Either of these worth a stamp?

[z7elkhunter]

I am new to the forum and suppressors. My first store bought can is waiting on a form 3 transfer right now but I am very interested in sending in a form 1 and building a rimfire can. I have always had more satisfaction with do it myself projects. I do not have a lathe or a mill, but I do have access to a flatbed CNC router which has got me thinking about a all aluminum suppressor with washer style baffles. I have scrap sheets of anodized .063 aluminum, aluminum tubing, aluminum welding and coating capabilities. I have been playing with some baffle designs utilizing what I have available and have came up with these 2 options. Will either of these baffle designs be efficient enough to suppress a 22 or am I wasting my time? Thanks for the input.

This would be the easiest for me to do. I would be using 1 1/4"OD pipe with .125 walls.

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I'm still working out some kinks for the main tube design, but it would be a fun project.

[Bendersquint]

It could be interesting to see, especially how you maintain alignment on the second one but I personally wouldn't spend the money for a stamp for either.

If you have no lathe or mill then I would find someone that did and get their help or just buy commercial cans.

Remember, you get 1 shot to make the can, if it sounds like crap you are stuck with it or you have to pay an licensee to rebuild it.

[z7elkhunter]

Thanks for the input. It wouldn't be easy, but to keep the alignment on the second version I would route each washer with say an 1/8" center hole, fabricate a jig using 1/8" rod, slide the washers on one at a time and tack weld them in place. Then I was thinking of using my drill press and a short, fat step bit that I have to open up the washers from the rear of the stack. After a stack was completely welded together, I'd use the press to size the center hole of the first 2 washers to caliber size.

These probably wouldn't work very well, but it has been fun thinking about how to utilize the materials, skills and tools I have on hand to make something that would.

[Bendersquint]

Thanks for the input. It wouldn't be easy, but to keep the alignment on the second version I would route each washer with say an 1/8" center hole, fabricate a jig using 1/8" rod, slide the washers on one at a time and tack weld them in place. Then I was thinking of using my drill press and a short, fat step bit that I have to open up the washers from the rear of the stack. After a stack was completely welded together, I'd use the press to size the center hole of the first 2 washers to caliber size.

These probably wouldn't work very well, but it has been fun thinking about how to utilize the materials, skills and tools I have on hand to make something that would.

Those would be pretty heavy too.

Always a certain level of benefit knowing you made it yourself!

[kc0myg]

There are many threads on washer or freeze plug form 1 cans. Some have turned out better than others, and a search for them would be time well spent. I don't think I've seen a design like those, but like Bender said, they'd be pretty heavy. Probably the biggest problem with building a can without a lathe, is keeping the whole thing concentric with the bore. If the attachment is only a thousandth or so off, the resulting runout at the muzzle can lead to baffle strikes.

[z7elkhunter]

How heavy is too heavy for a 22lr can? I have seen some incredibly light commercial 22 suppressors but not really sure what would be too heavy for a 10/22. I've crunched some numbers on the weight of these designs and here is a breakdown of the aluminum for the first option....

7" - 1 1/4" OD x .125 wall tube: 4.8oz
(2) - 1" IDx.080 endcaps - .1oz per: .2oz
(7) - 1"ID x .063 x 1/2" - .144oz per: 1.0oz
(6) - .063 Baffle washer stacks -.32oz per: 1.92oz
Weld for endcaps (?) 1.0oz
Coating (?) .25oz

Total 9.17oz

The second version would weigh less, but would be much more difficult to make. If I gave myself another 3oz for mounting/endcaps/welding/coating/ect. would 12oz be way too heavy?
I also have a local smith with a lathe that wouldn't mind helping me with the threading and making sure everything was lined up correctly after I got it put together. I just wouldn't want to take up his time cutting a bunch of baffles, he's very busy.

[Bendersquint]

That tube you listed above is over twice as thick as needed.

