SSV Frankengun Project

guzzitaco

guzzitaco

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Hi guys,

This is the first project that I post. I have done a couple others, but this is the first one where I wanted to do all the work. My skills are basic and compared to others in this forum I'm a novice, so please be patient. I will try to highlight the many mistakes I made in my process, so others can learn from them (without having to go through them).

I would like start by thanking all the forum members that helped me with all my questions, in special Bill (BMCM) who has answered many question and provided with invaluable insight.

I've been always intrigued by the SSV (short slide variants). Having a M6906 and a M5906 TSW, I wanted something that was in the middle and with a steel frame. Something like a 5967 but more affordable and that would feel ok to shoot a lot and carry around. Now that I have been at home for 40+ days (my business is closed) I have time to finish the project...

There are several threads of SSV frankenguns in this forum, but the project that I used an inspiration was this:
The 4566TSWSSV project

So, I started to look for a frame and found one in the big auction site. After shipping and transfer the total was $152. This was in Sep 2019. Here are some pics of the frame I got:










more to come...
 
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Frame mods

Frame mods:
I suspect the frame was a police trade-in. It had a lot of dings and scratches all over. The first thing I did was to carefully start addressing the major dings, to prepare the project for the bead blasting

I also did some small mods to the frame. I shortened and recounted the beavertail to resemble the one of my M6906. I did this because it fits my hand better and since I would be using a bobbed hammer it made sense. I carefully removed material using files and took my time. I am sorry I didn't document this better with pics, but I had an issue with my phone and all my backup was lost.




(pic with the slide of my M6906)

I also melted some sharp edges around the trigger guard area and did some discrete beveling to the front of the dust frame.


I tried to square the frame by carefully sanding the sides using the flat surface of a granite block, here I made a HUGE mistake. By obsessing with having a perfectly squared frame, I removed to much material and started to erase the serial number…. luckily I caught it on time and the damage was minimal.


(pay attention to the lower part of the C, R, 0 and 2)

more to come...
 
Slide and parts kit

Parts kit:

I got the slide and parts from a store that "sells every gun part" online. They run a balck Friday special, so I got for $140 including shipping.



The slide was in ok condition, but very dirty. The whole kit was filthy…











The plan was to "re-blue" the slide using a rust bluing method, like mark express bluing #2…that changed later…



I gave all the parts a good "bath" in the ultrasonic cleaner. After that I took everything apart, oil it, and assemble the whole pistol to check for functionality.



more to come...
 
plastic guide rod

The guide rod that came with the kit was plastic, and was in poor condition.



I started a thread asking for help to find it: Looking for a 6906 guide rod

Many members of you helped with ideas and options. Jsbethel located a supplier on ebay that had some M5906 guide rods at a good price. it was longer, so it needed to be cut and refinished.



BMCM explained how to properly cut it.



I marked it with a sharpie and cut it with a dremel about 1/8" longer. Then I finished the bevel using a drill press and a file to give the bevel to the point. Polished with 800 and 1000 sandpaper.



moe to come...
 
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I wish I had the skills to do what some of you all can do. Im just happy I can follow directions and aseemble functioning frankenguns. Would be nice to take my 2nd/3rd gen SSV franken a little further.
 
Rear sight

Rear Sight

For the rear sight, I found a compact LPA on EBay (model LPA TPU91SW30). I think it is the same model that some Shorty40's used to come with. I paid $20 for it including shipping. Listed as brand new, no packaging though.



I like sights that are black on the back (no 3 dot system for me), so I erased the dots using paint remover (I used citristrip, took 2 minutes).



The LPA sight have lot of extra material, so fitting takes time. I used a small file and some stones to remove the material.

During the installation, I made two mistakes.

First, I got home from work late, the package had arrived, so I was eager to install them, but I was tired and I had a couple of beers during dinner. Not in the best mental condition to do the work.

Second, probably a consequence of the first mistake, but despite the fact of using a brass punch, I manage to ding the rear sight. The next day after I was rested and in a better mood, I fixed the ding by filing it and retouch it with some cold blue. It is almost perfect…











I must learn to take my time.

More to come…
 
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Excellent work guzzitaco! Looks like this project is coming along beautifully.

I read somewhere that Japanese swordsmiths would bathe and put on fresh clothing in order to put themselves into the correct state of mind before working on a sword. I keep this general idea in mind before starting on any project, being sure that I am not fatigued, stressed out, or overly-caffeinated. I try not to rush anything, spread the work out over a few sessions, and of course try not to get frustrated when things go awry.

