I definitely understand your sentiments about the use of dremels. Scroll saws certainly are safer to operate, but like you say, it was more an accessibility and ease-of-use thing.Great work, it looks really nice. I'd like to say/ask a few things.
I think Kane and I will be the only ones to tell you this, but I hardly see this as a good thing. Dremels (although slightly cheaper and everyone seems to have them) are awful. Shit flying in your face, dust everywhere, melting plastic, death fumes, it's not fun. I'm sure a lot of the stuff you did to this require the dremel instead of the scrollsaw, but I always like to use it as less as possible. However, it is nice you can tell people they only need a dremel to make one of these.
In your OP, I believe everywhere it's suppposed to say 1 1/4" PVC it says 1/4" PVC. Hehe, whoops.
Now, things I really like. The pump grip is awesome. I have a few of those water guns and I'll probably try using them as a pump grip. It seems like ABS maybe? At the least it seems stronger than 1.5" thinwall which I've had break on me before. I also like the plunger rod modification. I feel much more satisfied that the plunger rod is solid instead of having a tube with notches cut out of it. Also, not having to use lots of tape, or any glue is great. Thank you for that.
Now, a few questions.
Overall length?
Cost/Labor?
Since this is a hardware store blaster, what did you use for your plunger head/seal?
If this is similar to an RBP, does the metal rod in the back slam into the slots and/or the bushing? Have you thought about utilizing a string stop?
One more thing,
Definitely agree with Mr. P here. The Tee handles work, but I don't like them at all. Sure they're easy to implement, but I believe that comes as a cost to comfort. If you held an actual handle in your hand, I'm sure you'd agree. It's kinda the same thing with the Tee for the stock. It works great, but then again it isn't very comfortable.
Also, garden hose fittings? Never seen them. Seems like something you might only find at Ace, although I've never explicitly looked for them.
Nonetheless, good job, I'm liking these RCBs more.
Haha, thanks, I changed it to 1-1/4".
Yeah, the water gun tubes really are awesome! I actually originally picked one up a year or two back after seeing the one you made into a hamp, but have since realized that it fits perfectly over 1.25" PVC. And yes, I'm 99% sure its ABS. It machines really similarly to nerf shell plastic (and melts similarly too, I'm embarrassed to admit. I was a little impatient on the dremel...)
Without a hopper or barrel set-up, the blaster is a hair over 28.5 inches long, so about 2 feet 4.5 inches.
Unfortunately I don't have a super accurate cost, but I can confidently say that the materials for the blaster weren't over 25 dollars or so. It could be much less than that, I'd just rather exaggerate price than undermine it. Labor is pretty similar to that of a pump snap. The easy handle makes up for the more complex catch than that of snap. Sorry I don't have a more specific time or price for you, I really should of documented this better.
The plunger head seal is a piece of 1/16" rubber sheet used for making custom gaskets. I got a perfect shape by putting wet paint on a segment of 1.25" PVC and stamping it onto the sheet, and then simply cutting it out on the inside edge of the stamped circle. Here's a picture I forgot to include in the OP:
There is no spring stop, but the hits a very thick gasket at the front of the plunger tube and never touches the pump unless it being primed. I'm going to add a spring return for the pump to make it even less likely to smack the pump.
I see where you and Mr. P are coming from. I didn't mean to be such a bitch about Mr. P's original comment about this - I was in a foul mood and real shouldn't have been posting in the forums. I have made and used customized wood handles, and I do agree that the perpendicular nature of my handle makes it less comfortable and more awkward to wield. However, for me, the saved effort and time were more worth it to me.
Thanks for the lengthy and thought provoking post!
I considered doing something like this, but opted against it because I thought it would be weird to have the handle change angles at the 45 degree elbow. Now that I've used this blaster, I see that my hand doesn't really go super high on the tee anyways, so it probably would of worked out. Oh well, I can always switch it out later. It would really only take 20 minutes or so.I love tee-handles, if you follow it up with a 45-degree elbow and a cap. I used a 3/4" PVC one on my HEAT (Hornet Expand-a-Tank) pistol and it's way comfy. Or, if someone wants to go all P90-like, follow it up with two 45-degree elbows, though that's more a 'concept' than something I tried, so all disclaimers (and flames) apply.
Edited by TantumBull, 16 August 2011 - 11:42 PM.
