by -=[ DevNull ]=-

OtterSC Notes: This modification is not that of mine. I am always open to new ideas to making an inexpensive marker appealing to the eye. This is one of them. I think too that this will work with regular (mechanical) grips as well.

This webpage is a how-to document giving step by step instructions for someone wishing to create clear grips for their Spyder E-99 marker out of plexiglass. Please note that there are some risks in following this procedure and that I am not responsible for any damage to yourself or your paintball gun. This is purley for those who seek to give their marker a unique look as well as have the satisfaction of creating their own marker modification.

The Tools For this project, the primary tool that is used is the Dremel. For those who may not know what this tool is, it's a multi-purpose rotary tool. The kit I purchased came with a stone grinding bit, sanding bit, drill bit, boring bit, and a collar bit. Several attachments can be used with the collar bit, such as the cutting and polishing heads. There is a small wrench that is used as a chuck to remove and insert the various bits. The entire kit ran me roughly $40 at the local arts and crafts store.

The Material This is where I had a hard time. I went from store to store looking for sheets of plexiglass that I could use for the project but found nothing usable. Either the sheets were way too small or way too thin. It then occurred to me that some large picture frames were made of plexiglass and that it might work. I went to the local Target and picked up a 16x20 plexiglass picture frame for under $10. It was just about the right thickness and would definitely leave me with enough material to screw up a few times.

Another person emailed me (very sorry for not remembering who) about a different type of material to use. He used Lexan. This is basically the same material that bullet proof glass is made of. It is very tough material that doesn't scratch easily.

Starting Out The first thing to do is to roughly trace out on the picture frame the shape of the grip. Be sure to make this a rough trace as you'll need to cut a much larger piece of plexiglass so that it can be milled down to size. I removed the stock panel from the marker and traced around it four times on the frame. When cutting the pieces out, I made sure to cut well around the trace lines leaving me much room for the milling process. To actually cut out the pieces, I used the small stone disc cutting attachment on the Dremel. It made short work of the plexiglass and I was ready to move onto the next step in a few minutes.

Into The Vice We Go Okay, at this point, we've got four jagged pieces of plexiglass and our stock panel. Place them one ontop of the other and stick them into your vice. I grabbed an old towel and shoved that into the vice so that the panels wouldn't get scratched up. When tightening down the vice, be sure not to apply much pressure or else things will crack and break!

Fire Up The Dremel! Okay, hook up the grinding bit, plug in the Dremel, and fire it up! Start taking very small motions when grinding the plexiglass. Don't let the Dremel get away from you or else you'll find yourself with a chewed up set of stock panels and some broken plexiglass. The bit spins counter-clockwise and I'd highly suggest moving from the right to left. This way, once the bit has passed over the grinded spot, the plexiglass that is removed will be ejected from the area much more cleanly. If the motion was reversed, the grinded plexiglass will be pushed back down onto the panels and will only make things more difficult. Once you start getting close to the stock panel, be careful! I left about one to one and a half milimeters of space all around the panel for sanding room.

Sand It Down Once you've finished milling one side of the panels, don't remove them from the vice. At this point, start to sand them down to a nice smooth finish. Once you've finished sanding, hold all the panels together, release them from the vice, turn them over, and put them back in to work on the other side. Repeat the same milling procedure and follow it up with some more sanding. I left a little plexiglass behind the thumb area of the panel so that it would cover the trigger frame just a bit better. You can see what I'm referring to in the picture. I'd highly suggest this as it seems the stock panels were cut a bit short for some reason. Once you've finished sanding, remove and re-vice the panels and mill down the tops and the bottoms.

Drill The Holes Now it comes time to drill the holes for the mounting screws. It's a good idea to get a small C-clamp and place it near the top of the panels allowing you enough room to still get your drill in there. This clamp will hold the panels together as you push your drill through them. Find the appropriate bit by placing it inside your stock panel and comparing it against the hole. Once you've acquired the correct size, gently drill out all three holes making sure you're holding the drill level vertically and horizontally. After you've finished drilling, it's possible that there are some plexiglass shavings that you'll have to clean up with a razor blade.

Tracing The Cut-Outs Alright... you've got four identical plexiglass panels. You're doing great so far! Now it starts to get a little difficult. Unfortunatley, we can't slap the panels on now because there are some components within the frame that don't permit it. Place one of the four panels onto the frame and very gently fasten it with the stock screws. This will make sure it's perfectly aligned with it's future permanent position. At this point, grab a marker and trace around the battery and the firing mechanism. These are the only two components that protrude out of the frame on each side. Once you've finished this, remove the panel and place another plexiglass panel on top of the one you just traced on. Be sure to sandwich the markings inbetween the panels so that we don't have to worry about it rubbing off when we're prepping for the cuts.

Duct Tape Is Great What we want to do now is to make sure these two panels aren't going anywhere. Grab some tape and fasten both panels to one another as best as you can without taping over where we'll be making our cuts. Once completed, fasten the panels into the vice and begin to cut out the holes. It's probably easiest to use the stone cutting disc to get through the panels and to achieve the right angles.

Inner Panels Complete You'll have to be careful cutting since the plexiglass gets pretty thin towards the edges. Don't worry if you mess up a few times... I went through three sets of panels before I was happy with the outcome. Be patient and go slow because the Dremel will heat up that plexiglass and cause it to warp along the edges if you don't. Once you're finished, you can try to do some light sanding on the inside but be sure not to scuff the surface of the panels.

Making Them Compfy At this point you should be able to fasten them to your marker. It's probably not a comfortable grip right now, so lets round off those edges. Use the sanding bit on the Dremel to lightly round off the edges of the panels where your hand will be. I'd advise to only sand the areas that you'll be touching. Don't round off the entire perimeter of the panels. Once you're done using the Dremel, go at it again by hand with some finer grain sand paper. Make sure it's nice and compfy for you.

Finished Product Once you're finished, you'll be left with some ultra-hip clear plexiglass grips that you've made yourself! Congratulations! Now take your marker to the field and dazzle your friends with your amazing creation!

Back to top...