Jump to content


foamsmith's Content

There have been 58 items by foamsmith (Search limited from 12-November 96)


By content type

See this member's


Sort by                Order  

#53792 Stefan Weighting

Posted by foamsmith on 29 April 2005 - 05:03 PM in General Nerf

Actual bbs made of steel or copper are worthless except for the lesser pistols or automatic guns. 3 of them is still significantly lighter than a single 1/4" steel shot and the ghetto construction will result in less accurate flight.

Size bb lead split shot is good for most pistols and mid-range guns but is somewhat lacking in high-powered rifles.

1/4" steel slingshot ammo is good for the best variety of guns in my opinion. They're only slightly too heavy for my SSII and only slightly too light for my Max Shot. In addition, they're completely spherical and slightly cheaper than fishing weights.

3/0 split shot is slightly heavier and will work better than the 1/4" steel shot in high power rifles, but at the cost of reduced performance in lower powered guns.

Size 7 lead split shot will get the most out of your homemade or sm5k, but is rediculously heavy for most guns.

After trying all of the above, I've ended up just using 1/4" steel shot for all my darts. I don't use uber long range rifles because I don't like the ROF and my SSII is pretty high powered for a pistol so this is a good weight for all the guns I actually use.

Hope that helps.

From my experience with micros, I'd recommend one bb size fishing weight per dart. With a substantial amount of hot glue, it won't lag too much in high power guns. It works way better in weaker powered guns than darts weighed with 1/4 steel shot or 3/0 lead split shot.

I have a few questions on this myself:
Do the lead split shot sizes vary from brand to brand, or are they universal sizes?
My last trip to Walmart yielded no 1/4 steel shots. Where exactly in walmart do you find these?



#53439 Bandoliers/ammo Storage?

Posted by foamsmith on 25 April 2005 - 11:37 AM in Homemades

This brassed 1500 is the result of a forest war (not too far from Steamboat Springs) with some of my family and cousins. The bases were about 800' apart, and I'm not a big fan of "ammo in the pocket," so I built this stalk, able to hold 20 extra darts.
Posted Image



#53024 Fast-action Rifle Writeup And Plans

Posted by foamsmith on 20 April 2005 - 08:27 PM in Homemades

could you tell me exactly what size o-rings you used on the plunger?  on the diagrams you said 1 and 1/8 by 1/8, however i am confused because they go around 1/2 inch pvc so how would this work if the o-ring is almost twice the diameter of the piece it is going on?

1/2" pvc is actually about 5/8" ID, and 7/8" OD.



#52856 Good News, Bad News

Posted by foamsmith on 19 April 2005 - 02:32 PM in General Nerf

Maybe this is the dawn of the Arrow Age, where arrows will once again rise up to become the ammo of choice.



#52774 At2k Troubles

Posted by foamsmith on 18 April 2005 - 01:37 PM in Modifications

I recently had that problem on one of my AT2K's, and managed to fix it by just spraying silcone spray down the pump shaft. After a few pumps, it re-sealed itself. If you've got plastic shavings though, I'm not sure if it'll work.



#52655 Titan Missile Prototype

Posted by foamsmith on 16 April 2005 - 07:36 PM in Homemades

flamebo388 - That's the sort of principle I was thinking of adapting. I don't think craft foam sheet would work because it would have to be air tight. I also don't know how I'd make a uniformly shaped nose, which is essential.

MattPaintballar - Sounds like a good mod, close to how I did it. The fins are angled, but just slightly. These are really modeled off of the stock missiles, because those shot so well.

I ordered all this foam from Ace, and the minimum order was 180' (240 missiles). So basically, I've got a lot of extra foam right now. If anyone wants to make their own, I'll give you a good deal on it.



#52644 Titan Missile Prototype

Posted by foamsmith on 16 April 2005 - 05:33 PM in Homemades

Range = 80' - made almost exactly like my homemade arrows.
Posted Image
I'm still tweaking with the design in hopes of 95' - 100', but it's a start. Right now the tip is just foamy. Anyone got any ideas on how to make a system that really absorbs the missiles impact, hence protecting whatever it hits to some extent? I really like how they did that on the stock missiles.

