354 replies to this topic

[A side of nerf]

+bow Rev 1, made from cheaper materials.



Cost: $30.00

[Soothsayer]

A side of nerf, on Jul 5 2009, 02:24 PM, said:

+bow Rev 1, made from cheaper materials.



Cost: $30.00

You've sparked my interest. I demand a materials list. Please c:

[A side of nerf]

I cut cost buy ordering as little as possible from mcmaster and buying in smaller quantities from local stores (Ace, Home Depot, Lowes, etc...) However, I had to purchase some items from McMaster. The items include:

90309A154 - Zinc-Plated Brass Unthreaded Round Spacer 3/8" OD, 1/4" Length, #6 Screw Size = $0.57 Each (2)

91780A125 - Aluminum Female Threaded Hex Standoff 1/4" Hex, 3/8" Length, 6-32 Screw Size = $0.34 Each (2)

91780A131 - Aluminum Female Threaded Hex Standoff 1/4" Hex, 3/4" Length, 6-32 Screw Size = $0.44 Each (3)

91780A337 - Aluminum Female Threaded Hex Standoff 1/4" Hex, 1-1/2" Length, 6-32 Screw Size = $0.78 Each (2)

9657K39 - Steel Compression Spring Music Wire, 1" L, 1/4" OD, .020" Wire Diameter = $6.04 per Pack of 12

Main Spring:
+ Purchased from a fellow NIC member

1/4 inch Polycarbonate:
+ borrowed spare sheet from a local NIC member

Screws:
+ Purchased at local hardware stores

Rubber Washer:
+ Purchased at same store and matched with the PVC below

Plunger Tube:
+ 1 inch PVC from the scrap section (minumum 12 inches)

Stock:
+ 1/2 inch Wood Dowel

Plunger rod:
+ Scrap aluminum cut to the rev 1 plunger rod standards.

Really, it's not going to be a uniform process, I just looked at the supplies I had and made do.

[Lt Stefan]

Could I use a miter saw with a wood blade to cut the nylon rod and pc tube? I use it to cut PVC and it works great.

[mcm909]

[quote name='A side of nerf' date='Jul 5 2009, 11:24 AM' post='240290']
+bow Rev 1, made from cheaper materials.



What is for sale the + bow or pistol i will probably buy the + bow if it is 30.

[A side of nerf]

It's not for sale...

[BeastBoy]

A side of nerf, on Jul 5 2009, 11:24 AM, said:

+bow Rev 1, made from cheaper materials.



Cost: $30.00

Never mind.

Edited by BeastBoy, 13 July 2009 - 02:56 AM.

[Hipponater]

Finally finished up 5 +bows...







Used mine at a war (the one with the rscb holder) this weekend, it worked pretty well, thanks for the design, Slug.

Three of them will be for sale, I'll post a thread probably tomorrow, or you can PM me now if you're interested.

[Judging Eagle]

I've got a question regarding the plunger rod material, in some of the earlier (1-7) pages people discussed the plunger rod needing to be replaced due to the stress that is applied to it.

I know that plunger rod has been rebuilt once in aluminum in one version of the +bow, and I think that there have been one or two other plastic plunger rods that were built in variant constructions of this rather incredible piece of work*.

Would it be possible to substitute the plunger rod with a length of threaded rod (steel)? I know that the the "catches" would need a work-around, since you can't cut the material due to it being very different from the standard plunger rod material.

However I was thinking that a substitute could be found be building catch-plates that are held in place along the rod with locking bolts.


*:
[this is more a community analysis discussion, the +bow being the main reason]

I think that any "fan" community seems to reach its highest level of development when they're able to produce products that not only are on-par with already manufactured/produce products, but is then able to produce material that rivals manufactured goods. That's one of my main interests in the +bow, as it's development, and furthermore it's acceptance and use by the community signals the incredible maturity and talent of this specific forum.

I've seen a similar level of community evolution on an other forum, where a large bulk of the regular members have learned the skills and methods to both critique, improve and create new material that nearly always is better than the originally created material.

