My first Can... That turned into a mission...

[dave.223]

Hey guys, I guess Im still a newbie here... but Ive been lurking around.. The last time I posted was a couple years ago I believe, of a video that I did on some potentially ideal stepped baffles for a homemade can (cant find the post). Well it started there and turned into a mission with several of my buddies to actually build a decent can from pre-machined parts. By that I mean we wanted to use something like a maglite for the tube since its machined and holds tolerances, but all of us disagreed on the pressed freeze plug baffles after seeing another friends freeze plug suppressor, because it was heavy and did not hold tolerances in the baffle stack.. So, several years later and several several hundreds of failed dollars later, we finally got what we wanted. Over the time period it took us to get it together, I was able to put together a video DIY build tutorial for anyone else who wants to do it. (Im gonna admit it upfront, the build video did not turn out not how I expected, but in the end its not about the attractiveness of the video but about the end result of the suppressor.)

part1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO-BpP3GOAY
part2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkohG_Wkd9w
part3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3DoEhCqcR8

Let me know what you all think

[ECCO Machine]

Welcome.

I think not many here are going to watch an hour and a half worth of footage about drilling for set screws and parting off spacers with tubing cutters. I can't even keep many folks' attention for 25 minutes going over completely scratch built one-of-a-kind semi automatic firearms.

Also, unless your location is outside the USA, NOT the Ellensburg in Washington state:

turned into a mission with several of my buddies to actually build a decent can ........... Over the time period it took us to get it together

all of your buddies need to be trustees on a trust that holds the form 1 for this can or they cannot legally be involved in the manufacture of it.

[alordnapa]

I won't go into why everything you showed in your video constitute dozens of felonies in Americistan. I will assume that you live in a place where you can do such things, and I am sure a lot of people will be happy to take a crap on you. You are an adult, and hopefully, know what you are doing. That being said, of your many improvisations, I liked your baffles the best. Your use of improvised tube and cap materials gets worthy mention. I think you could have done better than cross drilling your tube caps, but I understand your thinking. That's a pretty good improvised can.

[doubloon]

Yep, what that guy (alordnapa) said, making the assumption you have all the proper forms, yada yada.

Your post count is 1 and you probably can't find your other posts because the site went through a transition a while back to be google friendly and some sub-forums were hidden or deleted and your earlier posts may have been in one of those.

If you don't mind, what was your all-in on parts?

[dave.223]

Welcome.

I think not many here are going to watch an hour and a half worth of footage about drilling for set screws and parting off spacers with tubing cutters. I can't even keep many folks' attention for 25 minutes going over completely scratch built one-of-a-kind semi automatic firearms.

Also, unless your location is outside the USA, NOT the Ellensburg in Washington state:

turned into a mission with several of my buddies to actually build a decent can ........... Over the time period it took us to get it together

all of your buddies need to be trustees on a trust that holds the form 1 for this can or they cannot legally be involved in the manufacture of it.

Yeah I know its really long, and that was not my intention, but those little details were critical so I had to put the time into explaining it all. It is by absolutely no means a pressed freeze plug solvent trap slap together kit!! Theres alot of work that gets put into making it. But in the end you get a machined suppressor without doing any of the critical machining.
Yeah we got ourselves covered on the legal side.

[dave.223]

I won't go into why everything you showed in your video constitute dozens of felonies in Americistan. I will assume that you live in a place where you can do such things, and I am sure a lot of people will be happy to take a crap on you.

LOl this is a suppressors forum, not Hillarys Clintons FB page, and the first responses are on the "was it legally done?" lol. THIS (the video and everything involved) is my political campaign to spread awareness and support for the HPA!

I think you could have done better than cross drilling your tube caps, but I understand your thinking. That's a pretty good improvised can.

What do you suggest could have been done better?

[a_canadian]

Legalities aside (because frankly it gets really boring reading the same tired warnings posted in so many threads about home builds - the warnings are there for everyone to find in hundreds of posts here!), the problems I see are these:

- A handful of absolutely basic machining steps which any home hobbyist of even rather modest ability should be able to do without a tutorial, being explained at incredible length in the videos. I had to start skipping through after two minutes as the pace was putting me to sleep. Still, I understand that there are probably people out there who are so unskilled in basic drill and saw stuff that step by step, very slow and easy presentation is helpful... so for those folks (who the education system apparently robbed) your kind of video is no doubt useful.

- The baffles are much too thick for .22lr, seriously. The volume of air remaining is very significantly smaller than it should be for rimfire. 1/3 the material thickness in simple cones would deliver superior suppression, provided you did simple clips at the entry points. And the spacers are likewise too thick. If you're using this for heavier stuff, sure, I guess, leave it thick... but I doubt these baffles are of high enough quality material to withstand long term use of .223" or .17HMR, so I'd suggest making dedicated baffle types for each, deriving the most efficient suppression you can manage. Some of those 'storage cup' cones on eBay or wherever are going to be more appropriate for .22lr.