What think you? Anyone want to make their own? Or did ya'll mod your Titans to shoot ammo that weighs 1/70 of what was intended? :D



#52626 What's The Best Pipe To Use For Megas?

Posted by foamsmith on 16 April 2005 - 12:25 PM in General Nerf

pvc is the cheapest, and the best way to go if your mega stefans fit well in it. If not, try a nominal 5/8" copper repair coupling, it's slightly larger than the pvc, and works real well for my 5/8" stefans.



#52408 Getting A Wildfire Up To Spec.

Posted by foamsmith on 13 April 2005 - 11:26 AM in General Nerf

I've had two leaky wildfires. It's been a while since I worked on them but I think I remember that they each had just one leak, and that was on the triger valve. If you have silcone spray, then I'd recommend spraying a liberal amount in the trigger valve. That should help the leak a lot, if not stop it. Both of the plastic collars around the bladder were broken, but nothing leaked out there. I don't think I had a leak at the over pressure release valve on the bladder. If you think do, I recommend you spray some more silcone spray in there as well.



#52403 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 13 April 2005 - 11:13 AM in Modifications

Wow, I can't believe I didn't see all of this.
I've been working with my rf20's to make a good-banded piston mod, and I’ve had moderate to high success, considering nothing has broken even with a strong rubber band.
The PETG is almost absolutely necessary. I need 10' so that I can make the turret, with 6" barrels, which I think is about right for the current air output. I also think that it might be a good idea to use an rf20 that has 6" barrels in single fire mode. I don't know how fast the darts will leave the 6" barrels, but if it's too slow, you could have very bad accuracy problems concerning the turret rotating too fast in full auto mode.
Lastly, with said banded piston, I get approximately 15 shots or less to the bladder. I'm expanding the current bladder, but if you expect to get all 20 out with one bladder, you won't be able to band the piston much. In the end, I think I might end up just replacing all the tubing with high quality vinyl and heavy gooped connections.
I finally have some good darts, so hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to range test my banded rf20. Either way, 10' of good PETG is hard to come by, anyone willing to sell me that much, I will pay a good price.
-Jlego

Keep in mind that if the mod is done successfully, the dart should accelerate the whole time it's in the barrel. This means that the time it takes to leave a 6" barrel will only be slightly more than the time it takes to leave 3". I'm not too concerned with inaccuracy caused by too fast of barrel rotation. If you do come across this though, you could always slow the speed down by making a smaller hole for the air to pass though on its way to the piston. I did that on one of my wildfires.

I've got a deal going for 100' of PETG tubing. I'll sell you 10' when I get it. I agree that it's almost absolutely necessary, mainly because of weight. I don't want to risk the turret being so heavy that in bends down and maybe partially looses its seal.

You disappoint me when you talk about the bladder. I was hoping that it would be big enough to shoot all 20 darts on a banded piston. Have you tried putting an inner tube over that bladder, as well as bands?

It looks like we're basically doing the same mod. Good luck with yours,
Franky



#52029 Objective Statistics On N-strike Line

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 11:15 PM in General Nerf

Are those averaged maximum distances? I have three titan missiles and my farthest shooting one gets 95'. 126' is hard for me to swallow.



#51982 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 06:49 PM in Modifications

Yeah, I guess I would prefer greatest possible angled distance. I know it's not used in wars, but it seems more of an accurate power measurement than flat tests. Flat tests vary by how level the ground is, how tall the person shooting is, and of course if the barrel is not perfectly level. A greatest distance test will vary somewhat on these things, but not near as much. In a powerful gun, a FLAT test and 5 degree angled test can result in about a 20' discrepancy in measured distance.



#51977 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 06:31 PM in Modifications

When I get some PETG tubing, I think I'll try 20 6" barrels with an adjustable amount of added tension on the piston for my rapid fire 20. I'll fine-tune the extra tension until I get the best result. 65' flat is encouraging, although I'm not sold on flat range tests.



#51969 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 05:08 PM in Modifications

Yes, it provides slightly more range at the cost of reliability. The problem with the PC is that increased pressure don't really do much given the extremely short barrels. Works better on the RF20 if you manage a barrel replacement.

