What's the best material to make the body of a gun?
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:14 pm
Flashing?Wood?A block of iron?
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What's the best material to make the body of a gun?
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:17 pm
Polymer
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:23 pm
Metal!
Wood is to porous, and I don't like plastic for something else than psitons.
Aluminium is the lightest stuff thats suitable for spudgun use I think.
But, I think you could have found this information by readign a lot of post.
Just as i did.
Read a lot. I'm not going to tell you very much.
Wood is to porous, and I don't like plastic for something else than psitons.
Aluminium is the lightest stuff thats suitable for spudgun use I think.
But, I think you could have found this information by readign a lot of post.
Just as i did.
Read a lot. I'm not going to tell you very much.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:38 pm
Any links? I read somewhere that aluminum flashing is very useful
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:53 pm
well, search and read 
Pneumatic cannon showcase is very usefull.
Pneumatic cannon showcase is very usefull.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:04 pm
Dude! I havent thought of this before.... gun body made out of HDPE sheets! 
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 7:58 pm
when used right, wood is a great material, human's beautiful dragunovesque launcher is a great example
If you just want to cover up a snargly mess of valves and tubing, it might not be the best choice, however, sheets of plastic, like the +bow's reciever can work there, sheetmetal can be used in a similar manner i'd think
What are you building?
If you just want to cover up a snargly mess of valves and tubing, it might not be the best choice, however, sheets of plastic, like the +bow's reciever can work there, sheetmetal can be used in a similar manner i'd think
What are you building?
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:16 pm
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtop ... tml#310028
I just want something like a casing for barrel, magazine and airtank, even if it has to be hollow inside (like I'll use sheet metal), I guess I can epoxy the inside, but it'll waste a lot of good epoxy
I already ruled out wood, wood is too bulky and unsuitable to make into the body of a pistol, it's also annoying because a single splinter can render me unable to work for an hour due to the pain it causes.
Metal is a likely choice, but seeing I don't have any metal working tools ( Only tools I got suitable for metal working are : a metal sheet cutter, dremel and pliers), Don't I need a lathe or something?
I just want something like a casing for barrel, magazine and airtank, even if it has to be hollow inside (like I'll use sheet metal), I guess I can epoxy the inside, but it'll waste a lot of good epoxy
I already ruled out wood, wood is too bulky and unsuitable to make into the body of a pistol, it's also annoying because a single splinter can render me unable to work for an hour due to the pain it causes.
Metal is a likely choice, but seeing I don't have any metal working tools ( Only tools I got suitable for metal working are : a metal sheet cutter, dremel and pliers), Don't I need a lathe or something?
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:51 pm
If you use sheet metal and epoxy how will you disassemble the gun?
It doesnt matter how good the body material is, its the internals that count. The body is actually just for looks and ergos, nothing more.
It doesnt matter how good the body material is, its the internals that count. The body is actually just for looks and ergos, nothing more.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:54 pm
I know, but it's also going to support my barrel and magazine si it doesn't droops.I don't want it to be like hollow inside, but it it has to be, so be it. So..sheet metal?<-I don't think I can shape that very well
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:44 pm
Polycaprolactone.
It's a [female doggy] to mould with bare hands since its ideal temperature for moulding is about 60 degrees upwards.
However if you go for it, you can get good results with no special tools or moulds needed. Some pictures from the last time I used the stuff. Had a go at adding colour in the form of green powder paint (blue/yellow mix) too:
Main things are not to let it touch other plastics it shouldn't while softened because it sticks like hell. Also to be aware that for a really nice finish you'll likely have to resoften and rework the plastic as a whole and finally the surface several times to get it hardening where you want it and to remove air bubbles.
It's a [female doggy] to mould with bare hands since its ideal temperature for moulding is about 60 degrees upwards.
However if you go for it, you can get good results with no special tools or moulds needed. Some pictures from the last time I used the stuff. Had a go at adding colour in the form of green powder paint (blue/yellow mix) too:
Main things are not to let it touch other plastics it shouldn't while softened because it sticks like hell. Also to be aware that for a really nice finish you'll likely have to resoften and rework the plastic as a whole and finally the surface several times to get it hardening where you want it and to remove air bubbles.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:02 pm
Oh yea, I saw that one, the "magic power" is the green powder?! Anyways, can I microwave it instead of baking it, or use a lighter or something?Also, in your post, it said it burns like hell 'cause it's hot..does it really hurt a lot? Although it'll be awesome for a grip, I rather have metal or another material that's hard and cold to support the barrel..just for the pure aesthetics.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:13 pm
Man that would be a pain to cover the entire rifle... literally.
If you're already going with plastics why not encase the internals between two machined polyethilene/polyamide halves? I'm considering that myself... I've had it with wood... the more durable wood is always very heavy, the finish is poor - paint gets knocked off too easily, its easily scratched, splits occur if you tighten a screw too much where the its thin and it expands/contracts with increase/decrease of air moisture thus impacting the zero of the gun.
To wrap it up...
Plastics are light, durable, easily machined and you don't have to paint it
Metal is heavy, exessively strong for the appilication and difficult to machine.
Wood is also pretty heavy, harder woods are even heavier then aluminum, durability and ease of machining are somewhere in the middle.
If you're already going with plastics why not encase the internals between two machined polyethilene/polyamide halves? I'm considering that myself... I've had it with wood... the more durable wood is always very heavy, the finish is poor - paint gets knocked off too easily, its easily scratched, splits occur if you tighten a screw too much where the its thin and it expands/contracts with increase/decrease of air moisture thus impacting the zero of the gun.
To wrap it up...
Plastics are light, durable, easily machined and you don't have to paint it
Metal is heavy, exessively strong for the appilication and difficult to machine.
Wood is also pretty heavy, harder woods are even heavier then aluminum, durability and ease of machining are somewhere in the middle.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:19 pm
OK, I got it, I'll model a grip from the plastic, then I'll encase my whole thing in a metal case ( the barrel part) and then with some metal.
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:22 pm
6225T11 on McMaster-Carr. Great for grips, bodys, and even stocks. Its reusable and has a fairly low melting point