School me on endplate manufacturing?

[Diamondback]

In light of my inability to find certain endplates I have an interest in off-the-shelf available here in the US, I'm toying with the idea of trying to have some custom made. I know from CQD's website that the basic structure is a 1/8" plate of 1018 steel or better, but my question goes to process. Is it just a simple stamping, a die-cut, or something else?

I'm pretty sure it's outside anything I can do at home, but I'm hoping to get some ideas of what to look for while trying to find a shop that'll make a handful without breaking the bank--or someplace I can put in touch with a shop in Canada that does clones of Canada-specific parts to arrange some kind of three-way deal where I get a half-dozen straight off the shop floor and they get the rest of the run without trying to get across the border twice. (It's just stupid that a flat steel plate smaller than your hand can't come south legally, but we don't get to make the rules.)

[hk_shootr]

The basic end plate is made on a punch/press/die machine.

The fancier, QD end plates are machined

[GH41]

The basic end plate is made on a punch/press/die machine.

The fancier, QD end plates are machined

The cost of fabbing the dies would be excessive for making a small run of parts. He needs to find someone stateside with one of these>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=6gR1gu0AByA If he has or can get a print from Canada it wouldn't take minutes to write a program to run them.

[mack7.62]

Curious, what could you possibly want that is not already done by one of the qadzillion after market end plates? Or what do you want to accomplish that cannot be done by acquiring or modifying one already in production?

[hk_shootr]

The cost of fabbing the dies would be excessive for making a small run of parts. He needs to find someone stateside with one of these>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=6gR1gu0AByA If he has or can get a print from Canada it wouldn't take minutes to write a program to run them.

Correct, but that still doesn't address the embossed portion that mates with the receiver keeping the end plate from turning.

[26 Inf]

Correct, but that still doesn't address the embossed portion that mates with the receiver keeping the end plate from turning.

Couldn't that be done with a simple die and an arbor press? Which would cost some cash, but not an inordinate amount.

[Duffy]

TDP spec end plate uses mild steel, for the intended purpose, it doesn't have to be anything more. The dynamic changes when you make a sling adapter out of it.

We machine ours out of 7075 (ESF-L, End plate, Sling adapter, Forward Controls, Light) and 4140 (ESF-Hl End plate, Sling adapter, Forward Controls, Heavy). ESF has side facing, and a rear facing QD swivel socket.





For a handful, it'd be prohibitively expensive to make. What are you thinking about doing that 3rd party manufacturers haven't already done?

[GH41]

TDP spec end plate uses mild steel, for the intended purpose, it doesn't have to be anything more. The dynamic changes when you make a sling adapter out of it.

We machine ours out of 7075 (ESF-L, End plate, Sling adapter, Forward Controls, Light) and 4140 (ESF-Hl End plate, Sling adapter, Forward Controls, Heavy). ESF has side facing, and a rear facing QD swivel socket.





For a handful, it'd be prohibitively expensive to make. What are you thinking about doing that 3rd party manufacturers haven't already done?

If I remember correctly he wants a Canadian style plate that cannot be imported/exported legally.

[Diamondback]

Curious, what could you possibly want that is not already done by one of the qadzillion after market end plates? Or what do you want to accomplish that cannot be done by acquiring or modifying one already in production?

Mack, I'm working on a C8 clone, and the C8's use some rather distinct endplates that are Unobtanium down here unless your name is Larry Vickers (and even then it's very difficult).

Here's the three styles they have up there, thanks to a buddy who's a CF armorer:


The single-slot, a Vltor SASE would be functionally similar, the dual-slot curved could probably be functionally mimicked by a straight-slotted one from GG&G, and Odin Works makes something functionally-close-but-not-cosmetically-quite-there to the triangles.

[GH41]

Correct, but that still doesn't address the embossed portion that mates with the receiver keeping the end plate from turning.

I admit overlooking the lug. Couldn't a hole be blown for the lug, the lug cut separately and pressed in? I know what he is trying to do but don't know how bad he wants to do it.