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I've put together a short "tour" of the workspace so you can see where your equipment ends up once shipped here. I feel it is key to maintain an organized work area in order to handle the volume of parts we deal with on a daily basis. Over time, things naturally folded up into three different areas: testing, modification, and soldering.

The shop is located across a large stretch of countertop in a section of the house previously unused. At last that wonderful leftover orange countertop from the 80's has a use! (can't just throw something like that away)

Testing:
This is where markers are disassembled and reassembled, as well as tuned, cleaned, adjusted, optimized, tweaked, or otherwise made better.

If needed, parts are then moved to other ends of the shop for any required soldering or milling modifications. While that is going on, remaining parts of the markers are left here, and this is also where the marker will be reassembled when ready, and pressurized/tested if applicable. This area is used to store only the markers that are under service at the moment, or markers that are awaiting parts to arrive (or marker that are awaiting loctite to cure). Seen below are some markers awaiting service on this particular day.

Below is a separate area used to store markers that are going through massive retrofits or other changes. This work takes a lot longer so I try to keep these things separate. Seen here are two near-finished Shocker SFTs that underwent Morlock install (back in 2004, when that was popular).

Once a marker is finished, it will be boxed up and moved over to a separate area to await payment. Some poeple choose to send markers in the original box, but it's not required.

This stretch is for servicing my guns, or guns that belong to the locals or my friends.

Lastly, this final space is used as a storage area for most of the custom projects I have going for my own purposes. This is a place where my equipment will sit for weeks on end before all the work is finished and ready to go. Strategic portions of this picture have been edited.

All equipment that goes through the shop is assigned a separate service/invoice form to keep record of all work done to it, as well as everything still needing to be done. We don't use RA numbers since I've found them to be troublesome in the past.

In terms of testing, we have everything available here. Almost never does anybody have the need to send in parts like barrels, tanks, or hoppers (unless there's a repair issue that needs to be made to one of those items). I personally tend to hoard circuit boards, barrels, bolt assemblies, lubricants, and other parts for the in-house work. One of my other concerns involves testing and evaluating new products, so promotional items that don't end up immediately resold instead become test parts. (Thank you to the developers who have sent parts in the past.)

Soldering:
Specialized repair and mods that involve soldering occur in this area. Assorted replacement components (switches, LEDs, semiconductors) and testing equipment are stored in a large drawer under the countertop.

Milling:
At home I have some smalll machinery for performing quick mods, but I can't do everything at home since some larger or more complex work requires tools I don't have. These small machines also require a good amount of maintenance to keep running smooth, which translates into higher cost for custom parts. However, with the proper skill these small machines can be used to make a wide assortment of parts when called upon to do so.
My old minilathe is pictured below, in the process of counterboring an Ion bolt. Also pictured is a Bridgeport mill and LeBlond lathe that I use for more specialized items.

I'm trained on an assortment of CNC machinery, and have access to them whenever needed. However, producing parts via CNC mill or lathe is expensive and time-consuming so often the cost for the final workpiece is high. If you need it, I can make it (within reason) but it'll be expensive to do.

Seen above is a Haas VF-2 machining center, and a Haas SL-10. I also have access to larger machines if the part requires it.

The local shops provide me with whatever additional machinery I require, although as mentioned I don't like to leave the comfort of my own tools unless required. If necessary I have access to a multitude of buffing supplies, surface grinders, bandsaws, and other equipment. (this is my dayjob, after all).

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