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#319112 Modification and Paintjob Pictures

Posted by shmmee on 24 July 2012 - 04:35 PM in Modifications

Semi - auto Dart Tag Gun

I really didn't expect this to work - hence the overly ravaged screw ports and zipties.
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8" pegt barrels, RF 20 bladder double layered with bike inner tube to increase pressure (still needs a bar across the front to trigger the overfill safety valve), dual action bike pump...
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Rear loading hole with sch 80 pvc dart guide (still needs to be reinforced with more than just hot glue)
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Internally it has a BS tank, and is operated by a clippard MAVO-3 valve. It vents (fires) the BS tank without venting the reserve bladder. The seal is pretty good. I just took the linkage that ran from the old pt to the turret, sanded half off till one side was flush and connected it via hose to the bs tank. Not shown are a pair of springs I had to run from the back of the turret anchor to the trigger.

I get 5-6 quick shots per fill, grouping around 80' in range.

Click the pic to see a firing video:
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#297775 Modification and Paintjob Pictures

Posted by shmmee on 02 May 2011 - 10:48 AM in Modifications

I added a raider handle and stock to my PAS. It's rock solid and very comfortable.

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Precision cutting and pasting:
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It still needs more putty, and a new paint job. I ripped the smdtb (spider man dart tag blaster) off of the shoulder last night, and hope to integrate it a little more cleanly by replacing the valve with a blast button, and hiding the pump - or a slightly better pump inside the collapsible stock (so compressing the stock pumps the smdtb). Once done the 3 blast barrels should sit flat on the side of the shell without the brick of tubing beneath it.



#336860 Game Types and Rules for Nerf Wars

Posted by shmmee on 04 February 2014 - 10:01 AM in General Nerf

I play tested this game type last night with a large church group (30-40 people) where I provided most of the blasters. It is very well suited to large groups of non NIC nerfers who are not familiar with most game types or disciplined enough to not pick up a fully loaded blaster and empty the clip between rounds when they should be reloading.

Dodgeball:

Preparation -

Load and prime all loaner blasters and line them up along a center line in the field. Personal blasters may be loaded but un-primed and may be held by their owners. This game was played on a basketball court and the court size was just about perfect. 6 tables were laid on their side as barriers (3 on each side - optional). Small piles of darts are placed behind the 6 tables.

Start with some brief instruction on blaster operation - especially the clip fed ones. "POINTY DARTS ONLY". I lost count of how many screamers I had to pound out of clips.
Line everyone up and count them off into two teams. Teams start touching opposite walls of the court.

At the word "go" teams rush forward to either grab a loaner blaster (hunger games style) or touch their personal blaster to the center line. Play begins immediately.

People with dart blasters may not progress beyond the center line. People with ball or arrow blasters may progress 5' beyond the center line to fire. Swords were originally given the right to completely penetrate enemy lines, but that broke the game and all swords were removed.

Once a player is shot they drop all ammo where they were standing. With their blaster in the air they walk to the center and place their loaner blaster on the center line (they can always choose to hold on to their personal blaster) and then keep walking to the enemies back wall. Once they touch the back wall they re-spawn as a member of the opposing team. (like blob) Their first order of business is to risk life and limb grabbing a blaster from the center line.

Play ends with one lonely hold out getting massacred by the rest of the group.

Rounds lasted about 30 min.

Why it works:
Dropping all ammo at death discourages hoarding.
Dropping blasters at death encourages people to try many different blasters and keeps people from getting stuck with "the crappy gun" for too long.
Having established "team sides" avoids the "what team are you on?" confusion of many other team games.
No one sits out so everyone stays engaged. The rules are simple enough that players can govern themselves. I actually spent 90% of the night playing instead of refereeing! (10% of the night was spent clearing taggers out of clips...)
Granting 5' of approach for balls and arrows makes them a serious asset. I spent most of the night looking for my ArrowStorm.
The larger team will handicap themselves by depleting their ammo.
The smaller team is handicapped with the difficulty of getting a new blaster without getting shot.

For large groups where large amounts of loaner blasters are used (or participants are willing to let other people use their blasters) - this game type absolutely rocks!!!



#331377 Nerf Elite Mega Centurion - Preview and Internals

Posted by shmmee on 28 June 2013 - 04:39 PM in News

If you put some silicone grease on your finger you can polish un-curred e-putty to a smooth as glass finish. Perhaps if an internal backer (pvc?) was coated in silicone grease and placed inside the pt pressing firmly against a slotted side (something close to the pt ID) the slots could be puttied in with an internal finish smooth enough to seal against.



