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#337082 Plusbow prototype

Posted by Darth Freyr on 16 February 2014 - 01:35 PM in Homemades

Looking at this design as a whole, it seems pretty excessive for what seems to be a first time (Nerf) builder. Personally, I would remove all the decorative machining, at least until you are sure the design works. There are also quite a few other things that stuck out as concerning to me.

The trigger looks to have quite a few possible issues. The first one being the question of reach. I can't be sure just from looking, but it seems like you would really have to stretch your trigger finger in order to actually pull on the trigger. In my experience, the trigger shouldn't really stick out a whole lot beyond the line of the handle, as you do want your index finger to get a decent wrap around it. You can't pull a trigger if you're juts scraping it with the pad of your finger.

Still on the trigger, it also looks like it would pinch your middle finger when you pull it. Again, I can't be sure without seeing how far it swings, but I bet your hand is going to be migrating up that handle if you start to do anything like run around with the blaster.

This may be more questionable, but the angle of the front face of the trigger looks uncomfortable. Currently, it looks like it is angled backward pretty sharply. As you pull on the trigger, that's going to push downward on your index finger. And the angle will only get worse as the trigger rotates further backward. Generally, I like to have the front curve of the trigger to start bending forward again, at least until the point that the bottom-most as at least vertical when the trigger is fully pulled.

I also see a lot of potential problems with your pump-action system. Starting from the front, you always have to be careful when applying offset forces to a mechanism, such as having the pump grip significantly below the plunger rod. Pulling on the handle is going to generate significant torque that has to be canceled out somewhere. You also have to make sure your connection can handle that torque in addition to the linear forces. Additionally, I cant see any sort of guide or tracks for the pump. What happens if pull slightly downward on the pump? Would it just come off of the blaster completely? Moving backward, I would also remove the aforementioned holes in the rods/bars there.

The whole back end of the pump system also looks extremely dodgy to me. The images do not show it very well, but it looks like you just have a couple of screws through the bars, sticking inwards. The first problem is another of torques: what would stop the bars from just bending there? Or the whole bar just bowing outward? You also have to make sure that the screws are going to stay fairly centered vertically on that plate at the back of your plunger rod, or else you're also going to be torquing it as well. A better solution might be to have a standoff above and below the plunger rod, connected to both sides of the pump. That way, the potential bowing of the pump bars is greatly reduced and the forces on the plunger rod will stay vertically balanced.

There also appear to be a decent number of structural problems with the design as a whole. As roboman mentioned, your side plates don't reach the front of the plunger tube. This means that the bushing at the front of the plunger tube would be supported only by the thin walls of the plunger tube. This would probably be okay if you use aluminum for the tube, but it would be a very bad idea with polycarbonate. The way that the plunger tube is currently mount also looks like any motion on a barrel or hopper assembly, or any unintentional forces on them, are only supported by the mounting in the very back. That could potentially lead to a large stack of broken or cracked plunger tubes. I would also suggest some sort of horizontal support at the top of the side plates, like sticking a standoff between the holes that connect the top stock bars to the side plates.

I think you might also have some problems with your stock, particularly with how it connects with the rest of the blaster. Right now, all the support for the bottom of the stock comes from those two screws at the bottom of the handle. Transferring that force into the main frame of the blaster is going to come from shear forces. Those pieces on the handle on not very wide, and not very thick. Personally, I wouldn't be that comfortable stressing them like that. I think a lot of this problem could be averted by putting another screw between the two parts near the top of the handle.

There are a few other assorted things as well. It looks like the holes in the top bars on the stock don't line up. This isn't a problem on its own, but it might indicate other inconsistencies in the geometry. 7" of draw on a [k26] is probably overkill, I think you'd be better off with something closer to 6"-6.5". You might also want to check the unprimed spring length in the blaster. Springs may shorten up a bit from their new length after some use, and having a spring rattling around inside a blaster is annoying. Also, you might want to be careful with that sort of catch notch on your plunger rod. It has definitely been done successfully, but it usually means a thinner catch face, so you might want to be sure that you don't round over the edge too much, on either the plunger rod or the catch plate.

I know that this response might seem extremely critical, but I just wanted to point out some things I've learned from my experiences so they don't surprise you later. It's also how I think I communicate most clearly.



#334101 WANO III

Posted by Darth Freyr on 17 September 2013 - 10:13 PM in Nerf Wars

I should be there.

I will have all the loaner blasters with me, and hopefully a better setup for hoppers and barrels. I don't have a whole lot of wyes though, so I'd be interested in any spares that people have sitting around.

