Thursday 3 May 2012

R-hop installation manual


R-Hop installation manual Vol.2


UPDATING! 5/4/2016



I will be updating this manual soon with much faster and easier method to do R and ER hops... (upgrading it now so there might be some text and pictures missing)




I have upgraded my guide with newer method to do R-Hop much faster. Idea is not to shave anything inside the patch but to cut its length and height to match your barrel ID. This way you get smoothest possible contact area for your BB and same significant amount of time.


Its also much easier than traditional method!


You can find this newer method in end of this blog post!













Remember that my native language is Finnish so don't expect perfect spelling.

I will not be responsible if you break something or hurt yourself when you are using this tutorial. ;)


This is my way of installing R-hop, there are many ways to do this. You can do installation in different order as you like.






Every gun is individual and installation is made for that specific setup (barrel, hop-up, nozzle etc...) 

If you use heavier bbs you get more range and accuracy in longer distances. 
The positive down side is that you can not use anymore low quality bbs. 
Hopup is still adjustable.

R-hop can be installed in all barrels  with a window (if  not, you can do it). AEG's, AEP's, springers, PTW's, gas, etc. Each requires a bit different tuning.


There are small exceptions in different systems  that require some modifications to get R-hop working.

In picture below for example: KM 6.04 TBB(some systema tbbs have this same design) where the front  edge of the window is angled. We want to make edge straight so installed nub would not slip away. Problem with this design is that (as said before) patch contact area is too short to bb and patch does not sit well in its place

With a 5 min filing  even this issue can be resolved.





You want to file that lower barrel window (angled) to straight like upper barrel



R-hop™ By HS5


" This is my adaptation of the G-hop developed by Ishioka, currently one of the best precision shooters in airsoft. The idea behind the R-hop is to produce an extended contact with the bb for more gentle and precise acceleration resulting in longer flatter trajectories which are far more accurate and more tolerant of inconsistencies within the bb. The product itself is a contact patch which fits in your hop window replacing the regular hop "mound." 

" The other major advantage of the R-hop is that it finally separates the friction patch from the airseal rubber. Many hopups which seal very well do not apply backspin well and vice versa. The problem is especially acute in high power setups with hard hop rubbers and heavy ammo. This divorces the two of each other allowing previously unattainable levels of accuracy in high power long range guns. The R-hops are now also available in cold tolerant "ice" versions, so all the same performance is available year round, or in gas powered guns. They are denoted by the addition of I to the name, so IR and IER hops respectively. "





First couple of links for  installer and user. Some good to read information before you start to ask questions which probably has been answered quite a few times already. 






Different  HS5 R-hop versions:


R : Normal and original patch made from rubber

IR : ICE, for cold weather, great for our scandinavian weather. Much easyer to cut and works well during wintertime. Recommended for gas-guns.

ER : EXTENDED 
Extended version of R/IR patch. Is recommended for heavier bbs (.30g+) with higher velocities. Barrel window must be modified for this. 
By extending the window (rotary-tool, file, lathe)

Z-kit : Patches cut already for different barrel windows. Some minor modifications needs to be done. Results are not that good as with original R/IR patch.




Installation:

2. "Patch"
3. "Concave groove"
4. "Nub"
5. Gluing the patch to its place



Get good hopup bucking that seals your setup well. I recommend myself Madbull and Lonex bucking


First thing to do is remove ridge inside the bucking that pushes bbs in normal hopup. I use exacto knife / dremel and sandpaper to do this. Some silicone oil in final stage.

Turn bucking around example over the barrel and start cutting ridge away. Be very carefull when you turn bucking around because it gets ripped very easily.
And even more careful not to cut too much away, rendering bucking unusable.



Bucking turned around over the barrel. Allowing easy sanding of bucking ridge.











Bucking ridge removed

Next turn bucking carefully back around and put it in safe place to wait for later usage.




IR-Nub in place, needs to be cut in length.



In picture above you can see normal situation in this phase of installation. You have just opened delivery pack and try to match patch to window :) Well it doesn't fit... so you have to cut patches length  to fit window (in some cases you need to file window as said earlier)



You can leave 0.5mm gap between barrels window front wall and patch front (it is not necessary if you can fit patch well enough to fill whole window)



(in this phase of manual I use some silicone hose with right dimensions to demonstrate installation. Yes you can make setups with this hose, but i still recommend original materials from HS5 ;)


Patch length cut to fit window. Still too high

Patch height must be 1:1 (or bit less) as barrel outer diameter. This can be achieved by cutting and sanding patches "legs" from U-shaped patch. I use exacto-knife, sandpaper and rotary-tool(dremel with diamond sharpening bit) for this. You can also use files and forceps (for keeping patch in place)









IR-patch in level with barrels outer diameter




Patch sanded down to fit window in lenght and height, (sorry for messy patch, demo from silicone hose)




Sanding down patch outer diameter

Great going! You should now have a patch which sits well in barrel window. Put bucking over barrel and patch. When you look inside the barrel (from back) you should see something like in pictures below:







In this situation patch pushes inside the barrel, that is something that we don't want. Start filing that groove down. 

I use myself rotary tool (with chainsaw chain sharpening bit) for rough grinding. After i get to point that you can roll bb past that patch (bucking inserted) with little next to nothing effort you can start fine tuning. I use Round file and sandpaper rolled over 6mm wooden stick (starting from 400 grit size and ending to 1200)  

When you get to this point and you cant see any of the patch inside the barrel. You can start test shooting. 