#316618 A.R.M.A.G.E.D.D.O,N!

Posted by shmmee on 06 June 2012 - 05:47 PM in Nerf Wars

As much as I enjoyed road trippin from Utah to war with you guys for the past two years, I'm going to be sitting this one out. Don't forget to post pics of the event so I can live vicariously through them!



#340428 Diy: External Air Tank

Posted by shmmee on 16 July 2014 - 08:00 AM in Homemades

Wow. I think that's a necro that's worth a re-read. I'm actually kinda intriuged with the bug sprayer tank option (provided it's clean and clear of chemicals). They're large capacity and are built and designed with pump and suitable oprv. They'll weigh a lot less than any metal hard tank as well. I think they would be crazy cheap and easy to dump in a backpack and run with... I wonder what pressure the oprv pops at...



#318390 SLANE

Posted by shmmee on 12 July 2012 - 06:28 PM in Nerf Wars

Hello and welcome to the first St Louis Area Nerf Event!

Which is no to be confused with S.L.A.N.G. (salt lake area nerf geeks) whose wars are also advertised on this site... When I remember to post them...

Dude, our factions must share some distant relative or something ...



#362314 THIS one simple design will have you in TEARS...

Posted by shmmee on 23 January 2018 - 11:33 AM in Homemades

late af to this but, were constant force springs mentioned instead of rubber bands? I think those work pretty well, based on the "Milan Mags/Swordfish Mags" 

also I cry that this thing hasn't been further developed as it looks really cool 

Bob O'Bob (if memory serves) once posted a write up on another site (years and years ago) where he used constant force springs curling up into a half circumference of brass to lift a follower. The tail simply ran to the top of the mag and snuggled up against the darts. It's an idea that has stuck with me since it could double the capacity of a 3" wide mag by splitting the mag into two chambers for two columns of half length darts. So, random thought, why not just cut a stock mag in half and print a flat back to stick onto the stock mag? You'd get two mags by sacrificing one stock mag (and what nerfer doesn't have a pile of useless 6 round mags to experiment with? Granted, the printed mags do look beautiful. I've never taken apart a "retract-a-badge" so I don't know what diameter they curl up into, but they may be a cheap and easy source of a doner constant force spring.

 

At the very least, the rubber-bands will have a limited lifespan and travel length in comparison to a CF spring. Less foam crushing power too.




#297648 Improving accuracy and precision

Posted by shmmee on 28 April 2011 - 01:36 PM in Darts and Barrels

Only problem with drilling ports in a barrel is deburring the inside.

I'm no gunsmith, but ports should be placed close to the tip of the barrel. I'd guess towards the last 1/2" to 1/4". Should be easy to clean out with a small knife, or hobby file. You are right though, there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to deburr drilled ports holes. My first instinct would be to grab a .5" drill bit. But if the drill bit expands the barrel ID enough for air to pass around the dart - you've defeated the purpose of the ports.



#297619 Improving accuracy and precision

Posted by shmmee on 27 April 2011 - 01:56 PM in Darts and Barrels

When I do test the rifled barrels vs smooth bore, I think I'll throw in a ported barrel as well - though I don't know what the "optimum" barrel length is for my PAS. (Using 10" of cpvc. Dart fit is certainly snug, but not "twist fit".) If I got lucky and nailed the perfect barrel length solely on guess work, porting won't display any effect. Maybe I'll have to test two additional short barrels (5" or so) ported, and unported to see if there is any difference. If porting can be proven to make a difference in a mid power blaster like my stock PAS, it should have an even greater effect on the high end ones like snaps.

Ooh! Porting a barrel may be an easy, effective way check your barrel length! Coat the ports very lightly with dish soap or other bubble blowing solution, and fire a dart. No bubbles, or bubble solution inside the tip barrel = too long of a barrel, you're drawing a vacuum before the dart leaves the barrel. If you get bubbles, that means there is excess pressure that could of been used to accelerate the dart. If it just sputters violently, it's too short. That's purely theoretical of course. I don't know if ports on a barrel can even blow bubbles. Perhaps a similar test can be done with a weak tape (painters tape), or glitter/chalk line dust. The chalk line dust may work better with only a single small port drilled.



