Due warning - another long thread/build-log coming up.
So, as you may know, I have experimented with adding a fiber optic sight to my airguns in the past.
Why, one might ask? Fair question, I'd say. And though I wish I could group my shots within 5 cm at 5m - and do it pretty much instinctively - that's just not the case. I dive and hunt a few times a year and with the long breaks, I don't like to spend days each time to regain my aim.
So, I am hoping a fiber optic sight can help me a bit in that regard.
My first attempt was using an existing product made for shooting turkey with a shotgun. Please welcome the Truglo Gobble Dot Universal Dual Color (yup, nothing less does it...):
The rear sight is tiny but the front sight is kinda OK. I think the rear fibers are 1.5mm and the front is 3mm total. They also make a version where the front is a solid red. These sets can be had, I think, for about USD 16 and are some of the cheapest fiber sights you can buy.
I ripped one off on my very first outing but then superglued the second one in place and that has held up nicely. I liked the idea enough that I wanted to make my own.
I would have loved finding a slightly thicker fiber than 3mm but the place I got mine from had nothing in between 3mm and 6mm. I am going with 3mm for now, as when handling the 6mm it just seems very bulky. That said, when placed at the front of a barrel and aimed at the imaginary fish on my wall (I have a whole school!) the 6mm dot actually doesn't obscure too much of the target. So from that viewpoint, 6mm is actually not too bad.
I think the sweet spot is about 4mm. It will give a nice big dot to look at while still being small enough that the sight itself doesn't become too bulky physically. I might try to get some 4mm fibers from here or here.
But on to the build log. Basically I am imitating what Truglo did with the sights from above and embedding the fiber in a tube.
For the front, I went with a 5x3mm (OD x ID) poltruded carbon fiber tube. Going with the poltruded tube is not ideal as all the carbon is unidirectional along the length of the tube which means it can split quite easily in that direction as well. But we will see..
First I covered my carbon fiber tank in transparent packing tape. The tape will give a smooth release later on. I then used a bit of mold wax under the tank to make sure it didn't roll around and tacked the small tube for the sights directly onto the taped tank with superglue - checking the height from the table edge with calipers.
It makes sense to just do a long length of tube in one go and then cutting it up for multiple sights later on. Also, the longer length makes it easier to get it aligned properly.
Next step was to make a glue fillet on each side of the sight tube. This will give the sight a contoured base that will align easier and offer more area when glued onto the tank later on.
I would normally used thickened epoxy resin for this but wanted to experiment with some thick epoxy putty instead. This comes thickened in two parts and you massage them together. Normally the A and B parts have different colors, but this didn't so I added some black pigment. Adding it to one part first before mixing the two parts helps you see when you have mixed them sufficiently. Also, I wanted the final mix to be black.
I think the putty is a tad too thick to be ideal, but it did work out kinda OK. Next time, I will probably make my own and make it slightly less thick. The working time for this was pretty decent whereas some of them set up in a few mins, I probably had 15-20 mins with this brand.
Still, since I have not used this product before and was covered in putty and pigment, I didn't get to take pics of the gluing process.
But it's pretty easy, just make a small roll of putty and push it into the gap between the tube and tank. And then, here's the trick - soapy water is your friend! Splash a bit onto the glue and you can work it without it sticking to your fingers. Finally, find a rounded spatula of sorts with an appropriate radius and drag it along the seam to make a nice fillet. Again, add a bit of water when you do this.
The result will look something like this. Mine is a medium in the esthetics department. With a thinner putty and more care, you can make some very pretty fillets;-)
Once set, the packing tape makes it easy to lift it off.
For now, you can leave it on and use it as a guide when adding the rear sights (if you want rear sights). But I will get back to that later, as I work on the rear sights.
So, as you may know, I have experimented with adding a fiber optic sight to my airguns in the past.
Why, one might ask? Fair question, I'd say. And though I wish I could group my shots within 5 cm at 5m - and do it pretty much instinctively - that's just not the case. I dive and hunt a few times a year and with the long breaks, I don't like to spend days each time to regain my aim.
So, I am hoping a fiber optic sight can help me a bit in that regard.
My first attempt was using an existing product made for shooting turkey with a shotgun. Please welcome the Truglo Gobble Dot Universal Dual Color (yup, nothing less does it...):
The rear sight is tiny but the front sight is kinda OK. I think the rear fibers are 1.5mm and the front is 3mm total. They also make a version where the front is a solid red. These sets can be had, I think, for about USD 16 and are some of the cheapest fiber sights you can buy.
I ripped one off on my very first outing but then superglued the second one in place and that has held up nicely. I liked the idea enough that I wanted to make my own.
I would have loved finding a slightly thicker fiber than 3mm but the place I got mine from had nothing in between 3mm and 6mm. I am going with 3mm for now, as when handling the 6mm it just seems very bulky. That said, when placed at the front of a barrel and aimed at the imaginary fish on my wall (I have a whole school!) the 6mm dot actually doesn't obscure too much of the target. So from that viewpoint, 6mm is actually not too bad.
I think the sweet spot is about 4mm. It will give a nice big dot to look at while still being small enough that the sight itself doesn't become too bulky physically. I might try to get some 4mm fibers from here or here.
But on to the build log. Basically I am imitating what Truglo did with the sights from above and embedding the fiber in a tube.
For the front, I went with a 5x3mm (OD x ID) poltruded carbon fiber tube. Going with the poltruded tube is not ideal as all the carbon is unidirectional along the length of the tube which means it can split quite easily in that direction as well. But we will see..
First I covered my carbon fiber tank in transparent packing tape. The tape will give a smooth release later on. I then used a bit of mold wax under the tank to make sure it didn't roll around and tacked the small tube for the sights directly onto the taped tank with superglue - checking the height from the table edge with calipers.
It makes sense to just do a long length of tube in one go and then cutting it up for multiple sights later on. Also, the longer length makes it easier to get it aligned properly.
Next step was to make a glue fillet on each side of the sight tube. This will give the sight a contoured base that will align easier and offer more area when glued onto the tank later on.
I would normally used thickened epoxy resin for this but wanted to experiment with some thick epoxy putty instead. This comes thickened in two parts and you massage them together. Normally the A and B parts have different colors, but this didn't so I added some black pigment. Adding it to one part first before mixing the two parts helps you see when you have mixed them sufficiently. Also, I wanted the final mix to be black.
I think the putty is a tad too thick to be ideal, but it did work out kinda OK. Next time, I will probably make my own and make it slightly less thick. The working time for this was pretty decent whereas some of them set up in a few mins, I probably had 15-20 mins with this brand.
Still, since I have not used this product before and was covered in putty and pigment, I didn't get to take pics of the gluing process.
But it's pretty easy, just make a small roll of putty and push it into the gap between the tube and tank. And then, here's the trick - soapy water is your friend! Splash a bit onto the glue and you can work it without it sticking to your fingers. Finally, find a rounded spatula of sorts with an appropriate radius and drag it along the seam to make a nice fillet. Again, add a bit of water when you do this.
The result will look something like this. Mine is a medium in the esthetics department. With a thinner putty and more care, you can make some very pretty fillets;-)
Once set, the packing tape makes it easy to lift it off.
For now, you can leave it on and use it as a guide when adding the rear sights (if you want rear sights). But I will get back to that later, as I work on the rear sights.
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