I don't think I will have nearly as many new darts as the past couple wars, unless they really needed, as I have used up most of my foam.



#332918 WANO II

Posted by Darth Freyr on 12 August 2013 - 09:24 AM in Nerf Wars

I think it's safe to say I am confirmed for this war, barring any extreme circumstances. I should have blasters available again to borrow if you need one. If you do have your own barrel setups, I would suggest you use them, as I believe I've ended up with more blasters than hoppers. If you do need one though, I will, of course, provide one.



#332005 WANO I

Posted by Darth Freyr on 16 July 2013 - 10:36 PM in Nerf Wars

At this point, I think it's safe to say I'm a definite for this war, at least as far as one can ever be. I'm driving over from the Eastside, and I think I can spare a couple seats. I should have several blasters available as loaners, if anyone needs them. If you or your guest are looking to borrow one, it would be helpful if you can send me an email to let me know. It's by no means necessary, but I just want to keep track on how things are looking beforehand.

Lizard Messiah, if there's anything I can do to help with organization and/or supplies, just let me know.

On another note, I've been wondering if there's much interest in doing a Washington wye group-buy. If that's something that would interest you, or if I've missed something like that going on, send me an email.



#296442 Homemades Picture Thread

Posted by Darth Freyr on 22 March 2011 - 12:10 PM in Homemades

Well, I also finished up another blaster recently. It was designed before that other monster, but completed after. It originally had a pinky/ring finger trigger.
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I updated it for the middle finger trigger, and finished up the plungers.
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#296283 Homemades Picture Thread

Posted by Darth Freyr on 19 March 2011 - 09:40 PM in Homemades

Some words first, then pictures. I've been working on a blaster design for a while now. My goals were to have it be comfortable, simple, fairly cheap, and pump action. My first attempt looked like this (1). After quite a bit of thinking, I was able to simplify a lot of the pieces. As it is now, no internal cuts are necessary. The plunger rod is constructed around 10-32 steel threaded rod, with locknuts at both ends and aluminium spacers acting as the catch, similar to that in a 2-11. The catch plate has no slots, and just slides between 4 screws (2). I also got rid of the extra support inside the plunger tube. Adding pump action was just a matter of a 2" PVC grip, a few minor changes, and a sliding plate (3), which I've widened since that one. From there, I went crazy.
*1Posted Image *2Posted Image *3Posted Image
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The last one is two plungers connected on the same handle. The top plunger has a 20-tube turreted chopper. The bottom plunger is pump action. The front plate has holes to put darts into.
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I'm planning on shotgunning the bottom plunger.
I hope to have a write-up for the basic version in the near future. There are a lot more pictures here, though some are still pretty big. If you have questions, find me on the IRC.

Also, I've heard that some people think Zero valves wouldn't work.



#296189 Effeminate 2.1

Posted by Darth Freyr on 17 March 2011 - 09:25 PM in Nerf Wars

I have a couple things to say. First, if anyone wants any of the foam taer ordered, which I'm storing, let me know. I can cut some lengths in advance and bag them up in a nice roll for you. It's going to be $20 for 250' and $10 for 100'. Also, I'm going to be bringing some basic, pullback, loaner SNAPs, in case anyone needs to borrow a blaster.



#295347 Puget Sound Nerf War

Posted by Darth Freyr on 04 March 2011 - 07:14 PM in Nerf Wars

I'm planning on making it. I hope this one is as awesome as all the others.



#295346 Effeminate 2.1

Posted by Darth Freyr on 04 March 2011 - 07:04 PM in Nerf Wars

Sweet, I'm open for any Saturday in April, I can't do the 10th (Sunday). Time to make darts and finish my blasters. This is going to be awesome.



#293145 My Nerf Salvofly

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 January 2011 - 12:11 PM in Modifications

Well, I was going to order this... I saw that it shipped from cincinnati ohio, which I live 20 minutes (MAYBE) from. I then proceeded to make an order. They want 8.77 for shipping, and then they have a 10 dollar handling fee on top of that. That is just total BS. 10 dollars to put something in a padded envelope? 8.77 to ship something that is the size of 5 nickels stacked on top of each other down the street? RIDICULOUS.

Ordering from the Clippard site isn't the best choice. Oftentimes you can find the products on ebay or other sites with much more reasonable S+H. I got a regulator from them a while back, and it was actually from an industrial surplus site. So just look around and search for the item number, and it should show up eventually.



#291006 Scun December 18th War: Christ

Posted by Darth Freyr on 16 December 2010 - 12:33 AM in Nerf Wars

Well, I'm going to be in the area this weekend, but I'm only a maybe for warring. Maybe plus one too. This is going to be awesome if I make it.