#297739 Improving accuracy and precision

Posted by shmmee on 30 April 2011 - 10:42 PM in Darts and Barrels

Firstly, Boot - you rock! Is there any chance of getting some of that footage posted, or possibly even re-shooting and comparing non ported and ported barrels? That kind of testing can really only be done effectively with a high speed camera.

Secondly, the initial (and objective) testing I've done with rifling (comparing a gentle 18:1 twist, a tight 9:1 twist and a smooth bore have been so obviously against rifling that I've had a tough time forcing my self to set up the "precision shooting through paper test" I promised everyone and gather hard data. The darts weighted with a #6 washer swam like a fishy when shot out of the rifled barrel. I shot a heavier silicone head dart, and that looked like it flew perfectly straight, but it almost torqued the head off after the second shot. It's possible I'm not using a heavy enough dart. I think I'm going to have to wait till my 3 rd generation silicone head darts are done before doing more testing. They'll have more surface area to bond with an may be able to handle the stresses better. They'll also be heavier than the #6 washer. I also added a ls spring to my pas, which allows me to add another 2 inches to the barrel (confirmed by comparative testing 10" to 12") So the fishtailing with the 10" rifled barrels may be caused by the increase in power and not the rifling. I could add ports to the tip, but I only want to change one variable at a time while testing.



#297965 NIC Homemades Creation Contest

Posted by shmmee on 10 May 2011 - 01:28 PM in News

-Your blaster must shoot standard "nerf" ammunition. This means any current acceptable homemade ammo or Nerf stock darts, etc. No death darts, paintballs, airsoft, or any of that bullshit. This shouldn't be hard.
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Are discs now considered standard "nerf" ammunition? Laugh all you want, but I'm thinking of welcoming the vortex line by doing a homemade disc shooter.



#348259 Hasbro's Homemades: A look at prototypes from the Nerf design team

Posted by shmmee on 07 August 2015 - 08:42 AM in News

I've really appreciated the prototype pics.

My child hood dream was to work with hasbro's R&D team designing nerf blasters. It's been exceptionally cool to see that as modders we really aren't too far off from where they start their designs too. They have more resources once they get to the production stages, but the early builds? It's poly carb, hot glue a 3d printer and what ever they've got laying around. I'll be geeking out over these pics for days.



#348540 How To Choose The Best Nerf Gun For A Small Child. ?

Posted by shmmee on 27 August 2015 - 01:08 PM in General Nerf

Tobias, You'd be suprised how uncommon "common sense" can be. There is an age appropriateness to blasters that even I've managed to overlook when shopping for a younger nerfer. For example, I bought my 4 year old a rebel messenger for christmas. Guess what? She can barely prime it and when she does she flexes the priming bar upwords a full inch because she lacks the wrist strength needed to hold the pistol handle steady. My 3 year old had to learn to not squeeze the trigger when priming his doublestrike blaster so the hammer would catch. Both blasters probably could of been a little better chosen and I picked them out myself, and I've been nerfing since the Bn'A was on the shelves.

I've found panthers and jolt esque' blasters to be a fantastic fit for smaller younger hands. The mechanical advantage gained in air powered blasters is a huge assistance for smaller arms. Give a small kid a titan to play with and you'll be his hero for the day. Since they can be pumped on the ground like a floorstanding bike pump any kid who can lift the thing will feel like the biggest bad*** ever - and you don't have to worry about them loosing an eye if they decide to shoot themselves in the face. (which will happen!!!)

Ducnha, you're absolutely right about avoiding clip fed blasters and slide to prime blasters. Simple front loaders are the way to go for young nerfers.



#338527 Dart and Barrels pictures thread

Posted by shmmee on 28 April 2014 - 09:37 AM in Darts and Barrels

I think this thread deserves documentation of my "auto blanker".

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The back cam stops the foam - measuring the length as the front cam (with attached razor blade) spins around and cuts it. A wet-dry vac provides suction that feeds the foam. In the full speed operation video it cuts 100' of foam in 3min 44 seconds - though the drill battery was almost dead at that point in the night. With a full battery on low gear (high gear makes it jam up) it cut 100' in a little over 2 min.

Slow operation video (click to view):
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Full speed operation video (click to view)... Photo bucket refuses to let me upload over my current slow internet connection. I'll have to get it up once I get back to a more stable connection.


Ends come up perfectly square, length is incredibly consistent. It's a beautiful result!

