ReluctantDecoy
NES Member
Have some down time with the holiday and since I wrapped up the family stuff early, I thought I'd have some "me" time. I picked up a Kahr P9 as my first pistol after getting my LTC. Great pistol so far, but one thing that killed me from the start was the magazine fit and finish. I just hate that gap at the bottom between the handle and the magazine floor plate. I also don't really like the shape of the floor plate either. Most of you are probably familiar with what I'm talking about, but for those who are not:
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_OT4ulGRbuVRc6zUbU0X5D7sj2yLChaH/view?usp=sharing
So, being a DIY sort of guy, I decided to start correcting this issue. First step was to measure. I won't bore you with that part. Second step was to design what I wanted in a computer. I used Sketchup, as it is the easiest program for 3D modeling. If you can hack your way around Photoshop, you can learn that program. Here is the rough 3D design:
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JfPxIMh7cYaVE2Z-dqOJV5D2Yckw9TwR/view?usp=sharing
Third step was to 3D print my design. Again, won't bore you with details on that step, but it took a couple tries figuring out the best print orientation. Here is the initial result:
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gAstkm3jI677ACeO4gnei-KPsHwCBdRa/view?usp=sharing
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y6Pj__ypnbC50JLYEkmli4XPZn41-WPL/view?usp=sharing
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EKGx4-oXVyguCpH-sjKL5esoVp_fAVh4/view?usp=sharing
I purposefully overbuilt the floor plate, as I wasn't sure how I was going to finish it in terms of overhang to the handle. I landed on wanting a smooth curve at the bottom on all sides. Here is a rough sanding:
20171224_200139.jpg
20171224_194650.jpg
20171224_194638.jpg
That's pretty much it for tonight. I'll send up going over it with some 1000 stone paper and most likely prime it for mold making so I can pump out 4 finish units for my 4 mags. It could technically work as-is, but 3D printing is more for just prototyping, and I would be worried about long term layer delamination if using it under real spring pressure. I'll post an update next week once I have a few molded.
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_OT4ulGRbuVRc6zUbU0X5D7sj2yLChaH/view?usp=sharing
So, being a DIY sort of guy, I decided to start correcting this issue. First step was to measure. I won't bore you with that part. Second step was to design what I wanted in a computer. I used Sketchup, as it is the easiest program for 3D modeling. If you can hack your way around Photoshop, you can learn that program. Here is the rough 3D design:
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JfPxIMh7cYaVE2Z-dqOJV5D2Yckw9TwR/view?usp=sharing
Third step was to 3D print my design. Again, won't bore you with details on that step, but it took a couple tries figuring out the best print orientation. Here is the initial result:
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gAstkm3jI677ACeO4gnei-KPsHwCBdRa/view?usp=sharing
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y6Pj__ypnbC50JLYEkmli4XPZn41-WPL/view?usp=sharing
View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EKGx4-oXVyguCpH-sjKL5esoVp_fAVh4/view?usp=sharing
I purposefully overbuilt the floor plate, as I wasn't sure how I was going to finish it in terms of overhang to the handle. I landed on wanting a smooth curve at the bottom on all sides. Here is a rough sanding:
20171224_200139.jpg
20171224_194650.jpg
20171224_194638.jpg
That's pretty much it for tonight. I'll send up going over it with some 1000 stone paper and most likely prime it for mold making so I can pump out 4 finish units for my 4 mags. It could technically work as-is, but 3D printing is more for just prototyping, and I would be worried about long term layer delamination if using it under real spring pressure. I'll post an update next week once I have a few molded.