Nevermind, plans change and I have almost no chance of being there. Oh well.



#290549 R Series Blasters - Overview!

Posted by Darth Freyr on 09 December 2010 - 10:23 PM in Homemades

Alright, I feel obliged to say something due to the arguments in this thread. ice is referring to 9662K45 while windtex1 (and the rest of us) assumed he meant 9637K45. Problem solved. Drac, McMaster suggests that the ID of 9637K25 is 0.808", and the one I have fits very tightly over and squeezes 1/2" PVC, completely unusable for a plunger. You have some [k25] springs that fit over 1/2" PVC though? That's an interesting conundrum.

On-topic now. This is a pretty interesting design. I think I may be trying it out soon, albeit with 9/16" OD nylon because that's what I have laying around. I think I'll also be using an angled handle. When you said you preferred vertical, was that compared to using a 45 degree elbow? Have you thought about making use of quick release pins or something of that sort to hold it together, so that you could switch the parts out mid- or between rounds? Also, in the video, it looked like the priming tee could have hit the hand that was on the trigger. Have you noticed this being a problem?



#286110 Puget Sound Nerf War

Posted by Darth Freyr on 26 September 2010 - 10:17 PM in Nerf Wars

I will be there. I may or may not have another rendition of "the Walsh". I hope I have something. I will probably have blasters for sale too.



#285771 Xbow Stock Length Question

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 September 2010 - 10:00 AM in General Nerf

From the middle of the bottom screw hole before the main body, the bottom of the stock extends 8" horizontally, the closest point is 7 5/8", and the top is 7 3/4".



#285445 Effeminate Summer War Part 7

Posted by Darth Freyr on 15 September 2010 - 09:52 AM in Nerf Wars

Alright, cleared my schedule, I'm going to be there. I hope I can get all my insanities in order before the 2nd though.



#284084 Effeminate Summer War Part 6

Posted by Darth Freyr on 27 August 2010 - 01:23 AM in Nerf Wars

I know the 4th wouldn't work for me, and I want to get in at least one more war this season. I'm going to be out the 18th for sure, and probably a couple others, which I should know soon. I assume they are the same as Tantum's though, as they are XC meets.



#283654 Effeminate Summer War Part 6

Posted by Darth Freyr on 21 August 2010 - 09:08 AM in Nerf Wars

Alright, I'm going to be a bit late, 12:15-12:30, but I will be there. My stuff isn't entirely done, but I can still show and tell about it.



#282657 Effeminate Summer War Part 6

Posted by Darth Freyr on 09 August 2010 - 11:48 PM in Nerf Wars

I should be able to be there. I hope to have some extra insanity with me this time, with a huge finale for the next one.



#282271 2-11

Posted by Darth Freyr on 05 August 2010 - 11:15 PM in Homemades

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Yeah, the pump action is fun. For the skirt head, 9562K48 fits with a 1.5" spacer inside. What spring are you using? I hope you don't mind if my write-up is up first. Also, did you have any issues getting a good barrel fit? If anyone cares, I'm probably also going to make another one that uses either a 12" PT or full spring, probably the latter.



#281271 Epic Summer War Part 5

Posted by Darth Freyr on 26 July 2010 - 10:22 AM in Nerf Wars

So, I thought I'd already posted, but apparently not. I should be there.



#279146 Epic Summer War Part 4

Posted by Darth Freyr on 01 July 2010 - 09:57 AM in Nerf Wars

I love the idea of setting up some mod parties and having a mod contest in the Washington area. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this war or anything planned before it, as I am going to be out of the country.



#276628 Gasworks And Lincoln Park Wars In Seattle

Posted by Darth Freyr on 01 June 2010 - 11:21 PM in Nerf Wars

I should be able to go. I also want to know what level of blasters are going to be in play. Is the park open after dusk, because we will most likely hit that before 9:00?



#276525 Epic Summer War Part 3

Posted by Darth Freyr on 31 May 2010 - 06:49 PM in Nerf Wars

You can make requests from the other thread or you can ask for something and I'll see if I have it. You can PM me here, on the other major sites, or just hop on nerfchat. I may have lists compiled before the war, but I don't guarantee it. Some of the stuff is here, but there is a lot more. I hope to have all my new darts and an xbow finished before the war too, to try that out.