Write up is pending - but coming. Right now I'm focusing on the production and sale of cut blanks. (Shameless plug warning)
pre cut beige foam sale link



#336964 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 09 February 2014 - 09:45 PM in Nerf Wars

To any who might be interested in carpooling - I'll be leaving SLC, UT Thursday evening, over nighting in misquote , and driving to Glendora Friday afternoon, leaving back to SLC Sunday morning (the entire drive in one day). We have 3 going (2 of which are supervising nerfing adults - myself being one of them) in a van that seats 7. If any of your itinerary fits into that schedule and you would like to catch a ride let me know. You would have to pitch in a share of gas as well as pay for your own lodging (my group has booked a room Friday, Saturday nights at Garden inns and suites, Thursday night will be a cheap $25 motel)



#336504 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 16 January 2014 - 02:47 PM in Nerf Wars

Move me from the maybe list to the definate list (it's Shmmee - not "Schmee" <_< ).
- I've booked my hotel room (Garden Inn & Suites - if any other out of towners feel like taking the place over with me.) I've e-mailed them asking about a potential group discount but haven't heard anything back.

I'm still looking for more direction on darts and blasters. Who is going to be having the final approval for field use? Is it still SCUN?

I'm hoping to run with silicone ammo again (I'll be willing to send out samples of gumdrops 2.0 and (once I complete some more development) 3.0) I'm also hoping to run with a modified air blaster - but I know some nerfers (specifically on the east coast)have significant reservations about those. Dead space in the pump tube physically (and permanently) limits pressure to 15-20 psi, I also plan on reducing the tank (it's currently at the stock volume which is huge!). Once done it will have a 3 round burst RSCB and other innovative features. I know it won't be granted approval via the net - I'm just wondering who I'm going to need to be sending dart samples to / bribing for approval.

I'll be sure to bring back-ups just in case.

P.S. I'll be driving from Salt Lake City to 'geddon. If anyone between here and there or can get to SLC on Thursday the 19th (my departure date) would like to jump in /carpool/ pitch in on gas let me know. I've currently got 3 (seats 4-5) in my car but can take the van (seats 7) if needed.



#339750 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 24 June 2014 - 09:09 AM in Nerf Wars

Wow. That was a war to remember! Great company to road trip with - Thanks to Spoof (my sister), Jen, (friend of spoof) and NaturalMan7 (who shall forever be know to S.L.A.N.G. as "Kittens") You all made the 10 hour drive from Utah a joy and a pleasure. We nearly had to pull over in the last hour, we were laughing so hard. My van is a T.A.R.D.I.S! Whoda thunk?

Fantastic war, as well! It was great meeting so many new faces, as well as seeing a few familiar ones as well. The guys that flew in from the east coast were all studs. I really need to make it out to an Apoc someday.

That was a fantastic venue! It had the best mix of close quarters and long range I'd ever seen. I absolutely loved the freeze tag and lunch time speed rounds. I'll definitely be bringing them back home to play in Utah. It was hilarious watching the younger nerfers absolutely dominate the speed rounds! Watching the little lady with the single shot paint ball pistol own round after round was especially incredible.

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#339281 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 02 June 2014 - 09:30 AM in Nerf Wars

I'm definitely confirmed, currently with +4 in my carpool but +5 is more likely.



#333907 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 10 September 2013 - 08:30 AM in Nerf Wars

Any rules on darts and blasters yet? I'd just like too...plan ahead.

Historically 'geddon has been friendly to some of the more creative darts. I'm hoping they'll continue that. I'd like to introduce a new re-development of Gumdrop darts (gumdrops 2.0).



#332401 Last Armageddon (Armageddon XV)

Posted by shmmee on 28 July 2013 - 01:47 PM in Nerf Wars

That... Sounds too rare to miss! It's a bit early to count me as a definite, but put me down as a very strong maybe.



#320647 2012 Nerf War Schedule

Posted by shmmee on 18 August 2012 - 05:47 PM in Nerf Wars


August:
[url=http://nerfhaven.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23024-url]25th [UT] S.L.A.N.G. [/url]



#282559 The Snap-7 Microbow

Posted by shmmee on 09 August 2010 - 02:46 PM in Homemades

I normally read, appreciate and keep my mouth shut unless i actually have something to contribute, but that's too cool to not comment on. I love that you use the elasticity of pvc instead of a spring. Your design pays a great homage back to the classic days of nerfing. I'm deffinately going to have to ad that to my list of things to build.



#360818 Armageddon XVIII: SoCal's Largest NIC War (6/24/17) NOW RECAPPING

Posted by shmmee on 28 June 2017 - 10:15 AM in Nerf Wars

It was a great war! I was so thrilled to have been able to make the trip out again - even though it was a last minute, poorly prepaired mad dash of a decision. 

