17 replies to this topic

[venom213]

One thing that has always bothered me about hopper clips is that the barrel and clip are always at risk of coming disconnected from the wye. I've seen people (myself included) get demolished in wars because of this happening; it's a huge weak point of using hoppers. Gluing the barrel and clip to the wye isn't very practical, as it makes changing clips, changing barrels, and clearing jams difficult or impossible. I sought to resolve these issues in time for SPANO, a task I succeeded in. Many people can attest to this hopper's inability to explode.

There are multiple ways to go about constructing these, so the parts and procedures described below are not the only option.

Goals:
-Hardware store materials (aside from the wye)
-Easy to take apart and adjust during wars.
-Versatility.
-Relatively inexpensive.
-Robustness.



Part List:
-1/2" PVC (12" Should Do)
-3/4" Thinwall PVC (at least 2")
-1" Thinwall PVC (at least 2")
-1/2" PVC Wye
-1/2" PVC Tee
-2X 1" PVC Female Adapter (Threaded to Solvent)
-2X 1" to 3/4" PVC Male Adapter (1" Threaded Male to 3/4" Solvent)
-2X 6-32 3/8" Long Screws
-6-32 3/4" Long Screw

Tools:
-Power Drill or Drill Press
-7/64" Drill Bit
-3/8" Drill Bit
-6-32 Tapping bit with T-Handle
-Automatic Center Punch (a regular one and a hammer will work too)
-Mitre Saw, Hacksaw with mitre box, or pipe cutters.
-Sharpie Marker
-Scissors
-Assorted Files
-Sandpaper

Adhesives/Solvents:
-PVC Solvent Weld
-E-6000
-Electrical Tape

Cut two 1" Long pieces of 1" Thinwall PVC and 3/4" Thinwall PVC. I used a mitre saw for this.



Use sandpaper and files to clean up the cuts.



Solvent weld all of these pieces of PVC into their respective fittings. Let these cure before doing anything else with them. Grind down the text on the wye so that it is flush with the rest of the surface. Test fit the 1" Fittings on the barrel and clip ports of the wye. Cut out a notch in the 1" Adapter you want to be the on the clip connection spot.



Take the tee, and cut the ends off of each side. Cut around 5/8" from the end. I inserted the piece of 1/2" PVC into the Tee while doing this to keep my hand away from the saw blade.



These PVC rings are what retain the barrels/clips into the hopper. The rings must be solvent welded onto each clip/barrel. Electrical tape can be substituted for the PVC rings, but it is not nearly as durable. Let the solvent weld fully cure on each barrel/clip before doing anything with them. I recommend that you determine where to place the PVC rings on your own, as my measurements may not be accurate for your particular combination of PVC/Fittings.



Once you have at least one barrel and one clip ready, you can attach the female adapters to the wye.



When this cures, you may proceed to unscrew the male adapters and remove the barrel/clip. Cut a 2.25" Piece of 1/2" PVC and solvent weld it into the rear port of the wye. Now, you can add screws for reinforcement. I don't have specific measurements on where to place these, but all that you need to be sure of is that the screws penetrate both the female bushings and the wye itself for the clip/barrel ports. For the blaster connection port (rear), just make sure that the screw can go through both the wye itself and the 1/2" PVC you solvent welded in there. It's not easy to screw this up.
When you mark where to drill, use an automatic center punch on each mark. Then, drill each punch out with a 7/64" drill bit. Once all three holes are drilled, tap each hole with a 6-32 Tapping bit. Thread in each screw just enough so that is doesn't fall out of each hole. This picture indicates which size screws go where.



To prevent any loss of air through the screw ports, you can use E-6000(or plumbers goop) before fully threading in each screw. Wait for the adhesive to cure before using the hopper.



This last step is totally optional. It is only useful if your clip is going to be clear, as doing this enables you to see farther down into the clip.

Put marks with a sharpie in the center of the adapter that the clip connects to. I lined these marks up with the lines already on the adapter. There are six lines, so I made six marks. The pilot holes can be pretty much any small size, not just 7/64".



The final product:



I'm considering offering these or a variation of these for sale at some point in the future, if there is enough interest. I'm all ears as far as feedback goes. Let me know what you think!

Edited by venom213, 05 July 2011 - 12:55 AM.

[ChaosPropel]

Very nice! I actually, while testing out a new blaster last night, had a hopper "hop" right out of the bushing...
I would try this, but no stores near me sell thinwall PVC.