Insert bucking over the patch and barrel normally. And assemble your gun normally.
Your gun will probably give too much spin at this point so you just have to grind that groove down still. Repeat again and again until you get good results with desired bb weight.
You can use Jig(half pipe cut to fit) to keep patch in place. (easiest, see from Maekis videos, You can also get these from HS5 armory)
You also can use our fingers to keep patch in place but I can tell you, its quite hard :)

I modify my patches for .28g in AEGs with 1.6J power and .36 for DMR / Springer (2-3J)
You can make your patches work with .25 and .20 but there is no point for lighter bbs because you would loose range and accuracy.

Remember that its too easy to take material off, but its quite damn hard to put it back :D

Couple of good videos made by Maek, shows how to grind OD and inner groove:











M-nub, Picture is courtesy of  HS5 and in loan





I use the M-nubs  to achieve a uniform pressure throughout the length of the pad. The picture shows how normal for hopup arm has been modified. Ridges have cut and  replaced with piece of flexible material(M-nub). Piece is cut to the same length as the U-shaped patch in the barrel.



R-hop works with normal nub but you don't get that good results with that. You should use soft as possible nub. The ideal situation is that nub would press patch down in its whole length with small curve at the bottom of the nub (because r-patch is curved also). This would give even pressure for the bb.


5. Gluing the patch to its place 



When you reach point where you get good range with good accuracy its time to glue patch in place.

You have to be absolute sure that you are done with filing and ready to move forward.
Use Syanoacrylate (quick glue) because it makes partly chemical and very thin bond  rather than a structural bond between patch and the barrel.


Method 1:

First put patch to its place in the barrel and use example a needle to put some CA between patch and barrel.



Method 2:

Put small drops of glue to the patch legs and put patch to its place in barrel window. Be very careful not to get any glue inside the groove. And most of all, put it in right place in first try ;)


Do not put too much glue because there's a risk that you get glue in that groove. But also too little glue does not keep you patch in place!

Remember to clean all surfaces first for good bonding.


Test again with shooting. If it still works well congratulations! You have a working R-hop!





The New Method: "The Pin"




Make sure that pin fits snugly and covers whole window



Here it is! As I mentioned before idea in this way of installing is not to shave ID of the patch at all. You have to find right patch size from Z-Kit or cut or sand your normal patch to fit.


This method works great with normal R and Extended installs.



Using right size pin to fill your barrel is really important. If pin is too small it lets patch to sit too low in the barrel and result is lots of overhopping! And that's not nice


You need to read old manual first to understand why and how R-hops work. It also gives you understanding to apply this new method to your old way!


Tools you need (I use):


  • Really sharp blade (Box cutter spare blade)
  • 6.00 mm. diameter pin (M4 receiver pin can be used also)
  • Good quick glue (Loctite 601 / 604 / Gel)
  • Sandpaper (400 for rough and finer for finishing)
  • Common sense
  • Small stick or tool to apply glue
Optional tools that I also use:
  • Dremel rotary tool with sanding mandrell bits etc.
  • File to remove excess glue from outside to give it sleek look


Work order:

You have your good quality barrel, patch etc. ready! Make sure that your barrel is cleaned and ready for install. I normally degrease areas where installation will happen. You can do some roughing to surfaces where patch will be glued. This makes bonding much better.


You will need to use your pin in every phase of the installation to make sure that patch fits and stays in place!







1. Fitting the patch


 Start by cutting your patch length to fit your barrels window exactly. 




2. Fitting the patch to your barrel window

Cut or sand legs of the patch so that ID curvature matches ID curvature of your barrel. Barrels have different size windows so there is no "one size fits all"

Ideally legs of the patch are parallel with the surface of your barrel window sides (surface where you glue legs / sides of the patch)




3. Sanding the front corner 

File or sand first corner of your patch to prevent pinch jams. (Gearbox side "front corner" inside your patch, see picture). 



Just a little bit so there is no 90 degree angle that could possibly press in the barrel and disturb movement of bb


4. Gluing the patch

When all previous phases has been done and your patch fits your barrel window perfectly its time to glue your patch to its place.

I use but more expensive industrial grade glues from Loctite i prefer 401 for front and end and for legs I use gel type glue.

You can do this how you like but I have found that its easiest to start with front and end of the patch. Right after I have put small amount of glue with  a screwdriver to its place I wiggle patch a bit so that glue goes in right places between barrel and patch. 

Don't apply too much glue right away and make sure that nothing goes inside the barrel (glue..) 

I also take pin out and back in quite many times at this phase to see that patch has stayed in its place and there is no extra residue inside the barrel.


Do same with the legs and apply some glue from outside. You can also wiggle the patch with your finger bit to help glue to reach its destination.


Basically same rules apply here as in traditional method.


Normally I let glue cure overnight but with good glue it's about 30 minutes when you can start moving to cutting


6. Cutting the Leftovers

Idea is to keep pin inside the barrel and cut excess material of from OD of your barrel. Your blade needs to be really really sharp to achieve optimal surface.

If you have used good glue then you can do this by rotary tool and its even faster. I still prefer cutting with blade.






(Example pictures are from demo barrel that is quite roughly cut and made. I added lots of contrast to picture for you to see details better, I didn't also use pin in these couple of pictures)


Start from the middle and go towards the edges. Then the other side. Do this first lightly because there might be some glue residue in the edges.

You can use blade also to cut these off.

Cut slices off until your batch OD is flush with barrel OD

Use sandpaper to finish the surface if needed.



Roughly finished installation, its ugly, i know! :D



At this point you have already a working R-hop. You just need to finish it my sanding and some silicone oil (you get really smooth surface when using silicone oil as lubricant).

Do some fitting and testing with your nub (I prefer M-nubs) This phase might take some time but you'll get there!




I hope that this helps you people to make those R-hop installations better and faster!









1 comment:

  1. Every gun is individual and installation is made for that specific setup (barrel, ... softairrevolver.blogspot.de

    ReplyDelete