 

Pros:

*Watching Langly quietly eliminating every single member of a 5 man team for two speed rounds in a row. He picked us all off with brutal precision and I can honestly say that it was the most beautiful display of nerfing i'd ever witnessed - even though i was on the opposing team both times.

*My cell phone holster acting as a codpiece against cannonballs zing arrow. Thank the nerfy gods that my holster was on the front of my belt! It was one of those situations where I could trace the flightpath, time froze and I knew there wasn't a dang thing I could do to change the outcome (besides squealing like a little girl as i braced for impact). Sometimes ya just get lucky.

*getting two tags with my gas station suction cup-on-a-stick shooter pistol.

*All of my blasters functioning for the entire time! That's a 'geddon first for me.

*Great rounds and fantastic organization. The playing card distribution was absolutely brilliant!!! It made deciding teams as smooth as butter. So many variations to pick from. red backs vs blue backs, suits, colors, numbers vs royalty... awesome. We were all able to keep the same card the entire day and teams changed fluidly and quickly.

*Thrifting a cool hat that actually fit my giant noggin. No nerfs found, but i've been looking for a non-ball cap hat for ages.

*Aggressively running my buzz saw during the final round of 3-15. Didn't get any tags, but team-dartsweep for the win!

*The face cards vs numbers round of freeze tag. Numbers had so many more players but team face card had most of the high powered and most experienced nerfers. It just balanced out beautifully. It was like a plauge of ants fighting a few grasshoppers. 

*Catching a pre war dinner with Bags and picking up a few more ballistic balls, a weird Tyco double barrel shotgun and a high quality hand crafted wand from the kindness of him and his shop. You're a class act Baghead. 

*Only two welts - both from Zeke, both were gut shots straight to the belly button. The second was intended for the guy running up behind me to tag me back in but his blaster is cursed with a sadistic spirit that grows stronger as it feeds on pain so it opted to drop one welt right on top of the previous one instead targeting the guy behind me. It was  great moment, A great painful moment but a great moment none the less.

 

Cons:

*Forgetting my team colors had changed during the first round of carpe and spending the first half of the round railing my own team mates with my a a bow. I am so, so, so sorry! Carpe has always confused me. Im not sure why, Its a semi simple game but the strategy of it just goes all to crap in my head once the Adrenalin of nerfing gets mixed in. That was not a proud moment for me and I felt like an absolute noob-doofus for the rest of the morning. I am ashamed and I really can't apologize enough.

*$4.50 a gal gas and a communal urinal fountain trough at a Philips 66 gas station outside of Barstow. I've never seen so much nope in a single gas station. 




#360821 Armageddon XVIII: SoCal's Largest NIC War (6/24/17) NOW RECAPPING

Posted by shmmee on 28 June 2017 - 12:05 PM in Nerf Wars

 

Oh man, I feel bad laughing about it, but this is a great description. I'm so sorry, I saw that second one start to curve in flight and my eyes got wide and there was nothing I could do because you were frozen and couldn't get out of the way. Every once in a while, an Artifact gets a mind of its own and decides to go on an adventure. I accidentally hit a teammate of mine in the back during one of the last rounds, I managed to hit Ryan's blaster at about two hundred feet purely by chance via a corkscrewing dart, and I hit Zorn in the shoulder while he was taking photos because a dart decided it would rather dive-bomb him instead of continue on the arc on which it was shot.

Ha, ha. Don't stress it. The artifact dart gut shots and the zing bow crotch shot was probably just karma balancing out my cosmic ledger after my own carpe confusion.

 

...and i'm definitely using that playing card team picking method at my family reunion this weekend.




#360569 Armageddon XVIII: SoCal's Largest NIC War (6/24/17) NOW RECAPPING

Posted by shmmee on 14 June 2017 - 09:53 AM in Nerf Wars

Screw it. I'm in! Jumping in a carpool as they pass through from Wyoming.