I still have a set of Trijicons on a 3913TSW that constantly remind me to take things easy. The rear sight is so dented from a hasty installation that I will likely just buy a new set when they die rather than sending them in for re-lamping. Too embarrassed to let anyone see them. :o
 
guzzitaco said:
For the rear sight, I found a compact LPA on EBay (model LPA TPUSW30).
The LPA sight have lot of extra material, so fitting takes time.
Click to expand...

The LPUs do require a lot of work to fit them.

The first time you fit one you start second guessing things after working on them a while.

The full LPA model# for yours is TPU91SW30, if anyone goes looking for one.

The last two digits are for the different blade types.

Keep us updated. :)

.

xlarge.jpg


.
 
Shaving the controls

Levers and controls

After the coronavirus quarantine started, I had a bit more time to spend in the project…

I wanted to reduce the profile of the ambi safe and of the slide stop.

So, I "shaved" one step of the right-hand side safety lever and one step of the slide stop. I did this using hand files (mainly one flat file). By shaving one step, all the controls on each side are about the same height, and slim the profile a bit (enough for my taste).



I took my time and there were no major complications. The hardest thing was to keep everything squared, so I took little material with every pass. It was time consuming. After the filing was done, I cleaned the marks using sad paper over a granite block… also, I spent some time dehorning the sharp edges after the filing was done !!!






For the magazine catch nut, I decided to go with the oversized one used for the 745. It works for me.

I coated all the controls with Brownells aluma-hyde and I baked them at 350 degrees for one hour (the smell is nasty). I've found that when I baked them I get better adhesion. I used aluma-hyde, because I have some left, it is easy to apply and easy to retouch.

more to come...
 
"Extractorgate"

Removing the extractor

I guess in every project you hit a bump in the road. This was it for me…

The removal of the extractor in the S&W 3rd gens is not an easy task. There are many threads about the subject in this forum.

Fastbolt and BMCM have written extensively about the subject. Here a couple of threads that you may want to check out:

CS9 extractor removal?

Unnecessarily pulling extractor - Just dont, this is why

I think I got in trouble because I didn't do enough research and that lead me to tackle the task in the wrong way. I watch a video on YouTube that show the extractor being driven out from the bottom to the top…this is WRONG…extractor should be driven out from top to bottom…I had removed the extractor from my M5906 TSW before, in the wrong way and it was an easy task. So, I guess I was over confident and under prepared. :(

I should have "loosen" the pin with penetrating oil (Kroil orPB Blaster) for a day or two before starting the job. I also used a pin that was too big (5/64) instead of having use a starter punch of 1/16. Consequently, I damaged to top of the pin deforming it (mushroom shape). I also dinged the slide badly around the extractor pin area.

After I realized I was deep in trouble I emailed BMCM and sent him the slide. I wanted to do all the work in this project, but it was time to stop being stubborn or get ready to buy another slide.

This is what I sent him...





He made a thread about the incident:
You should check it out…(if you haven't already...)

Another extractor removal gone bad

Here are a couple of pics of the slide he sent me back...





Yes, Bill is excellent at what he does...he is also fast (and a true gentleman).


Some of the things I learned:

First: don't mess with the extractor if you don't need to.

Second: if you MUST mess with the extractor, think about sending it to a qualified gunsmith or armorer.

Third: if you insist in doing yourself (because you want to learn or are a bit dysfunctional like me), soak the extractor pin in penetrating oil, buy a starter punch of 1/16, use the proper support for the slide. Make sure that you are in a "good state of mind" to start the task (like the Japanese sword-smith). Do your research before starting.

Be prepared to swallow your frustration if things go wrong...


So, far the extractor removal was the hardest thing in this build. I got stuck for 2 weeks.

I had an old M910 slide that I bought to harvest the one side safety for my M6906. I soaked the pin in oil for 3 days, I used my starter punch, and...everything work as it should...

I ended using the pin for the M910 in this build since I couldn't find a blue one...(Brownells and Midway sent me a stainless one 3 times...)

more to come...
 
That looks great. I have always wanted a SSV, frankengun or other.

What seller had the 5906 frames?
 
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frame seller info...

Craig19 said:
That looks great. I have always wanted a SSV, frankengun or other.

What seller had the 5906 frames?
Click to expand...