Ok, that makes sense. The question that comes to mind now is, how much range. With the correct barrel repacements, could you double it? I know there's a limit to the structural integrity of what Nerf guns can handle, but that's really the only limit that I can think of. Imagine a rapid fire 20 with 12" barrels, if you could manage to secure them on. Wow. A machine gun with 100' range. There's a worthy goal.

12" barrel's doesn't mean a gun is going to get 100', the RF20 isn't made to shoot that far, even if the barrel's were that long. You would get less range. Longer barrel's only help in guns with high air output.

The mod would increase air output. You're probably right about not getting 100' though. I actually think now the limiting factor would be the size of the air tank.



#51960 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 04:51 PM in Modifications

Yes, it provides slightly more range at the cost of reliability. The problem with the PC is that increased pressure don't really do much given the extremely short barrels. Works better on the RF20 if you manage a barrel replacement.

Ok, that makes sense. The question that comes to mind now is, how much range. With the correct barrel repacements, could you double it? I know there's a limit to the structural integrity of what Nerf guns can handle, but that's really the only limit that I can think of. Imagine a rapid fire 20 with 12" barrels, if you could manage to secure them on. Wow. A machine gun with 100' range. There's a worthy goal.



#51947 What About The Pc?

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 04:28 PM in Modifications

In rapid fire guns, has anyone tried attaching some sort of stretchy band or extension spring from the rear of the arm of the piston to some place behind the piston, thereby making it harder for the piston to move forward, hence maybe increasing range? Thinking about trying it so I thought I'd see if anyone's done it before.



#51944 Boone Or Banner Elk N.c Nerfers

Posted by foamsmith on 08 April 2005 - 04:11 PM in Nerf Wars

I don't know if one person can technically be called a "clan" though...

Me neither. Let's ask onemanclan.



#50630 Homemade Arrows

Posted by foamsmith on 26 March 2005 - 03:30 PM in Homemades

I’ve decide to share my research on homemade arrows with the you, the Nerf community.

Let me start out by saying that I'll write these instructions exactly how I make them. While you should feel free to experiment with different designs, understand that it took me several tries to make these work well, so I'd be hesitant about deviating too much.

COST PER ARROW = 1 cent of glue + 7.7cents for foam + 1.4 cents for fishing weight + 1.3 cents for FBR + 1.8 cents for craft foam sheet = 13.2 cents

For the actual arrows you'll need 5 materials:

Armacell pipe insulation -------------------------- Home Depot
(The size that fits 1/2" Copper or 3/8" Iron)

3/4" backer rod ------------------------------------ aloghomestore.com

glue sticks ------------------------------------------ Hobby Lobby

3mm craft foam sheets --------------------------- Hobby Lobby

round split shot fishing weights (735-BB) ---- Walmart
http://img.photobuck...on/000_0293.jpg


To make them how I did you'll also need:


Weller soldering iron with special tip ------------------ Ace Hardware
http://img.photobuck...on/000_0277.jpg

COOL melt glue gun -------------------------------------- Hobby Lobby

8 inches of 1&1/2" SCH 40 PVC piping ---------------- Home Depot

2mm craft foam sheet ------------------------------------ Hobby Lobby

clay ---------------------------------------------------------- Hobby Lobby

old cookie sheet

scissors

tape

sharp knife

various types of saws

Nerf ball


First you’ll have to build the cutter. Don’t skip this step because if you chop this stuff up with scissors, they won’t shoot as well. Consistency is key and the cutter will let your arrows all come out the exact same length. Take your 1&1/2" SCH 40 PVC piping and cut it exactly 13cm long. Make a nice cut (I used a miter saw) because you’ll use the surface to cut the foam with, and you want the foam to be cut straight. Take a 1.5cm by 13cm strip of your 2mm craft foam sheet and tape it inside and down the length of the pvc pipe.

Posted Image

This will give the pipe insulation a snug fit and help keep it from moving around as you’re cutting.