#357730 Koosh Vortex Tornado Scans (Now a shell replica concept thread)

Posted by shmmee on 30 January 2017 - 11:08 AM in Homemades

I don't think it's come up yet but what about "sand casting" off of an altered and optimized 3d printed part? I've looked into sand casting before. nearly all of the components are diy build-able including the forge. Sand and oil is cheap (way cheaper than silicone), aluminum can be bought as scrap and melted down. and you get a metal frame once you're done. It does make a rough surface though due to the coarseness of the sand. so there will be some finish work needed. There are also hazards though. If theirs any moisture on any tools that interact with the molten aluminum it flashes to steam and explodes molten metal everywhere so tools need to be preheated to melt off any water. Once the hazards are mitigated with procedure and PPE sand casting might be a very strong option. I don't know how thin walled a cast can get, but an aluminum shell could take any spring we could physically draw.  Also with sand casting you could literally build the reworked internal supports out of cardboard hot glue and duct tape and the casting would duplicate them in metal. I'd bet a complete sand casting setup could be assembled for less than $100. And an aluminum shell - already reinforced for drop in internals? That's got to be a tempting final product.

 

Side note - I just brought home a new 3d printer with a massive 300x300x400 cm (roughly 12"x12"x16") build area. I'm semi inexperienced when it comes to printing and a complete noob when it comes to 3d design but I'd be happy to try to print anything that might contribute to this challenge. 

 

Secondary side note, a contract company I work with has occasional access to a high end laser scanner (It can read stamping the 1/4" tall stamping on a flange from 30' away, and pick up the raised surface of a sticker on a flat surface) and I'm reasonably friendly with the guy who runs it. the next time we have a reason to bring the scanner in I'll try to have a gutted x bow make an appearance on site so it can be used as a "calibration test". I really don't know when the next chance is going to be for that though - could be weeks, months or never. If - and I do mean *if* i can scan a x bow or a tgg shell do we have any render experts I can punt the plans to for tweaking? are there any other super coveted blasters that I should add to the scanning short list? The cyber stryke Defender T3 pistol perhaps? (defender T3>any other pistol released due to plunger volume and overall sexyness level IMHO.)




#310013 Wrist Mounted Flywheel Gauntlet Blaster

Posted by shmmee on 24 January 2012 - 08:22 AM in Homemades

I like how it's basic enough to simply slap onto the side of nearly any sized blaster. Especially if the blaster already has an internal battery pack (NF, firefly...) Though those only have a pair of AA's, instead of a trio of AAA's.



#310222 Wrist Mounted Flywheel Gauntlet Blaster

Posted by shmmee on 27 January 2012 - 04:01 PM in Homemades

To expound on Langleys linear clip idea - use a "retract-a-badge" as your spring and cord to pull darts towards the flywheels and an actuating escapement arm to limit dart feed to one per cycle. That would be the simple solution...

Though the arm mounted drum clip looks pretty friggin' cool.



#340877 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 01 August 2014 - 11:50 AM in Darts and Barrels

My secret sauce just means that foam pulls off with the dart head, but dart heads still fall off after a few wars. I don't really care because slugs fall apart after just 1 war if the ground is wet at all (or sometimes fall off in the middle of the war) and glue domes have a lifespan drastically limited by trees.

I'm mixing GE Silicone II with DAP Alex Plus which seems to lower viscosity better than mineral spirits but contains such marvelous things as Formaldehyde http://www.dap.com/docs/msds/10002.pdf

Well, if you're pulling foam along with the head I'm convinced. Maybe I'll try mixing rubber cement in on a separate batch and see if that sticks without the formaldehyde.



#340869 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 31 July 2014 - 11:50 PM in Darts and Barrels

I've had almost no adhesion problems with my foam->silicone stems. Its possible that because all of my stems injects are mixed with the something that isn't pure silicone and contains some pretty toxic solvents that it is forming a better bond to the foam. Also possible is that using the plastic baggie I can really get all of the silicone mix into the dart blanks. The final possibility is that the foam I'm using (MHA Pink) is just denser/less porous than the beige you're using (from looking at your picture).

I've heard about using a combination of rubber cement and superglue to prime and adhere silicone to foam, but that seems like a very painstaking process unless you are molding your domes with the stems and then doing final assembly of just inserting stems into molds.

I might pick up a box of walmart Q-tips and rubber cement and a tub of CA glue and see if I can replicate this since I do have a stem mold.