Hi,
seller was Weaponspro in Salem, Indiana. I don't know if they have others in stock... ([email protected])

Maybe, it would be better to buy a whole 5906 and sell the parts you don't need/want on eBay... I have seen some for $329

:)

PS: more to come...
 
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guzzitaco said:
Hi,
seller was Weaponspro in Salem, Indiana. I don't know if they have others in stock... ([email protected])

Maybe, it would be better to buy a whole 5906 and sell the parts you don't need/want on eBay... I have seen some for $329

:)

PS: more to come...
Click to expand...
Sounds familiar for where I got my frame. I believe there were 5 or 6 listings at the time when I won mine
 
Beadblasting I

Preparation for Beadblasting:

The next step in the project was to blast the frame and slide. I did a lot of research and corresponded with forum members asking questions.

The best thread I found on the subject was:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...testing-5906-frame.html?417421=#post138383923

So, I ordered the econo-blend #4 for McMaster-Carr. It isn't cheap stuff. For 10lbs + shipping and tax it was $44.

I have a good compressor (Makita 3hp), so the next step was to buy a blasting gun. I ended buying a 20oz gravity feed blasting gun (HF). Since my initial intention was to blast out in the open (I do not have a blasting cabinet), the bulkiness of the blasting gun wasn't an issue.

However, after I thought about the cost of the blasting media, I wasn't happy to waste it. I thought about buying a blasting cabinet, but in the middle of the lockdown with my business closed, I felt guilty of spending the money in something that I don't know how many times I am going to use.

So, I decided to build a 'temporary' (rudimentary) blasting cabinet. I watched some videos and I ended getting a plastic container at Walmart for $15. I made some mods with some scrap material I had at home and I was ready to go.










I prepared the frame for blasting. All the major dings were addressed (to the best of my abilities).











more to come...
 
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guzzitaco said:
Hi,
seller was Weaponspro in Salem, Indiana. I don't know if they have others in stock... ([email protected])

Maybe, it would be better to buy a whole 5906 and sell the parts you don't need/want on eBay... I have seen some for $329

:)

PS: more to come...
Click to expand...


Yeah, it would have to be a reasonably priced frame. A few years ago a someone was selling 5906 frames for $250. I can almost buy the whole gun for that. In fact, my PD trade in 5906 was $300 even.
 
Beadblasting part deux

Blasting the frame:

So, I blasted the frame at 70 PSI. After I took it out of the blaster, gave it a bath and dried it, I realized that there were some minor spots that required re-touching. So, I re-filed and re-sanded to get ready for a second blasting session.

Some pics before 2nd blast...













Safety note: My improvised blasting cabinet has some small "leaks". It isn't too much, I lose around 1oz by blasting session, but the media gets inside my respiratory track. The feeling inside the throat isn't nice (nor good for your health). For the next blasting sessions, I always wore a respirator and eye protection. I strongly suggest you do the same.

After the 2nd blasting, this is what the frame looked like:











more to come...
 
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Beadblasting part drei

Preparing to blast the slide

Before blasting the slide, I addressed all the dings that I made trying to remove the extractor.





I removed the old finish using "krud kutter rust remover" (and Navy Jelly from Rustoleum, which I don't really like, but I spilled the krud cutter and needed to finish the job)



I also "squared" the slide by using sandpaper over a granite block. I was very careful in not damaging the roll marks this time.



Before the beadblasting, the slide look like this:













Beadblasting the slide: I blasted the slide using the same rudimentary cabinet and Econo-Blend #4 at 70 PSI.

When I was done, this is what it looked like:











Now, we are getting somewhere...



next...hot bluing at home...
 
That looks great. You would never know the slide was originally blued.
 
Craig19 said:
That looks great. You would never know the slide was originally blued.
Click to expand...

yes, came out great...however, the carbon steel of the 6904/3914 slide, rust very fast...

as soon as I finished blasting it, I took it for a "bath" and then dried with the air compressor. I must have left some wet spots inside, because when I took it inside the house I had some corrosion spots inside...:eek:

I had to do some retouching...clean and dry properly...

but , I was happy with the result...:cool:
 
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But you know we all are learning along with you, (well at least I am anyway,) and it's great entertainment following.

It's pretty cool that you're just going full throttle on this. I kinda feel for you though in some of the things that have happened. Fortunately I researched, (before this forum existed,) prior to doing some of the things you have done so successfully in the end. ;)

The REALLY amazing thing is you are documenting/posting EVERYTHING and I thank you for that. Ups and downs. I sure wish I had taken before and after pics of my endeavors. That's true my with cars and firearms.