[meatballica]

I like it. I like how it doesn't look so "plain" like a normal standard hopper. I didn't know hoppers had the problem with falling apart. Looks better than what I would do to remedy it. Electrical Tape.

[Blue]

Very overkill solution to a problem I didn't even know existed. Looks cool, good job. You can also just use dull cutting wheels on pipe cutters to pop out the plastic for a tighter fit in the fitting.

[Amp]

I like the idea but, If the hopper falls apart then that mean your gun is two big. Or it's not put together properly. But great job.

[TantumBull]

I think I'll stick to my hot glue just out of simplicity, but this CERTAINLY looks a hell of a lot cleaner and will probably last a lot longer.

[Curly]

That's a pretty nice build there. I personally just use plumbers goop and when I need to remove the parts I use vice grips and elbow grease. This design is better for those with only a couple wyes though.

[Ryan201821]

I like the idea but, If the hopper falls apart then that mean your gun is two big. Or it's not put together properly. But great job.

Two big or one big?

Your blaster being too long has nothing to do with this. This is a common occurrence with hopper clips, especially when the PVC isn't tight in the fittings. Another, and easier solution to this is what I believe Blue suggested. Get one of these.



And make some rings



This will keep whatever you want in, very tight. The only drawback to this is after repetitively taking your barrel off and on, you'll eventually have to re-apply your rings. As for the wye and the barrel stub, I generally have been just mechanically attaching them with screws through the wye and the bushing. I probably wouldn't ever use my blaster without hoppers so this works for me, but I could see why people wouldn't want to.

Great job anyway, though I could never see myself doing this for all the hoppers I have to make. The drawbacks I see of this idea is you can't see the last ~3 darts in your clip, you have to use adhesives (I generally like to avoid), and these probably take way more time to put together. You also haven't addressed the largest problems about hoppers, which is them falling off your blaster entirely. I supposed you could put threaded couplers and bushings, but many people would have to convert their blasters to use threaded fittings. You could also just attach it to the blaster with screws.

On the other hand, this hopper isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. As Curly suggested, this would be great for people who only have a few wyes, and don't want to deal with any of the bullshit of your barrels and clips flying off your blaster, which is definitely a problem with hoppers.

I feel the disadvantages outweigh the positives, but if it works for you, awesome.

[diamondbacknf1626]

Effeminate and sub-optimal...that's all I have to say. I personally use tightening rings though, as ryan specified. What people are overlooking is what venom said about clearing jams. Being able to remove the parts of the hopper is key in those situations, however rare.

EDIT: Heehee...

Edited by diamondbacknf1626, 05 July 2011 - 04:03 PM.

[Ryan201821]

Shit, didn't even think about that either. That's an advantage to having a check valve on your blaster.

[Amp]

Ryan201821 "Your blaster being too long has nothing to do with this."

I meant two powerful. I could be wrong but thats my two cents

Edited by Amp, 05 July 2011 - 04:54 PM.

[Zorns Lemma]

Ryan201821 "Your blaster being too long has nothing to do with this."

I meant two powerful. I could be wrong but thats my two cents

If two powerful is a problem then just go with one powerful. I guess this style of hopper will work even beyond three powerful...

Venom, what kind of threaded adapters are those? I've never had good luck with threaded fittings as the ones here taper so they can be assembled tight with just teflon tape. They're not designed to thread/unthread frequently and without tools.

Edited by Zorn's Lemma, 05 July 2011 - 05:11 PM.

[Amp]

If two powerful is a problem then just go with one powerful. I guess this style of hopper will work even beyond three powerful.

I've just never had goo luck with threaded fittings. They taper as they're not designed to thread/unthread frequently and without tools.

Lol I suck at spelling

[shandsgator8]

Very creative. I personally just use two grub/set screws to hold my PVC components in place. I still like the OP's ingenuity.

[MrPzowned]

Tightening rings mi amigo. This will save ya a buck or two, and not only can you use them to keep you hopper together, but you can also use them to keep the hopper on the blaster. I believe it was either Kane or RyanMc#s that used 'em for his Aabow.

[Rawesome]

You should try using magnets so the clip is disconectable but it stays if you don't try to remove it.

[The Nerfaholic]

I like it. I once had a black lip from my ball valve shooting back at me.

[Daniel Beaver]

Stop necroing threads - neither of you added anything substantial.