Beige foam is much more poreous, but oddly enough I've found a stronger bond between bare foam and silicone if it's more pourous. White foam had poor adhesion and amazon grey (very tight pours) had no adhesion at all. Our third version of gumdrops (gumdrops 3.0 - still mid development) is based around sticking a drilled blank in one side of a form and spackleing silicone onto the other side - filling the head cavities as well as filling the drilled blank - attaching the head to the blank as the silicone cures. The problem we've been having has been bond strength. Heads fall off after a few wars. Adhesion has been the last great hurdle preventing us from completing development. 3.0 construction really is as simple as drilling blanks, sticking them in one side of the form, spackleing silicone into the other, scraping off the excess silicone, dabbing a wad of dryer lint on top of the uncured heads (the loose fibers of the lint pull off and stick to the tops of the un-cured heads for perma-hopperability) and popping hundreds of completed darts out of the form once cured. Construction is stupid simple and crazy efficient, we just need the durability improved.

Zorn, I'd love to hear more about your secret sauce for stronger bonds! PM me if you're not comfortable discussing toxic mixes where younger nerfers might get themselves injured. If you can help us with that last problem, we should be able to finally wrap up development of a high rate of production metal free dart option!



#340844 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 31 July 2014 - 01:25 PM in Darts and Barrels

*edit* double post. Sorry about that.



#340800 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 30 July 2014 - 08:19 AM in Darts and Barrels

Pro tip:
For anyone who wants and off the shelf blank holder - cookie cooling racks with 1/2" spacing works fantastically well with no modification needed. Holds hundreds of darts reasonably straight for filling. It's a little discovery my Mrs. wishes I had never made.

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Zorn -

How's the bond strength on your domes? I'm still working with a small group on the development of gumdrops 3.0 and our big challenge has been bond strength and dart longevity. The heads kept falling off of our 2.0 versions. Following a tip from another nerfer - we've found rubber cement to be a fair adhesive (Finally! Something that adheres to silicone!!!) and have started priming the holes in our blanks with it. Adhesion has significantly improved, but we haven't been able to experiment much further with that development. I would love to actually see a little foam come off with the head if pulled hard enough to decapatate.

*I haven't noticed any swollen loss of density (that would be interesting to weigh and find out how much weight (if any) is sacrificed) but I have noticed significantly softer heads and easier fill if I mix in some mineral spirits with the silicone before adding corn starch.

*Not all brands of silicone cure faster with corn starch. Rather than make a list of what works, I simply suggest going to walmart and buying the $3 opaque tube with the black lettering. It's half the price of most other silicone caulks and cure time is accelerated with the addition of corn starch. It reeks - but it works and it's cheap.
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*I completely agree with you on the sandwich bags! My Bans were failures (too light), but filling was fast and easy squeezing the silicone out of a bag.



#321064 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 26 August 2012 - 05:50 PM in Darts and Barrels

I really like where this is going. I've been thinking about trying to either "free hand" a dome onto a VANS, or siliconing a dart tip and briefly pressing the dart into a mold dusted with cornstarch to shape the dome. If a dome is shaped and removed from the mold to cure - do you think it will hold its shape? That way only one dome would be needed to shape domes as you went, instead of needing a bunch of domes to make a sheet. A dome centered under a 1/2" hole could produce consistently centered domes (in theory)

What's the average finished weight of your domed darts? The main killing point to VANS that I've attempted has been that they've been too light.



#340846 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 31 July 2014 - 01:31 PM in Darts and Barrels

The problem with using paper over the top is that only cornstarch-laden silicone would still cure. Unless you used something like regular paper, so it was still permeable. That might actually solve some of the adhesion problems too.

True! My earlier gumdrops have often used felt as a binding anchor because of the absolute death grip the silicone and hot glue formed with it. It was so painflully slow to cut out though, it killed the concept. Even pre-punched felt discs were tiresome. I'm not sure silicone will bond with paper. It was a good bond (but not death-grip) with denim. Denim is far more porus than paper, but stranger things have happened. Maybe we can back the heads on a paper sheet, soak the sheet of heads to strip away most of the paper and still have enough paper left to bond between silicone and foam? All we really need is something that will bond to both...heck maybe throwing a headed up felt sheet in the wash will be enough to separate the heads while leaving some felt to anchor too? I think I have a small sheet of gumdrop 2.0 heads somewhere. That just might be worth a try actually!



#340836 "Freehand" Molded Silicone Domes

Posted by shmmee on 31 July 2014 - 08:26 AM in Darts and Barrels

I've noticed that if you don't scrape right, you can end up with messed up domes. One side of bottoms of the domes can have too much silicone and they'll be crooked on the foam or the scraper can stick to the silicone and pull material out of the holes, ruining the bottom and even the sides of the domes.

I've seen that happen to my gumdrops as well and just had a thought: What if a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper (since I'm all about kitchen tools at the moment) was placed on top of the mold and then scraped? It might be able to squeeze off the excess with out dragging un-due silicone out of the holes. It should be easy to peel the heads off the paper once cured.



