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Posted: 12/1/2009 1:34:44 PM EDT
[#1]
this could be very cool.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 1:37:37 PM EDT
[#2]
Cool project. I would have chosen to mold them in top and bottom halves instead of left and right, but that's just me. After you get the bugs worked out with fiberglass you ought to do a run in carbon, carbon/kevlar, and colored carbon. They'd sell like hotcakes.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 2:14:15 PM EDT
[#3]
Well this is going to be cool.
Please keep us updated. I always love seeing custom goodies! |
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Posted: 12/1/2009 2:52:26 PM EDT
[#4]
Cool project.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 5:25:38 PM EDT
[#5]
yeah i agree i would have done top and bottom halves just so i could mount a stud or a rail on the bottom if I chose to.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 6:11:35 PM EDT
[#6]
tag!
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Posted: 12/1/2009 6:30:20 PM EDT
[#7]
This is shaping up to be a very cool project. I would prefer a focus on the fiberglass mold technique and not necessarily the details of your handguards. Those handguards don't really appeal to me, but the technique certainly does.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 7:44:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
This is shaping up to be a very cool project. I would prefer a focus on the fiberglass mold technique and not necessarily the details of your handguards. Those handguards don't really appeal to me, but the technique certainly does. ^^^^ I need to learn to work with this stuff.
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Posted: 12/1/2009 10:13:11 PM EDT
[#9]
So cool. I love home projects. Keep us updated. I can't wait to see the end product. Be sure to post the weight as well.
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Posted: 12/2/2009 7:09:49 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
yeah i agree i would have done top and bottom halves just so i could mount a stud or a rail on the bottom if I chose to. Tactical sling studs mount on the side of the rifle. And I want to see the finished product NOOOOOWWWWW! 
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Posted: 12/2/2009 1:41:39 PM EDT
[#11]
Thanks to everyone for the compliments.
Today, I started molding the handguards. They're made from 4 oz glass cloth and epoxy resin. The 4 oz cloth is pretty thin, but follows contours pretty well. It also has a tight weave, which will make it nice and strong. So I built up 9 layers of it. That may seem like a lot, but the resulting part will only be about 0.1" thick. Unfortunately, the handguard shape has some sharp corners that the glass cloth can't follow. For those spots, I mixed up a slurry of epoxy resin mixed with short strands of glass fiber (which I affectionately call "snot"). The slurry has the consistency of thick mucous, and can be slopped on like putty. Here's a quick photo: http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards05.jpg The epoxy resin will have to cure overnight (and probably half the day tomorrow, too). Then I'll pull the parts from the mold and start trimming. . . . For those who are interested in learning how to mold fiberglass, there is LOTS of information online. A Google search for "Fiberglass 101" will turn up a bunch of good stuff. Also, Fibre Glast has some instructional videos on their website (in the Learning Center). |
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Posted: 12/2/2009 2:00:46 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Quoted:
yeah i agree i would have done top and bottom halves just so i could mount a stud or a rail on the bottom if I chose to. Tactical sling studs mount on the side of the rifle. And I want to see the finished product NOOOOOWWWWW! I should have clarified myself. the stud would be for a bipod and unless you are shooting gansta, a bipod would look goofy on the side 
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Posted: 12/3/2009 8:39:53 AM EDT
[#13]
The epoxy hardened nicely. So I pulled the handguards from the mold this morning. The fiberglass is very strong, much stronger than the molded plastic originals. However, there are a few air bubbles that need to be filled. And of course, the excess fiberglass needs to be trimmed off.
Here's a quick shot of the raw fiberglass parts. In the photo, they're still wet from washing (the mold release film is water soluble). http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards06.jpg I'll post more updates when available. |
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Posted: 12/3/2009 9:14:08 AM EDT
[#14]
Very cool. I had an idea for molding my flashlight and a built in vfg/hand stop into some hand guards. You are inspiring me to try!
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Posted: 12/3/2009 10:24:06 AM EDT
[#15]
pretty cool. i'm interested to see what the final product is going to look like on a rifle.
hmm maybe i could form an ipod dock in there somewhere. 
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Posted: 12/3/2009 10:48:27 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
pretty cool. i'm interested to see what the final product is going to look like on a rifle. hmm maybe i could form a ipod Blackberry dock in there somewhere. That's a good idea! |
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Posted: 12/3/2009 12:55:36 PM EDT
[#17]
THEY FIT!
http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards07.jpg Now I just need to make 'em look pretty. |
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Posted: 12/4/2009 11:25:18 AM EDT
[#18]
The breathing holes are cut. I also made some minor tweaks to improve fitment.
http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards08.jpg To fill the air bubbles, I mixed up a paste made of epoxy resin and glass micro-spheres. It's curing as I type this. I'm NOT putting Bondo on my rifle!
I still have 3 things left to do on the handguards: 1) make mounting pads for the heat shields 2) make heat shields 3) finish handguards with rubberized paint |
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Posted: 12/4/2009 12:28:15 PM EDT
[#19]
Very cool, did you bond the two halfs together or to they bolt some how.
