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Time to break out the rotary tool! I've got an old Dremel XPS kit with several attachments, a Dremel accessory kit, and a Canadian Tire brand rotary tool kit ($9.00 for 300 pieces!!).
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I used a couple different bits to widen and center the hole. Here is a diamond-embedded grinding bit on the Dremel. I also used a carbide cylindrical cutter bit and an aluminum oxide tapered grinding stone bit to shape the hole, until...
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...the aluminum tube fits in the hole!
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Back to the drill press to smooth out the cuts! I used a honing stone and honing oil (found in the tool aisle of your local Home Depot) to polish the sides...
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... and the cut surface tip. Polishing against the stone on the level working surface of the drill press should ensure a square and uniform cut tip. Be careful when doing this step, as the honing stone has a tendency to 'walk' and 'jump' a bit if you apply too much pressure.
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Last step is to slice off the portion you want from the rest of the handle. I used a hobby mitre box secured to a vise and a matching coping saw to do this. Aluminum is soft enough that the steel saw will cut through it without losing much tooth or sharpness. Using a mitre box will ensure a smooth 90 degree cut on the other side of the piece we need.
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Here's a shot of our finished piece alongside the original resin part.
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Another shot of both the aluminum and resin pieces on the 1/4 " aluminum tubing from the gauntlet kit.
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This is a pure stroke of luck. rooting through my scale modelling tools at home, I found a ****** old pin vise (definitely not the one I regularly use for scale modelling). Its tip is remarkably similar in shape and size to the resin piece seen above it. With minimal shaping and drilling, it was a perfect replacement to the resin. You might be able to find a similar pin vise in the tool section of a larger hobby shop for about $10. It was just kicking around, so YOINK! On to the flamethrower it goes!
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Here's all the pieces I shaped alongside their resin counterparts.
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And here's a parting shot of the pieces dry-fitted to assemble the flamethrower. You can see that I'm already working on the tip of the bottom tube. The replacement tip is just a pen tip from Staples (Zebra brand F-701 stainless steel ball point pen). The polished stainless steel will need some sanding/wire brushing to take away the polished look. I'll work on that (along with some other things) tomorrow in the shop. Watch for another update tomorrow night. Until then, Happy Holidays!
