edges- just like the M40A3 stock mine is loosely based on. I filled in some gouges in the foam and I did some work around the trigger guard and fill nipple cut-out:

Again, other than some more sanding before the fiberglass, this is going to be the overall shape from the trigger guard forward... I'll post some more when I get more work done.

YEMX · « **Reply #31 on:** March 12, 2019, 05:53:00 PM »

Quote from: jackssmirkingrevenge on March 08, 2019, 06:58:11 AM

Agreed, following with interest especially after watching that Carbon Fiber tutorial!

I hate to burst your bubble- but I've looked at the price for CF for this project and it's too cost prohibitive

... I posted that vid mostly to show the basic process I'm going to use to lay the fiberglass...

jackssmirkingrevenge · « **Reply #32 on:** March 12, 2019, 08:05:01 PM »

Quote from: YEMX on March 12, 2019, 05:53:00 PM

I hate to burst your bubble- but I've looked at the price for CF for this project and it's too cost prohibitive ... I posted that vid mostly to show the basic process I'm going to use to lay the fiberglass...

Is it that pricey?

They kit is 90 sterling for the large format, that seems pretty reasonable.

I guess shipping across the pond would not be cheap but surely there must be something similar available locally.

Traum · « **Reply #33 on:** March 12, 2019, 08:26:20 PM »

wow that's coming along nicely. I wish I had more time to work on projects. Can't wait to see the final project. Keep us posted.

YEMX · « **Reply #34 on:** March 12, 2019, 08:32:45 PM »

Quote from: jackssmirkingrevenge on March 12, 2019, 08:05:01 PM

Is it that pricey?

They kit is 90 sterling for the large format, that seems pretty reasonable.

I guess shipping across the pond would not be cheap but surely there must be something similar available locally.

You know, I never thought to search for a kit in the States... I was pricing out the CF fabric and the epoxy separately. That wasn't including the base coat... I actually did find a kit for $80 U.S.

http://www.gorillacarbons.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=51

It looks like the same components list as that kit in the linked video, just a different company. This one is Stateside. You know what, I WILL give CF a try!! This kit looks like a good deal! Thanks Jack!!

I'm gonna be up front: I'm not a fan of CF as a look... I appreciate CF because of the benefits it offers as a material. As of right now, I don't know if I'll keep the CF bare, or paint over it... I'll worry about that bridge when I come to it. I'll get that CF kit when the time comes...

YEMX · « **Reply #35 on:** March 12, 2019, 08:39:32 PM »

Quote from: Traum on March 12, 2019, 08:26:20 PM

wow that's coming along nicely. I wish I had more time to work on projects. Can't wait to see the final project. Keep us posted.

Thank you!! It's slow going. I'm trying to take my time and really think about how to get the shape I'm after...

YEMX · « **Reply #36 on:** March 13, 2019, 01:45:08 PM »

Well... I got into a bubble and threw that whole "take my time" stuff out the window.

The stock is 80% done at this point. I'm not changing the shape. All that's left to do is figure out how and with what to seal the inletting, fill in the gouges in the foam, and finally- skinning the stock in CF. I know, it's not perfect. But it's comfortable to me, and it's getting covered anyway. Anyhoo, without further jibberjabber:

I'm going to have to email RAW again, I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what the screw sizes are, so I can make some pillars and epoxy them in before I skin the stock.

YEMX · « **Reply #37 on:** March 13, 2019, 04:58:22 PM »

I used an airsoft gun as one of the main patterns for this gun- and I just happen to have found the other parts of the stock- namely the cheek piece, it's knobs, and the "spacer system" for adjusting LOP. Basically it's a bunch of spacers you remove or add to make the stock fit you better.

Well, I was definitely wrong about "not changing the shape" of the stock...

Using the cheek piece and the butt-pad as a pattern, I have a little more work to do. No big deal. I might also cover the cheek piece in CF- this airsoft one seems real flimsy.

After doing some thinking, I did have to remove some foam and replace it with wood... Had I done this earlier in the process- like I should have, I wouldn't have to worry about it now. Oh well. It's getting done. I have to put some wood where the Picatinny rail is going to go, and where the buttpad will go.

YEMX · « **Reply #38 on:** March 14, 2019, 01:09:23 PM »

I cut out the foam from the back end and the fore end of the stock last night, and drew up the wood filler pieces. I cut the wood filler pieces today, and have epoxied them into the stock. Now I'm just waiting for the epoxy to dry. I used PC-7 for the back and JB Weld for the front. The reason I used JB Weld for the front piece of wood, is because the wood fits tighter because the foam was cut out better. So I don't need as thick of an epoxy. The foam for the butt section was not cut out well, so I'm using the PC-7 as both a filler and an adhesive. I also filled in some of the larger gouges in the foam with the left over PC-7.

The last picture you can see how the adjustable cheek piece is going to sit. I also adjusted the stock's body line, to match the front edge of the cheek piece.

I've got an idea on how I'm going to more accurately shape the back half of the stock, so that it fits both the cheek piece and the clone spacer system as close to perfect as can be... I'll just have to take pics and show you, I probably won't describe it well enough...

I'm waiting on some Z-Poxy so I can seal the foam. I'm going to use Bondo for shaping, because it's cheaper, and will be plenty strong. The polyester resin attacks foam though, hence why I have to seal the foam before any Bondo work. Anyhoo, more to come.

YEMX · « **Reply #39 on:** March 14, 2019, 09:22:03 PM »

RAW won't tell me the thread pitch for either of the screw holes...

I kind of expected that, but I'm still a little surprised- they're just screws. Anyhoo, I ordered a stock retention screw for a Rapid, but also ordered a stock screw set for "gas ram rifles". I'm crossing my fingers that one of the screws will work in the rear stock hole. If not, it's not that much money wasted. So we'll see in a few days.

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Theoben Rapid Mk2

Author Topic: Theoben Rapid Mk2 (Read 13989 times))