#276521 Epic Summer War Part 3

Posted by Darth Freyr on 31 May 2010 - 06:25 PM in Nerf Wars

Okay, I should be there. I may be a bit late, up to 30 minutes, but I should be on time if all goes as planned. On another note, I have a lot of stuff, but I won't be able to bring everything. If anyone has a specific request, please let me know ahead of time. I hope to see everyone there and have a ton of fun.



#274612 Homemades Picture Thread

Posted by Darth Freyr on 12 May 2010 - 05:59 PM in Homemades

Well, I guess I should post up my SNAPBow. It's one of my favorite blasters. It has 6 4-dart RSCBs on a turret, and a 25th dart can be preloaded in the tee. The RSCB turret is moved by pulling it back, rotating it 60 degrees, and letting it spring into the tee again.
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I used 5/8" by 3/4" polycarbonate for the RSCB tubes, with 3/4" by 7/8" polycarbonate on the ends. The tee is actually a 3/4" CPVC tee. It is connected to the blaster using 1/2" PVC, which has e-tape wrapped around it to fit in the tee. Darts can easily be loaded from the front of the RSCBs.
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The darts stay in the tubes pretty well. The only issue is that if you are swinging it forcefully and are unlucky you may lose a dart out the front occasionally. The RSCB turret is attached using 1/2" rod and 6-32 threaded rod. The clothespin is also not glued down and slides as you pull the trigger
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The priming handle slides in a slot in the plunger rod. The plunger rod is made from 9/16" by 5/8" nylon, which fits nicely into the CPVC fitting. The mass of the moving plunger is about 50 grams. If anyone knows the mass of a normal SNAPBow plunger, please tell me.
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You can just pull the handle back and let it go. I don't have ranges, but it works well at wars. That's my SNAPBow, I hope someone gets some good ideas from it.



#274159 Epic Summer War Part 2

Posted by Darth Freyr on 06 May 2010 - 09:00 AM in Nerf Wars

Okay then, I won't be able to make it. Have a great time.



#273906 Epic Summer War Part 2

Posted by Darth Freyr on 02 May 2010 - 06:30 PM in Nerf Wars

I can be there on Saturday the 22nd, but not Sunday the 23rd.



#273348 Lab Redesign Contest

Posted by Darth Freyr on 25 April 2010 - 10:26 PM in General Nerf

Okay, here we go. My version of the LAB is a little different. Before you ask, I don't know what the materials cost for just it is because I bought stuff for several blasters on McMaster. Here is a shot of the whole thing.
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As you can probably tell, I also "used" a +bow handle. The LAB mounts with 10-32 or 10-24 screws. There is an 1/8" gap on both sides though.
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The catch is pretty simple, just a normal plate.
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It is fired with the lever. Just pull it up after you prime the blaster. Here is a good picture of the whole thing while primed with the lever forward.
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The blaster shoots fairly well. I used for a few rounds today (along with my +bow) and it was very effective. It makes a nice second shot with good range. I still need to find a good setup for barrels though.
Some more background in before the deadline: My design was intended to add another shot to my +bow for rushing, both defending against and performing them. It served this purpose well. When I used it, it just had a 12" breech, but I plan to use some sort of breeched shotgun or whatnot. What I feel is innovative about it is the use of the +bow mounting holes and using the lever as the trigger. I think that pretty much sums up the criteria.
There are also several more pictures in the Photobucket album and I can take more on request.



#272804 Epic Summer War Part 1

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 April 2010 - 05:05 PM in Nerf Wars

This is the area IIRC.
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If anyone wants to buy a +bow, they are at a negotiable $85. Please PM me beforehand. Also, I'm interested in a stock or lightly modded Quad/Triple Shot or RFDG if anyone has one.



#272264 Epic Summer War Part 1

Posted by Darth Freyr on 14 April 2010 - 11:04 PM in Nerf Wars

I should be able to make it. If it means anything, I would prefer Marymoor as it is much closer to me.



#271908 Titan Not Firing With More Than 9 Pumps

Posted by Darth Freyr on 11 April 2010 - 08:40 AM in General Nerf

Also, make sure you cut down the hot glue (or whatever you used to plug the pump) so it's flat with the end of the pump head. If you don't do that you will destroy your check valve.

You're probably going to need a deeper hole than that. I don't know how deep it needs to be for a titan, but if you compress the pump fully and the end is flat, there is a good chance your check valve will become misaligned. If possible, increase the opening pressure of the OPRV and remove the plug material.



#270010 "epic Summer 2010 Nerfmania"

Posted by Darth Freyr on 22 March 2010 - 11:19 PM in Nerf Wars

I should be there. It sounds like fun. What time do you think it will be over? Hopefully I can finish my SNAP in time. To those of you who saw my first SNAP, it is based on a SNAPBow MK.V with 6 RSCBs and a lighter plunger rod.