Jim
 
thank you

4T5GUY said:
But you know we all are learning along with you, (well at least I am anyway,) and it's great entertainment following.

It's pretty cool that you're just going full throttle on this. I kinda feel for you though in some of the things that have happened. Fortunately I researched, (before this forum existed,) prior to doing some of the things you have done so successfully in the end. ;)

The REALLY amazing thing is you are documenting/posting EVERYTHING and I thank you for that. Ups and downs. I sure wish I had taken before and after pics of my endeavors. That's true my with cars and firearms.

Jim
Click to expand...

Thank you Jim,

I did this project with the help of two of my kids trying to teach them that you can research and fix or build things, rather than the "buy a new one" mentality that isn't always right.

I have learnt a great deal from the people in this forum. Some threads are just amazing, like reading a manual. Many members have gone the extra mile in providing me with advice, some of them even complimentary parts !!! I am thankful for this.

The hardest part has always been "understanding my limitations and not confusing abilities with expectations"...but as a friend here in the forum says: "you learn by doing..."

more to come...:)
 
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Hot bluing is hot

Research and preparation for Hot Bluing at home

Initially I was going to re-finish the slide by using rust bluing. However, after all the effort that was done with fixing the slide, the extractor and everything, I kind of wanted something better. I have done rust bluing in the past, and maybe there is something that I do wrong, but I always get a "smoky" color that has hints of brown. I didn't want a brown slide.

I started doing research about hot bluing and found some interesting videos at Youtube.

Also, I found a lot of forums and websites that had a lot of info and formulas for HOT CAUSTIC BLUING. I even found online the gunsmithing book of Roy F. Dulnap that details formula and procedure.

In my 20's I worked in an oil field, so I was trained in properly handling some chemicals. If you are not trained or used to on how to handle chemicals, perhaps you shouldn't attempt to do this by yourself.

SAFETY NOTE: HOT CUASTING BLUING IS DANGEROUS STUFF. THE "BATH" BOILS AT 280 TO 295 DEGREES AND THE CAUSTIC SOLUTION CAN BURN YOUR FACE, SKIN, EYES. VAPORS SHOULDN'T BE INHALED.

I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT WHEN DOING THIS: CHEMICAL GLOVES, RESPIRATOR, FACE MASK, LONG SLEVES, CLOSED SHOES, LONG PANTS AND APPRON IS THE MINIMAL PROTECTION GEAR THAT YOU SHOULD WEAR. If YOU DECIDE TO DOTHIS, YOU DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I adapted the formula to the size of stainless-steel pot that I have in the garage. I wanted to do a small batch just for the slide. I bought the materials at the Walmart and the hardware store. Total cost was $16.

Slide preparation:
The slide was already blasted and free of rust, but following the recommendation of a forum member I deiced to polish the "flats" of the slide, to get a better look. I sanded over a granite block, with 400, 600 and 800 paper. I didn't want a super polished look, so I left it there. The slide isn't totally "squared" but again, I was concerned of erasing the roll marks by over sanding. There were some tiny spots that were not 100% perfect, but I didn't want to risk it further. I polished the front of the barrel bushing same as the flats. I also prepared the trigger and the hammer to be blued. I had already stoned the circumference of the hammer, carefully without touching any of the cuts. There is a great thread about this:

4506 gets a few more "adjustments"

After handling the slide, I cleaned it again by using simple green and warm water. The dried if completely and the degreased it with acetone. Same with hammer and trigger.

Hot bluing first try
I decided to do all the process out in the open using the side burner of an old bbq grill. That wy the fumes would be less of an issue. It was a Friday afternoon.

I set the bath and started to raise the temp. When it reached 280 degrees, I decided to put the parts in. I left the parts in for 20 minutes. I was concerned of "over cooking" them. Also, I didn't pay proper attention and didn't get the temperature constant at 285 to 295 degrees. This was a mistake. (some people decided to come and visit in the middle of the quarantine, I am working with a hot chemical bath and I'm being interrupted.)



After it was done. I rinsed the parts in water, dried them well and coated them with WD-40.












The slide looked great, but the more I looked at it under "artificial light" the more I realized the color was off...way off...it wasn't black...it was purple-brown :eek: I wasn't happy with the color...

I didn't like it like that and I was determined to fix it somehow...but first I needed to find out what went wrong...:(

more to come...
 
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