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Tyranus
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OK...I did the cut-down on the magazine this weekend, and it went really well.

Here are the pics of the process. The only thing I forgot to photograph was the cut-down of the spring inside, but it's in there!

I also made sure to keep the part that was stamped STERLING 9MM 34 RDS as a souvenir. <!-- s:) --><!-- s:) -->

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Cutting along the edge to make a thinner piece to bend back:

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BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN BENDING/FOLDING THE METAL OUT. THE SEAM OF THE MAGAZINE WILL TRY TO OPEN UP, AS MINE DID HERE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO CATCH IT IN TIME AND CORRECT IT

IF I HAD IT TO DO AGAIN, I WOULD CLAMP A STRIP OF STEEL BAR ON EITHER SIDE TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING:

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I then cut the bent "Wings" off shorter and used the Dremel grinder to grind them down to a perfect lip to fit the sliding cap.

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My T-Tracks from SABERFREAK (RPF) came in today from Malaysia.

They are stiff, but bendable plastic. They'll need trimming and heating to bend and fit into the holes, but are now being considered more accurate than rubber for the E-11 grips.

Their origins are as inexpensive drawer guides. They were cut and stuck into the vent holes on the original props, and on the MG-34s, they had wire wrapped around them to keep them in place.

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Last night I bent, cut and fitted the T-Track grips on the Sterling.

I started by carefully heating the tracks waving a lighter beneath them and rolling the track in constant motion so as not to warp or burn it:

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This is the angle that seemed to work best for staying in the holes, and allowing the track to lay FLAT against the barrel.

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Once bent, a snipped an angled piece off the ends with wire cutters and used a razor knife and sandpaper to shave off and round the edges of the tracks for a better, snug fit down into the holes.

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With one end correctly dropped in, I marked the bend point for the other end. I determined that midpoint of the end hole was about where it needed to be.

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Here are the results:

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Thanks guys! I am having way too much fun with this project so far!

I think the plastic T-Tracks look pretty darn accurate . . . and as close to accurate as I am going to attempt to come, where the grips are concerned.

The close up pics show how lousy the paint job currently is. I will be stripping that paint off soon and cleaning it up . . . lots of fuzz and gunk now. I'll be getting her ready for a nice new coating. I think I am going to do a smooth black satin finish, not the Parkerized Sterling finish. It just doesn't look STAR WARS to me, and doesn't appear to be canon by any stretch of the imagination.

I have decided not to glue the grips down either, there's really no need. They're trimmed to fit snug and tight between the vent holes they slip into. I will be painting them seperate from the gun and adding them back after they cure properly.

The ANH guns were rented guns, and could not be permanently modified as they had to be returned after filming wrapped, hence the glued-on hengstler counters.

I am trying to be as canon as possible with my replica, so mine will be removable as well. My hengstler will probably mount on a bracket that attaches via rivets to the middle of the scope rail, unless I figure out a better, more canon way that won't keep coming unglued.

One thing I did notice that I messed up on with the grips, is the center top rail will need to be shortened by one vent hole when I find the tank scope. That last hole will need to be used to mount the front of the scope rail.

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i still haven't settled on a permanent mount for my hengstler. right now it's held on with hot glue

it seems pretty solid though, so i may just peel the hotglue off and use something stronger.

i read somewhere, i think RPF, about someone using a double sided foam tape from an auto parts store. it's used for attaching stuff to cars, is black, and is apparently quite strong. i may look for some of that stuff too.

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I worked on stripping the MANY layers of paint over the weekend.

I started by removing the grip and trigger assembly, and then began dabbing the thick stripper on the painted areas.

Here's a picture of the stripping agent used:

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And here are some pics of the Sterling as the chemicals were working on the paint. You can see it bubbling and rippling as it melts away from the metal:

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And here are a few pics of it after the stripper has been wiped away with a paper towel:

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Thanks John! <!-- s:D --><!-- s:D -->

I'm really pleased with the results so far. There are small areas that will require some steel wool and minor scraping, but for the most part it is clean and ready for filing and smoothing out the lumps in the re-welded metal.

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it's all naked!

oh, so i tried the double sided tape thing on my hengstler, and it seems pretty solid. this is the stuff i used:

http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/off ... utput_html

"Scotch® Exterior Mounting Tape 4011, 1 in x 60 in"

i cut it down to 1/2" and it's holding strong. it's rated for 5 pounds, so the hengstler should be no trouble at all

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Thanks for the link to the mounting tape. I'm not sure if I will use it or not, but it's nice to have the information.

I will have to cross the Hengstler mounting bridge when I come to it.

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Thanks for dropping by Harry.

I'm having a blast so far. I really need to locate an authentic M19 scope for it though. I can't really mount the scope rail without it, and don't really want to go with resin when everything else is authentic.

Anyone got a line on one, or know someone or a website who/that might?

Thanks!

It's Friday...we all gotta dance!

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This is very cool i have a deac sterling i bought some time back to take some moulds off for resin castings im liking the look of this though and think i might strip mine down for a display piece.

I picked up an M38 scope off a guy on the blaster builders club ages ago you might try there for one.

Weren't M19's used on the ROTJ style E11's ?

Anyone know where i can get hold of a mag for a sterling preferebly already cut down or i understand they were made in 15 shell versions aswell as 34 would that be the correct size mine came minus the mag

I'll be watching this thread closely very cool

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As far as i know its M38's in ANH M40's are identical aside from the optics differ.

Thanks for the lead on the mag man

P.S if anyone wants info on a source for deac sterlings in the UK let me know i'll pass the info they are in factory condition the triggers disabled and the inner barrel is filled fully certified i think the guy does ship overseas theres info on his site about that

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