Of course, this was originally the result of a pair of individuals who produced a large amount of content, and then inspired other people to keep adding new content. Much in the same way that CaptainSlug is the main person behind the +bow project.

The +bow, and it's revisions by CaptainSlug are very interesting; CaptainSlug probably put in a lot of time into the start of this project (somewhere in the dozens if not hundreds of hours, developing, testing and manufacturing), and now it's been given tons of extra feedback and revision ideas that have been incorporated into the latest design.

In terms of fandom, you guys aren't really fans anymore, since you've gone beyond using existing content for your own purposes, and have started generating wholey new content based on the original content that is superior to the original content. That's actually rather impressive from an outside point of view.

You guys are the equivalent of a fanfiction community taking something like say... "Star Wars", and writing, and filming what was written, so that it doesn't suck with the lameness that is George Lucas' "directing". I'm not really a member of this community, but I'm glad that you guys have done this.

[Ice Nine]

Judging Eagle, on Jul 31 2009, 12:29 PM, said:

WHOA THAT'S A LOT OF TEXT.

I'm fairly certain that the initial pages of this thread are dedicated to the revision one +bow, which used a piece of polycarb for the plunger rod rather than a nylon rod. The only time I have heard of the nylon plunger rod breaking is when Venom fired his without a plunger tube on it. Mine has been through numerous wars and many, many rounds without any signs of stress.

Sorry Busta, I just prefer to lay blame on Venom in any situation involving him.

Edited by Ice Nine, 31 July 2009 - 04:12 PM.

[BustaNinja]

Ice Nine, on Jul 31 2009, 11:30 AM, said:

Judging Eagle, on Jul 31 2009, 12:29 PM, said:

WHOA THAT'S A LOT OF TEXT.

I'm fairly certain that the initial pages of this thread are dedicated to the revision one +bow, which used a piece of polycarb for the plunger rod rather than a nylon rod. The only time I have heard of the nylon plunger rod breaking is when Venom fired his without a plunger tube on it. Mine has been through numerous wars and many, many rounds without any signs of stress.

It was Venom's FRIEND.

Yeah, the Nylon plunger rods already hold up great. They are springy, very dense, and hella strong. You shouldn't need to worry about it (If that was indeed what your wall of test was about Eagle. I got kinda confused)

[Judging Eagle]

Nah, the wall is more about how I find that truly mature communities focused on something end up not only modifying existing products, but actually surpassing already manufactured products. The +bow literally blows everything out of the water from what I see here.

I don't really nerf, so making a +bow isn't a priority for me right now, but it is a very interesting example of what a highly evolved fan community can create.

[VACC]

Judging Eagle, on Jul 31 2009, 06:00 PM, said:

I don't really nerf, so making a +bow isn't a priority for me right now, but it is a very interesting example of what a highly evolved fan community can create.

Hear that Sluggy? You're a community now. You need to get a fucking newsletter out to yourself stat!

[BustaNinja]

What do you do when you can't choose a primary...

Made by RyanMcNumbers.

I just wanted to show what you can do if you really really want to.

[MyRealName]

I am in the number crunching phase of (pre)building some +bows. I was wondering: since a good year or so has passed on some people's bows, is there any Preventive Maintenance that I should plan for while I am doing the math? I see that a lot of the initial problems have worked their way out now through time and that the design is a solid one. I just would like to get a head start on keeping my equipment up at the fullest capacity.

Is anyone noticing loss of performance through time? Is there need for a spring replacement after a certain number of shots/ time passage?
Should the plunger tube be cleaned and re-lubed at a certain frequency?
Should the plunger head ever need reworking to keep up the ranges?
Does the buttstock ever show signs of warping over time?
Are there any pieces of the gun that receive a large amount of force start showing signs of wear or wiggle?

In the end, if anyone has any maintenance guides or general practices, I would appreciate the imparted knowledge.

Related to this: If one was to go to a war with this gun, what part salvo would you take with you in case of catastrophic failure? What should i machine now to have on hand if an emergency arises?

Thanks a lot guys, and I appreciate all the help.

[spartan062]

Would flattenned PVC be strong enough to make a +bow?