Feed your 6ft of foam all the way into your cutter so it stops right at the other end. Take your sharp knife and make a clean cut, using the end of the pvc piping to brace the knife. Continue to feed your foam into your cutter until you have 14 nicely cut pieces of foam.

Now you’ll build the “arrow fin burner.”

Take your 1&1/2" SCH 40 PVC piping and cut a 6.2cm long piece. This next part I just eyeballed. I fed my 6.2cm piece of pvc into my scroll saw diagonally (to give it the slant), and cut out about a 1/8” crack. Use the pictures for reference to see how slanted to make it. It’s easy to make it too slanted. I cut all the way through the pipe so it wasn’t a pipe anymore. The pipe had a tendency to close back together so in order to keep is separated, I cut a ¼” length piece of a titan barrels, wrapped some masking tape twice around the outside of it, and shoved it into the end of my 6.2cm piece of pvc. Then to keep the other side separated, I found a stray piece of hard hot glue that was the right size and fit it into the other side of the crack. Make sure that the crack stays the same width. Take some tape and secure whatever you used to keep the crack open. Finally take three 6cm long strips of the 2mm craft foam sheet and tape/glue each to the inside of the pipe as indicated by the green arrows. This will give your foam a snug fit while it’s being burned. Tape it up so that the slot/crack is 4.5cm long, about a third of the length of the arrows.

Posted Image

Here's an additional view.
http://img.photobuck...on/000_0275.jpg

Make a mark EXACTLY 1/3 of the way around from the crack, or cut pipe. If your mark is off a little, than you've already got bad arrows. You'll use this mark to rotate your foam.

Posted Image

You’re now ready to begin making the arrows. Feed one of your foam pieces into your “arrow fin burner.”

Posted Image

Turn your soldering iron on, but watch its temperature. Don’t let it get too hot or it’ll start to melt the pvc plastic. Burn thoroughly inside the crack. Remove foam piece. Rotate and put it back in so the newly burned foam line lines up with the mark you made (see large picture above). Burn a total of 3 lines per arrow.

Take your scissors and your 3mm craft foam sheet.

Posted Image

Put a small amount of hot glue on the bottom of a fin and insert it into one of your burned foam cracks. Do the same for the other two fins. They should fit nicely, meaning you won't have to hold them as they dry. Leave about a 2mm gap between the back of the pipe insulation and the back of the fin. This is done solely for the Arrow Storm.

Posted Image

Cut two-½” long pieces of your ¾” backer rod. Take the first piece and shove it into your arrow so it’s about 3/8” from the top of the pipe insulation.

Posted Image

Pour in a nice 1/16” layer of hot glue and be sure to make sure you completely cover the FBR, so it’s airtight. Drop a fishing weight in and center it.

Posted Image

Put your other ½” long piece of backer rod over the glue/fishing weight and push it in until there’s only about an eighth of an inch showing above your pipe insulation.

Posted Image

To give my arrows the finishing touch, I made a mold out of clay with a Nerf ball.

Posted Image

Put the clay on an old cookie sheet and heat it up for however long the directions say to, and then remove the cookie sheet when it’s done. When it’s cool, it’ll be all hard. Put the cookie sheet back into the oven again and heat it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful here. If you let it sit in there too long your mold will greatly expand and turn into a weird black substance, and also stink up the house. Watch it carefully. When it’s reached its temperature just take it out and quickly push the front of every arrow into it, to give them the dome shape.

I've reached the max amount of pictures I can post. If you want to see what the final arrows look like, than go here.
http://img.photobuck...emadeArrows.jpg

The last step is to snip off the corners of the fins, because corners don’t last long. You'll have to experiment with how much weight you like in the front. I generally like my arrows to balance on a pencil that's 6cm from the tip of the arrows, meaning they're only a little front heavy.

And there you have it. It’s a fair amount of work to get it set up, but when you do, you’ll be able to make lots of arrows for 1/7 the cost of buying them from Nerf. These arrows have to be “broken in,” especially if you’re using them on the Arrow Storm. After a few shot’s they’ll be shooting at peak performance.

If you have any questions, then let me know. If you make some and find out better ways to do things then I did, than let me know as well. Enjoy.