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Posted: 12/4/2009 12:43:06 PM EDT
[#20]
These handguards are a drop-in replacement for the originals. They're not free-floating. And they install just like M16A1 handguards.
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Posted: 12/4/2009 2:18:55 PM EDT
[#21]
they are looking nice! Once you are done they are gonna be a good conversation piece at the range. I can hear the "where did you get those?" questions now.
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Posted: 12/4/2009 5:27:47 PM EDT
[#22]
Very cool, its nice to see some good ol fashion ingenuity these days..
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Posted: 12/4/2009 6:26:18 PM EDT
[#23]
why did you not add pigment so they came out black ? realy cool work
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Posted: 12/4/2009 6:58:27 PM EDT
[#24]
Impressive work.
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Posted: 12/4/2009 7:17:13 PM EDT
[#25]
If you want to go for more of the angular look, I think Mega Machine has some pretty nice faceted (maybe hexagonal) uppers and lowers. Just a thought on style.
ETA: 
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Posted: 12/4/2009 8:27:19 PM EDT
[#26]
Here's what this reminds me of: the Daewoo K1 carbine. It's basically a piston AR but the receivers aren't compatible. The OP should try to fit a complete piston recoil system under the handguards and then use a folding stock.
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Posted: 12/5/2009 7:39:18 AM EDT
[#27]
very cool
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Posted: 12/7/2009 11:26:58 AM EDT
[#28]
HEAT SHIELD MOUNTING PADS: CHECK!
HEAT SHIELDS: CHECK! RUBBERIZED PAINT: CHECK! The custom handguards are finished. 
The heat shields are made of aluminum flashing, which you can buy by the roll at the hardware store. It's thin enough to cut with heavy scissors. Below is a (blurry) shot of the heat shields. http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards09.jpg To mount the heat shields in the handguards, I saturated some pieces of thick felt with epoxy, and put them in the corners. After the epoxy hardened, I drilled holes in them and attached the heat shields with small screws. Below, you see the mounting pads with holes drilled in them. http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards10.jpg And last but not least, I coated the handguards with rubberized paint. The surface finish is matte black, and feels very "grippy". Anyway, enough blah-blah. Here are the "money shots". http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards11.jpg http://www.tweaktech.com/rifle/ar15-handguards12.jpg Hopefully, I'll be testing it out at the range in a few days. |
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Posted: 12/7/2009 11:43:38 AM EDT
[#29]
neat
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Posted: 12/7/2009 11:53:45 AM EDT
[#30]
They turned out great - good job
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Posted: 12/7/2009 11:53:48 AM EDT
[#31]
Nice work!
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Posted: 12/7/2009 12:30:55 PM EDT
[#32]
These are my favorite kind of threads!! NICE JOB!!
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Posted: 12/7/2009 4:05:43 PM EDT
[#33]
Nice job
.. hoping to do something like myself one of these days.
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Posted: 12/7/2009 5:12:43 PM EDT
[#34]
 Very cool; nice write-up- good to see how something like that could be made.
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Posted: 12/7/2009 6:23:03 PM EDT
[#35]
VERY COOL
thanks for the write up!!! |
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Posted: 12/8/2009 4:27:36 PM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
Here's what this reminds me of: the Daewoo K1 carbine. It's basically a piston AR but the receivers aren't compatible. The OP should try to fit a complete piston recoil system under the handguards and then use a folding stock.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Carbine_Daewoo_K1.jpg The K1 is D.I., the K2 is a piston. Otherwise, Sweet Job OP |
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Posted: 12/8/2009 5:58:38 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
neat i like them. they are the coolest thing on the gun. in for the rail mount section. |
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Posted: 12/8/2009 7:02:16 PM EDT
[#38]
Thanks for the compliments, everyone. I'm not into "tacti-cool" (and am not military or LEO), so there won't be any rails on the handguards. Sorry to disappoint.
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Posted: 12/9/2009 6:24:55 AM EDT
[#39]
VERY cool!
I love it when people do things like this and take the extra time and effort to do a simple write up for everyone to learn from! we appreciate it!
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Posted: 12/9/2009 7:44:26 AM EDT
[#40]
Inspiring, and well documented. Thank you for sharing your project.
I've done some resin casting [similar to but not the same as laying up fiberglass] and vacuum forming, and it's nice to see someone working up their own parts. Fun stuff. Jim |
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Posted: 12/12/2009 1:17:08 PM EDT
[#41]
Here's a quick follow-up.
I went to the range yesterday and ran a little over 240 rounds through the rifle. The barrel got nice and warm. I could feel the heat rising out of the ventilation slots. But the handguards didn't get hot. Also, my hand naturally wraps around the handguard contour. And the rubberized coating is nice & grippy. I think I'm going to keep them.
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Posted: 12/12/2009 2:18:40 PM EDT
[#42]
very cool
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