#291916 Homemade Magstrike Piston And Write-up

Posted by shmmee on 31 December 2010 - 11:38 AM in Homemades

Seriously awesome first post! I think it's safe to say that that we're all looking forward to seeing where you go with this next. What psi were you running at for that test? 80' full - auto? That will be a serious gun to contend with if you aren't spending your entire time pumping.

A write up explaining magstrike piston theory was done by "Gas Mask Guy" and can be found here:

Magstrike Firing Mechanism Autopsy



#299027 Gumdrop heads

Posted by shmmee on 30 May 2011 - 11:22 PM in Darts and Barrels

I did some more developmental work over the long weekend.

Everything is still curing in the forms, but here's what I've tried doing differently:

Increased diameter to 7/16" (1/4" tall), and a flat conical shape. (increases surface area, and mass)

Tipped the dart heads by dropping a felt disc down each individual head form prior to fill.

Bought a hollow punch set and a 1lb dead blow hammer (plastic hammer filled with pellets that transfer all of the energy into the object it's striking). Tried punching single felt discs out of felt (felt is substantially cheaper off of a bolt from a fabric store. I bought a full square yard for $2.39) It was difficult to punch through a single thickness of felt, but after folding it over into 6 layers, it punched well, with about 4 blows from the hammer. It also made 6 discs per 4-5 swings.

I placed a disc in each head form, but they shifted, and rode up the sides of the wall, so I coated the back of the form with packing tape, and stuck the discs to the tape in the bottom of the form. That solved the shifting, and kept them in place while filling.

Everything else was done as normal.

I'm concerned - due to the difficulty of punching through a single sheet - that it may be difficult to use the punch to separate the heads from the backer felt. I was using a scrap piece of maple floor board to pound on. Would some sort of softer material be more effective as a pounding board? Some sort of rubber, or a pine stump (facing the grain) or sacrificial layer of felt glued to the board help to make punching out discs and heads more effective?

I'll get pictures up when I can. Thanks all.



#299846 Gumdrop heads

Posted by shmmee on 14 June 2011 - 08:19 AM in Darts and Barrels

Drilled out some more holes and made another batch of about 30 darts.
Is everyone using a paint stir stick to poke the oogoo into the holes? I prefer using my fingers... or if possible, a plastic-coated wooden rod about the same diameter as the tip diameter. Makes sure you get the oogoo all the way in, and it's pretty quick. Then smear some more over and repeat.

The amount of cornstarch may also affect the smell... if it acts as a catalyst, more vinegar smell is generated, and it's generated faster.

Edit: On felt: You should be looking for felt that does NOT fall apart easily - fluffy felt makes bumpy/unbalanced dart heads.


Darksircam: Thanks for helping to keep this concept alive!

With a solid piece form I did have some difficulty getting the air pockets out, and the form filled, about 1 of 20 heads were defective because of that. With a 2 piece form - It's much easier because air can escape between the boards as oogoo is pushed in.

The instructables site suggests wrapping anything you want to use as a spatula in "Gorilla tape" (gorilla [same brand as gorilla glue]brand duct tape. Cured oogoo will peel off easily from that stuff.

My experiment of "outsourcing" dart production to my sister is going well. She's had a 1 or 2 batch learning curve (first batch the backing felt wasn't pressed into the oogoo enough, so there was a poor bond to the felt), But I'm now confidant that anyone with a form and the patience can make these.

I've slapped a PTEG'd 7.5" RF20 turret onto a big salvo. I don't know what ranges are compared to slugs, but the 20 shots I took (minus the few from a belligerent tank) averaged 75'. The max was 99, min was 54'. That is a pretty big spread, not sure why, though I suspect turret seal issues. I don't know how slugs would compare, but I'm at least hitting war worthy ranges with these darts.



#298896 Gumdrop heads

Posted by shmmee on 28 May 2011 - 10:33 PM in Darts and Barrels

Another idea is to put a sheet of felt clamped in between the two boards, but then they would be harder to punch out, because you cannot put the head through the punch prior to punching through the felt.

This is the first thought to strike my mind when trying to tip the gumdrop heads, but further thought of a mold with felt on top, felt on bottom, and cured oogoo - perma-bonded to both sides of felt cured in the middle - turning the mold into an oogoo sandwich steered me away from it. Individual pre-cut dots are probably the best way to go.