Machining Glock slide from scratch

[SPOOK331945]

Added in the barrel/ejection port today. I don't have a broaching head for the mill, but got the next best thing, wire edm. Starting to look like something.

 

[Backpacker]

Looking good. Thanks for sharing.

 

[KokomoDave]

Wire EDM is the cat's a$$. I wondered how you were going to broach it.

 

[SPOOK331945]

It Makes things easy. Really would like to get one of the Bridgeport E heads one day though. Only other feature that's going to be tricky is the firing pin hole. I'd be curious how they going about doing those in a mass production manor. If it was a circular hole like every then else itd be a piece of cake. I'm thinking I'm going to use the Sinker, but as many as they produce I dont see that being a suitable option just because time alone

 

[KokomoDave]

Why fight it? Drill it round and modify the striker!

Speaking of broaches, you should see the huge broaching machines Chrysler has across the street from where I work! They make their own gears and such and they are behemoths!! I had classes over there when going thru apprenticeship and we were tasked working with Cardinal to move them huge suckers. Wow!!

 

[SPOOK331945]

I've thought about that but I want to be able to use factory parts. Trying to keep it from being proprietary.

 

[SPOOK331945]

Got a little more done today. Little angles here and there. Ejection port is done except for one hole. Made pretty quick work with the Sine jaws I made.

 

[Backpacker]

Nice work

 

[SPOOK331945]

Been playing on solidworks with some design ideas on the slide. What do you all think?

 

[2Lucky]

The old Master Tool Makers showed me the difference when you cut thin part with just carbide alone vs. roughing with carbide then taking a skim pass with HSS to relieve the stress in the material. You wont get the warp after heat treat like you would with just carbide cutters. Its a make or break sometime when that part has to be flat and parallel within a .0001".

Kind of hard to hold .0001" flat and parallel when milling.

 

[SPOOK331945]

The old Master Tool Makers showed me the difference when you cut thin part with just carbide alone vs. roughing with carbide then taking a skim pass with HSS to relieve the stress in the material. You wont get the warp after heat treat like you would with just carbide cutters. Its a make or break sometime when that part has to be flat and parallel within a .0001".

Kind of hard to hold .0001" flat and parallel when milling.

That's why I said "after" heat treat. Assuming grind stock is left, to grind within .0001" flat and parallel as a finish operation. Milling is nothing but a roughing operation. One that imparts stresses into the material you're working with, that shows more after heat treat.

 

[gregkl]

Been playing on solidworks with some design ideas on the slide. What do you all think?

This is the part where aesthetics and personal expressions of artistry come in. If you were making one for me, I'd want some shaping but I am a minimalist so less is better.

What you have here is pretty cool.

 

[SPOOK331945]

This is the part where aesthetics and personal expressions of artistry come in. If you were making one for me, I'd want some shaping but I am a minimalist so less is better.

What you have here is pretty cool.

Thank you. The Possibilities are endless. But I'm limited to what I have machine wise. Pretty much on a manual mill for the most part. Keeping it faily simple and quick machining for this one. Thought about dressing radius on the grinder, for other features but I'm being kind of lazy. More of an experiment than anything haha.

I was looking at lonewolfs stuff today. They have some very impressive designs. I'm sure they're running multi axis machines tho.

Hopefully one day I'll have my own fancy equipment to play with

 

[SPOOK331945]

Did a few more features this weekend..

 

[Backpacker]

I admire your skills. Keep up the good work.

 

[SPOOK331945]

I admire your skills. Keep up the good work.

Thank you!

I'll try my best

First glock slide I've attemped, been some learning curves here and there.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Looks pretty good from here so far..
Keep up the good work..

Are you making this in 9mm or 40 S&W??
Hey another guy from my Home Town..

 

[SPOOK331945]

Looks pretty good from here so far..
Keep up the good work..

Are you making this in 9mm or 40 S&W??
Hey another guy from my Home Town..

This one is going to be a .45 acp 21 slide.

Nice to see another local for once hahaha

 

[KokomoDave]

Did you figure out the striker hole?

 

[SPOOK331945]

Did you figure out the striker hole?

Kinda...

Thinking with what I have access to I'm going to try and sink it.

issue is make the electrode. Everything would have to be running concentric. Meaning the square needs to be dead center of the electrode. With a round shank I could center find the hole. But the orientation has to be correct too.

Going to be one of those deals where I make the electrode in the holder and never take it out until the process is done.

Here's a rough idea on the electrode. This is definitely subject to change as the build moves along lol