[ Return to Main Page ] [ Return to Projects Index ] [Doc's Machine & TWB Store] [ Contact Us ] [ The Whiteboard Webcomic ]

[REDACTED]: Developing an all-new [REDACTED] Paintball Gun
Part 2: Developing the Proof-of-Concept Prototype



With the bolt mostly roughed in and the [REDACTED] mocked up, I was able to further
machine the upper receiver to accept the new bolt.



And with that in place, I could then determine where the [REDACTED] needed to be mounted in relation to the [REDACTED].



But, I needed another dimension as well- the distance from the bolt and [REDACTED] to the valve and [REDACTED].



Now knowing some of those dimensions, I was able to get out my CAD software (that is, my Cardboard-Aided Design
software :) ) and pencilled up a workable preliminary shape to what would become the lower receiver.



The only chunk of stock big enough that I had on hand, took a trip through the bandsaw to free up the new part.



And, after a bit of machine time, I had it drilled and tapped for a [REDACTED] assembly, radiused to fit the
upper [REDACTED], and milled to accept the [REDACTED]. The disc on the front keys into the lower
[REDACTED] and helps index the two body halves together.



The [REDACTED], mocked up for the moment with a small bolt, attaches like so. Due to the nature of
the mock-up, I had to mill clearance in the body for the front half of the [REDACTED].



With the bolt installed and the upper [REDACTED] slid into place, I was happy to find that the
[REDACTED] operated very smoothly and reliably.



A pair of side plates and a turned pivot pin completed the Mk I "proof of concept" mockup, which proved
the "[REDACTED]" system could work and work well. I could have made this one more or less functional
simply by adding a trigger and an external connection for an air line, but I'd learned enough from it as a
physical model that I decided any further time and effort would be better spent on a "second generation"
version incorporating all the various changes and improvements I'd come up with in the process.

So, come along as we move on to "Mark II"...






All text, photos and graphics Copyright 1998- 2017, Doc's Machine & Airsmith Services. All Rights Reserved.
Information contained in these pages is for reference and entertainment purposes only.  Our methods are not always the best,
quickest, safest, or even the correct ones. It's up to you to know how to use your own machines and tools.
Keep your fingers away from the spinny blades o' death and you should be all right.