[helomech]

Those are both pretty cool ideas. The first would be easy to do, but I don't know how well it would work; would be cool to try it. Seems like a lot of unusable space. The second would be a PITA, but if that's all you had,,,,,,,,. I agree with Bender, I wouldn't use a stamp on them (too time consuming and expensive to get), but a really neat idea to get around not having a lathe. I'm betting that with enough experimenting, patience, and time, you could make a decent can than way. But unless you live somewhere like NZ, it's not really an option for us to "experiment". Too bad really.

[57fairlane]

I'm with everyone else . . . the idea is neat but not necessarily that feasible.

I think you stand a better chance with the 2nd option but again, the alignment problem is a giant hurdle and then you plan on welding it on top of that.

[Historian]

I am new to the forum and suppressors. My first store bought can is waiting on a form 3 transfer right now but I am very interested in sending in a form 1 and building a rimfire can. I have always had more satisfaction with do it myself projects. I do not have a lathe or a mill, but I do have access to a flatbed CNC router which has got me thinking about a all aluminum suppressor with washer style baffles. I have scrap sheets of anodized .063 aluminum, aluminum tubing, aluminum welding and coating capabilities. I have been playing with some baffle designs utilizing what I have available and have came up with these 2 options. Will either of these baffle designs be efficient enough to suppress a 22 or am I wasting my time? Thanks for the input.

This would be the easiest for me to do. I would be using 1 1/4"OD pipe with .125 walls.

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I'm still working out some kinks for the main tube design, but it would be a fun project.

Most intriguing!
Lots of wave breaking up, volume delays and slow release. Not sure there is any
reason it would not work.

If my alter-ego Macgyver needed to mock up 'quickly' [ OCONUS, of course ] could he
get a set of decreasing diameter steel or aluminum washers/discs and weld/epoxy them into
into the Temple of Hanoi Puzzle* form in the picture?

Gedanken Machining is so satisfying to gentlemen scientists of the 19th century.


* << http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UniversumUNAM34.JPG >>

[Pat M]

What about using the first idea - but putting the a ( largest opening washer ) between each of the others washers

[57fairlane]

Got it . . . first idea plus adding the holes around the center bore like the 2nd baffle in the 2nd picture.

Pyramid in a pyramid . . .

[Baffled]

I like the way you think! Very clever use of 2-D parts to make a 3-D structure. But as noted, you've got a lot of unused volume in there, occupied by solids. If all I had was a waterjet or similar, there's nothing wrong with executing a 1960's vintage washer and spacer stack. Especially for .22LR, if there's adequate volume, suppression will be respectable.

I've never tried it, but I've always thought a washer/spacer design could be hugely improved with a very simple die set. Picture a thick and solid disk of steel with maybe a 3/8" hole drilled through it. You place your basic aluminum disk washer on it, pre-drilled with a 1/4" hole. Now, place a 3/8" steel ball bearing on the hole, and press with a hydraulic press or even a mallet. The idea isn't to force the ball through, but simply to give it a nice deformation into a partial cone or deep dimple.

It could have a top die as well to keep the skirt area, the circumference of the washer, nice and round. There's lots that can be done with no lathe, but the limiting factor will always be the tube and end caps... very hard to do a nice job without a lathe.

[57fairlane]

Picture a thick and solid disk of steel with maybe a 3/8" hole drilled through it. You place your basic aluminum disk washer on it, pre-drilled with a 1/4" hole. Now, place a 3/8" steel ball bearing on the hole, and press with a hydraulic press or even a mallet. The idea isn't to force the ball through, but simply to give it a nice deformation into a partial cone or deep dimple.

Maxim's were done this way . . . I believe the 2nd iteration.



They simply pressed or hit a ball bearing into the baffle to create the "scoop"

[Baffled]

That's what I was thinking, although not so complex a final shape as you have in your picture, with the spacer pressed and formed as part of the washer.

The idea lends itself to cheap and rapid construction of a large number of simple, inexpensive cans; OR, for a guy without a lathe who wants something better than washers and spacers.

Eric at Lakeside machine was going to do something similar using stamped SS sheet for the baffles. I remember pictures he had posted of the sample baffles, but I don't know if he ever went beyond a couple of prototypes. He retired his gun business, which is a shame - I loved his belt-fed miniatures.