[Ryan201821]

MyRealName, on Aug 7 2009, 03:56 PM, said:

1)Is anyone noticing loss of performance through time?
2)Is there need for a spring replacement after a certain number of shots/ time passage?
3)Should the plunger tube be cleaned and re-lubed at a certain frequency?
4)Should the plunger head ever need reworking to keep up the ranges?
5)Does the buttstock ever show signs of warping over time?
6)Are there any pieces of the gun that receive a large amount of force start showing signs of wear or wiggle?
7)If one was to go to a war with this gun, what part salvo would you take with you in case of catastrophic failure? What should i machine now to have on hand if an emergency arises?

1)Not really, as long as you take care of your +bow.
2)It's not necessary. The spring compresses after using it for a while up to a 1/2" shorter. I haven't noticed a difference between having a well used spring and a brand new one. If it does make a difference, it's quite minimal.
3)I do. I'll usually clean it out and re-lube it after a war. It's nice to keep it clean. I guess you don't really have to if you don't want to.
4)No. Just lubing it, with the right lube.
5)I haven't seen it happen.
6)The very most front part of the gun where the threaded rod attaches the bushing to the polycarbonate takes a lot of stress. I've had several guns break there before. Make sure you don't overtighten the hex nut on the end of the threaded rod. You'll crack the plunger tube. The other part that takes a lot of stress is where the the two 1/8" pieces meet in the middle of the plunger tube. I've also had a few guns break there. My advise is to keep as much plastic in between the screw hole and the end of the piece as possible.
7)Those two parts I just mentioned. Everything else is pretty solid with normal use.

Quote

Would flattenned PVC be strong enough to make a +bow?

Why on earth would you do that?

[Bedhed117]

Ryan201821, on Aug 7 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Quote

Would flattenned PVC be strong enough to make a +bow?

Why on earth would you do that?

It's super cheap and doesn't have to be ordered from Mcmaster. If you used PVC you could make a plus bow for less than half the price.

Edited by Bedhed117, 07 August 2009 - 08:05 PM.

[BustaNinja]

Bedhed117, on Aug 7 2009, 06:05 PM, said:

Ryan201821, on Aug 7 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Quote

Would flattenned PVC be strong enough to make a +bow?

Why on earth would you do that?

It's super cheap and doesn't have to be ordered from Mcmaster. If you used PVC you could make a plus bow for less than half the price.

No you cant. PVC is prone to bending, and doesn't take well to being drilled and tapped.

Just buy Polycarbonate. Its cheap, and CS made it out of Polycarb for a reason, and his brain is massive. There is no need to undercut quality for price.

[spartan062]

BustaNinja, on Aug 7 2009, 08:16 PM, said:

Just buy Polycarbonate. Its cheap, and CS made it out of Polycarb for a reason, and his brain is massive. There is no need to undercut quality for price.

What if you can't afford Polycarbonate? Are there any alternatives?

[Hipponater]

spartan.062, on Aug 8 2009, 12:09 AM, said:

BustaNinja, on Aug 7 2009, 08:16 PM, said:

Just buy Polycarbonate. Its cheap, and CS made it out of Polycarb for a reason, and his brain is massive. There is no need to undercut quality for price.

What if you can't afford Polycarbonate? Are there any alternatives?

If you can't afford polycarbonate, you can't afford a +bow. Seriously.

There are no substitutes. It's great stuff to work with (cuts so nicely) and it's strong enough for the job.

[Bedhed117]

If you can't afford it then you should buy enough to make a few of them and then sell the rest. If they're well made then you'll make a ton of money and still get a +bow.

[spartan062]

Nevermind.

Edited by spartan.062, 08 August 2009 - 02:23 AM.

[CaptainSlug]

spartan.062, on Aug 8 2009, 12:33 AM, said:

What is the average cost/profit ratio?

That's is far outside the purpose of this thread, which is not intended to convince people why they should or should not make a +bow.

If you can't afford a +bow or don't have the tools or time needed to make your own, then just buy an Ertl Pump Shotgun or a Big Blast.

[Ryan201821]

Merzlin's +bow needed some tender loving care. It's good as new. The black/white one was done for a customer off the forums.