- Stepped baffles aren't great for rimfire. K baffles are. Especially well designed and well executed K baffles. For what's basically a make-do sort of can, these cheap stepped things will provide something at least a little bit satisfying, but for real suppression you want K baffles. And you can make them on any old cheap lathe with a little bit of skill, a few hours spent shaving some 6061 to get the hang of the thing, then going to 7075 for the real thing which will come as a huge relief when you find it cuts like butter compared to 6061. A tiny lathe picked up at an auction or whatever just seems essential to me. Buying crappy parts just because they'll sort of work, well that's just not very satisfying.

[dave.223]

A handful of absolutely basic machining steps which any home hobbyist of even rather modest ability should be able to do without a tutorial, being explained at incredible length in the videos....

Of course, I agree, for a good portion of the members here they could figure out how to do it just by looking at the parts, and no video needed, and I agree its probably even overkill for most first time suppressor builders lol. But Im also learning how to do youtube videos.

The baffles are much too thick for .22lr, seriously. The volume of air remaining is very significantly smaller than it should be for rimfire. 1/3 the material thickness in simple cones would deliver superior suppression.....

Yeah the baffles are too thick.... Im already working on figuring something with those 'storage cups' steel baffles....

do you think the set screw in the cap is unnecessary? Because I couldnt figure out any other way to keep the cap from unscrewing at the barrel... and it seems like the heat and carbon really locks the cap onto to barrel every time...

[T-Rex]

do you think the set screw in the cap is unnecessary? Because I couldnt figure out any other way to keep the cap from unscrewing at the barrel... and it seems like the heat and carbon really locks the cap onto to barrel every time...

Yes, not necessary.
Rockset or Blue loctite would be more appropriate (on rear cap threads)
As for the muzzle threads, use some teflon pipe tape (a wrap or two). It will keep the can from loosening, unnecessarily, and allow it to come off when ready.

[a_canadian]

JB Weld steel-filled epoxy on the rear cap threads for a permanent bond, as there's no reason you'd ever need to unscrew that. White lithium grease on the muzzle threads and front cap threads, allowing decent tightening without metal galling and easy disassembly. Some lithium on the first couple or few baffle faces will also make cleaning easier, while helping with slightly better suppression.

[alordnapa]

I assume from your build, that you don't have access to a lathe, and most of the changes I would suggest would require one, or some very creative machining; the type of creativity that a machinist would have...and a machinist can always find a lathe. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. Damn. I like the idea of using JB Weld in a thin coat on the tube threads to tighten up the tube-to-cap tolerances, but you would need to find a decent release agent. Alumaweld ( Aluminum solder/brazing rods) might also work. Since this falls into the category of an improvised design,its probably good enough, and just locktite would serve well for the barrel end. It might, maybe, be possible to thin down the insides of your baffles with a step drill or grinding cone to get a bit more volume between stages. If you can sandwich an o-ring onto the cap, it might help a bit too, and it would be a cheap experiment. You would probably have to replace it any time you pulled the cap. Of course a muzzle wipe would make this design massively more effective, with attendant consequences. "Perfect" is the enemy of adequate, and it seems to me your design works well enough. Enough to pay a 200 tax stamp for? Probably not, but I am going to assume that you are aware of that if you are an American. ( Nice to hear my fellow Americans giving you the benefit of the doubt instead of playing internet gun lawyer...I love you guys, but not in a gay way...) Keep up the good work, and don't do anything stupid. Pretty darn good work, all thngs considered!

[Sigproshooter]

I like your spirit, nice job and thanks for the effort you put into this entire enterprise.

[Historian]

I like your spirit, nice job and thanks for the effort you put into this entire enterprise.

Given the new Communist... oops, Progressive rants against law-and-order,
support for Sanctuary cities, elimination of ICE, Border Patrol, even possibly the
ASPCA, this post is a pleasant reminder of the past fun smithing posts of yesteryear,
Kimosabe (Lone Ranger).

Could the looney left include support for Suppressor-Sanctuary Cities?

Thanks for livening up this smithing section sharing with your opus.

[Sigproshooter]

It's simply my past fondness for the "good old days" on this site that I still log on. This place used to be a blast.

[Sigproshooter]

I like your spirit, nice job and thanks for the effort you put into this entire enterprise.

Given the new Communist... oops, Progressive rants against law-and-order,
support for Sanctuary cities, elimination of ICE, Border Patrol, even possibly the
ASPCA, this post is a pleasant reminder of the past fun smithing posts of yesteryear,
Kimosabe (Lone Ranger).

Could the looney left include support for Suppressor-Sanctuary Cities?

Thanks for livening up this smithing section sharing with your opus.

Yes sir, the winds are building. Too early yet to see the storm, but we all feel it coming in our bones methinks.

[dave.223]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I know the can could use some fixin and mods to make it better, but Im not a machinist and its the best I could do with makeshift parts...for now, next can build coming soon...

Regarding the set screw, thinking back to when I was doing my research, many commercial .22 cans are sealed non user serviceable, so makes sense to just loctite it

[dave.223]

............ It might, maybe, be possible to thin down the insides of your baffles with a step drill or grinding cone to get a bit more volume between stages.......

Been thinking about it.. how thin do you think I could grind the baffle walls?