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[Ragornocks]

Modding Basics

A lot of people have trouble modding. They look at some of the seemingly more structured write-ups, and think "How do they do it that good? Mine looks like crap!" It's really not that hard. There are some simple rules and things you can do to help your modding process out.

First off, the location. You want a hard surface, but something that is okay to get scratched up. If need be, put a block of plywood down or something to protect it. Also, you're going to want a seat, because you may be here for awhile. A light is something good to have, too. If you are doing excessive gluing/painting, you may want to find a well ventilated area to do this. A heater or fan to control temperature is a good idea. You want to be comfortable. Good places for modding are workbenches in your garage or basement, or on a desk.

Materials. There are a couple of key things you will need. One is a Dremel, or other rotary tool. This small power tool will work wonders. Grab some spare parts to it. Also, a hot glue gun with plenty of spare glue. A multi-temp gun is a good investment. A surge protector may be needed for excessive tools. Okay,
onto the list of items: You should get various sizes of screwdrivers, needle nosed pliers, scissors, wire-cutters, duct tape, electrical tape, epoxy, Plumber's Goop, a ruler, spare rags/cloth, rubber bands, and a few knives. Also, keep several kinds of
pipe/tubing on hand. 1/2"schd. 40 PVC, 1/2" CPVC, a few 1/2" PVC couplers, and some vinyl tubing. All of the above is available at a Lowes or Home Depot, or similar hardware store, for low costs. If you can get your hands on it, find some brass tubing. Sold at most hobby stores, get a few feet, as it's sold in foot long intervals for about $2.50. The sizes you are most likely to work with are 17/32" and 9/16".

Now, you don't need everything above, but having it all will help. If you are going to record your work, you may want to get a paper and pencil to write your process down. If you have one, use a digital camera. Pictures are always nice, and a good set of pictures will always improve your mod write-up.

Onto the actual basics of modifying Nerf blasters. I'll divide it into two sections, air powered and spring powered blasters. Air powered guns have pumps and air tanks that hold the air until you release it by pulling the trigger. Spring guns have springs, plungers, and plunger tubes inside, and compress a spring with the plunger backwards, lock it in place, then release it when you shoot. First, a few basics. After you unscrew the gun, place a towel or cloth over the gun as you remove the case. This way, anything that flies out doesn't go shooting across the room. Hopefully, nothing will happen, and you can either remember the internals or take a picture before going on. It will help as you put it all back together.

Spring blasters are rather simple to modify. The general thing to do is replace the barrel with one more suited to the task. For guns with low air delivery, such as pistols, you most likely want a barrel that is slightly tight for your dart. For guns that deliver air slower but in greater amounts, such as old arrow shooting blasters, a tight fit that telescopes into a looser one works well. For reference, look at Cxwq's Darts and Barrels article on this site. Now, you also want to remove any air restriction that gets in the way of air flow. Make sure that the dart cannot get sucked into the plunger tube, however. If your barrel is directly connected, you may want a piece of brass or plastic at the back to prevent the dart from getting in there. Another common thing to do is either replace the spring with a stronger one or add rubber bands to the cocking handle outside the gun. This way, the plunger snaps forwards faster, generating a faster airflow.

Air guns are likewise easy. Don't be daunted by the seemingly complicated internals or ideas, it's actually quite simple. One of the main mods is to take the pump and fill the hole at the back of the pump handle with hot glue. This hole prevents over-pumping, and reduces the amount you can pump a gun. If you do this, make sure you don't pump it too much. When it starts getting hard, stop. Barrels for air guns should have a neutral fit in most cases with the dart. A fairly long barrel is good, though.

Hopefully, this has helped you understand modding basics and given you some useful hints in your modding process. Remember, we want to see your mods, so make sure you have good descriptions and pictures to match. It will make your mod seem much more professional.

~Ragornocks

[Jappo]

Nice Write up Rags.

I just want to comment that anyone who may not be pleased with their mod, or can't understand how to get it working, don't be afraid to ask. The main point of this is (I'm guessing) to show people how to mod, and refrain from asking ~Stupid~ questions. Although what may seem like a stupid question to other people, it may be important to you. Don't be daunted by flames, just try to do as much research into what you are modding, and check the back pages of the forums, or NHQ forums, or old websites. There is heaps of info out there so take a minute to look at it before you post.

To someone who may have found a new gun, or one that doesn't have many mods, take a chance. Research guns that are like it and hopefully you will find a gun that is similar. Don't be afraid to try new mods that have never been done, because without new mods, we would never have many of the interesting and worthwhile mods we have out there today. Most of important is too have fun, and a good learning experience. If you screw up, its not the end of the world, and you can usually fix it or get a new gun.

Once again great write up Rags!