#269787 "epic Summer 2010 Nerfmania"

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 March 2010 - 10:26 PM in Nerf Wars

My spring break starts on March 27 and runs for 9 days including weekends until April 4. I would probably go to an Auburn war.



#268971 "epic Summer 2010 Nerfmania"

Posted by Darth Freyr on 12 March 2010 - 11:43 PM in Nerf Wars

I won't make July 17 and I'm busy from 8 am to 12pm on June 26, but the rest of the dates sound good so far. I may be able to help with scouting locations in the Kirkland area, if need be.



#268817 "epic Summer 2010 Nerfmania"

Posted by Darth Freyr on 11 March 2010 - 12:06 AM in Nerf Wars

Awesome, sounds Effeminate. I know I will be gone from July 2 until July 17. Hopefully I will also have a job, however that can probably be worked around. What sort of locations/ranges have you been looking at?
Broderick, on the Alamo, the defenders are allowed to reload. However this is often impossible or unnecessary due to short rounds, oncoming attackers, and Raider drums.



#267923 Homemade At2k Tank.

Posted by Darth Freyr on 03 March 2010 - 09:24 PM in Homemades

I built a working Zero valve from a 3/4" PVC tee. Granted, I haven't actually put it on anything, but it works.



#267672 Homemade At2k Tank.

Posted by Darth Freyr on 02 March 2010 - 09:16 PM in Homemades

There is no need to design new air tanks. A Zero valve is cheap, easy to construct, and seals well.



#266152 At2k Help/fix

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 February 2010 - 11:04 AM in General Nerf

If you can generate one pump of pressure and the pump rod is pushed out, the check valve is likely broken. You could attempt to fix the check valve by carefully cutting open the very back of the pump tube, repositioning the rubber diaphragm, and gluing the whole thing back together. You could also buy a check valve like item 7757K11 on McMaster-Carr. If the tubing I.D. is 3/16" rather than 1/8", go with item 7757K12. The easiest method to add in the check valve would be to cut the tubing leading from the pump so the end will fit entirely over the barb, and push both ends of the tubing on.

Even if the pin is 1 1/4" out, check if air is leaking out of the front. I don't know what the I.D. of 2k tubing is. Maybe you could edit this question into the subtitle of this thread. If when you push the pump, you can generate some pressure, even a tiny bit, and nothing else is leaking, I think the check valve must be shot. Once you know the I.D. of 2k tubing, go to McMaster-Carr. If the I.D. is 1/8", type 7757K11 into the search box and click find. If the I.D. is 3/16", type 7757K12 into the search box and click find. Continue with the McMaster-Carr checkout. Be warned, i'm pretty sure the minimum for shipping is $5, so buy the check valve locally if possible. Once you get your check valve, measure the length of one barb (the very end of the barb to the beginning of the body). Add 1/4" to this length. Cut that far away from the start of the yellow tubing. Insert the barb closer to the start of the arrow on the body of the check valve into the part of the yellow tubing closer to the pump. Insert the other barb into the other end of the tubing. If necessary, glue the tubing on to prevent leaks. Read this thread and this thread to see if your question is answered better.



#266115 At2k Help/fix

Posted by Darth Freyr on 20 February 2010 - 12:36 AM in General Nerf

The pin may be stuck out or a piece of debris may have gotten into the seal. When I measured my 2k I got 1 1/4" from the end of the pin to the first part of the tank. If possible, you could visually check the seal to see if it is closing fully. You could also listen or feel if any air is leaking out the front when you pump. If the pin is stuck out, try gently pushing it towards the front of the tank to see if it is just sticky or really stuck.



#266105 At2k Help/fix

Posted by Darth Freyr on 19 February 2010 - 11:20 PM in General Nerf

You may not need a new check valve. If you move the pump rod and there is no pressure buildup at all, you should check the seal in the pump. Something may have gotten out of place or the o-ring may have broken. In this case, you should see if something can be adjusted or get a new o-ring. If you can generate one pump of pressure and the pump rod is pushed out, the check valve is likely broken. You could attempt to fix the check valve by carefully cutting open the very back of the pump tube, repositioning the rubber diaphragm, and gluing the whole thing back together. You could also buy a check valve like item 7757K11 on McMaster-Carr. If the tubing I.D. is 3/16" rather than 1/8", go with item 7757K12. The easiest method to add in the check valve would be to cut the tubing leading from the pump so the end will fit entirely over the barb, and push both ends of the tubing on.