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Posted: 3/24/2015 11:04:40 AM EDT
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I just wanted to share some pictures from my XM177e2 build project. I started off with an economy M16A1 Lower in black and A1 Upper in black. I got a good deal on these plus I wanted to experiment with some different finishes which is the main reason I went this route. So far in these pictures you can see: 1. The upper and lower get blasted with fine coal slag media. 2. Sprayed with Carb and Choke cleaner then boiled in water to remove any remaining oil or grease residue. 3. Painted with 4 coats of Duracoat Colt Gray. (you can see the picture right after the final coat, before baking) 4. Baked in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour and a half. 5. Rubbed down with 0000 steel wool.     |
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Quoted: I just wanted to share some pictures from my XM177e2 build project. I started off with an economy M16A1 Lower in black and A1 Upper in black. I got a good deal on these plus I wanted to experiment with some different finishes which is the main reason I went this route. So far in these pictures you can see: 1. The upper and lower get blasted with fine coal slag media. 2. Sprayed with Carb and Choke cleaner then boiled in water to remove any remaining oil or grease residue. <-- Just use acetone the next time. Boling the Alu might screw with the heat treat. 3. Painted with 4 coats of Duracoat Colt Gray. (you can see the picture right after the final coat, before baking) 4. Baked in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour and a half. 5. Rubbed down with 0000 steel wool. http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d106/luftkrieger1943/Parts/20150323_163722.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d106/luftkrieger1943/Parts/20150323_171313.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d106/luftkrieger1943/Parts/20150323_180954.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d106/luftkrieger1943/Parts/20150323_205638.jpg |
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Quoted: Finish looks good. Nice job. Look forward to seeing your progress. I built my XM177E2 a couple years ago. After I put everything together, I realized that my port door was wrong. Oh well. Maybe on e day I will break it down and change it. |
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Quoted: Gosh I hope I didn't do that, is there any way to tell for sure? Quoted: Quoted: 2. Sprayed with Carb and Choke cleaner then boiled in water to remove any remaining oil or grease residue. <-- Just use acetone the next time. Boling the Alu might screw with the heat treat. |
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Maybe we can talk JT into running his anodizing service again!  Quoted:
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Pictures like this sure make me wish Dr. John Thomas still did anodizing! 
Looking good Junkie! Keep updating us with pictures! Maybe we can talk JT into running his anodizing service again! I doubt it. He got nit picked to death. "The color aint right." "The upper and lower don't match perfectly." "My mommy says it has a flaw in the finish." "I dropped it and scratched it while licking my windows and I want you to redo it in gold plate to make up for my stoopidity!" We're just lucky he didn't KILL anybody and can still work his OTHER magic! 
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2. Sprayed with Carb and Choke cleaner then boiled in water to remove any remaining oil or grease residue. <-- Just use acetone the next time. Boling the Alu might screw with the heat treat. I'm pretty sure that 212+ degrees in boiling water did NOTHING to your aluminum. What DID do something to it though was the media blasting. Anodizing, depending on method used, is only going to be from .001 to .004 thick. Generally, Type III Hardcoat will be .001 -.002 deep into the aluminum, and .001-.002 thick on the surface. Media blasting for sure has removed much of the anodizing, which is the hard skin thin surface of your receiver. That is why our favorite anodizer (US Anodizing) makes the statement on his web page to NOT blast your receiver prior to him reanodizing. There is a chemical process to remove anodizing when a receiver is going to be reanodized, so as to not change dimensionally the receiver. So, what you've done most likely, is removed much of the hard surface of the receiver, to be replaced by a "paint" that is not hard like the original anodizing. Type III anodizing is extremely hard. (going off of my poor recollection, about 68Rc) For comparison, the harder Tool Steels are about 64Rc after heat treating. Will you, in your lifetime, ever notice that the surface of your receiver is not as hard as it was originally? Probably not.......you'll never handle it as much as was envisioned by E. Stoner I would be wary of using such a receiver on a "stamped" lower that is going to be SBR'd and tied to that particular receiver.......but, as always, YMMV EDIT: forgot to say........what you've done so far looks very good. Nice build going. 
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I doubt it. He got nit picked to death. "The color aint right." "The upper and lower don't match perfectly." "My mommy says it has a flaw in the finish." "I dropped it and scratched it while licking my windows and I want you to redo it in gold plate to make up for my stoopidity!" We're just lucky he didn't KILL anybody and can still work his OTHER magic!
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Pictures like this sure make me wish Dr. John Thomas still did anodizing!
Looking good Junkie! Keep updating us with pictures! Maybe we can talk JT into running his anodizing service again! I doubt it. He got nit picked to death. "The color aint right." "The upper and lower don't match perfectly." "My mommy says it has a flaw in the finish." "I dropped it and scratched it while licking my windows and I want you to redo it in gold plate to make up for my stoopidity!" We're just lucky he didn't KILL anybody and can still work his OTHER magic!
That's why US Optics quit anodizing scopes as well. Too many cry babies. I wouldn't doubt if Victor stopped for the same reasons. |
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I have finished putting it back together! Some issues that still need to be addressed: correct ejection port and correct tapered delta ring. I will get to these eventually but for now I am satisfied with it. The finish looks really dark, the lighting in my shop sucks for taking pictures. The color of the receiver is actually much lighter in natural light. Here are the pics!    |
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