custom Dragon bass (finally complete) with pics

[Ragnarok]

Damn impressive bass!

I'll may be doing some wood work myself at some point for some cannon furniture - it's not likely to be very visually impressive, because I'm kinda a subscriber to the view that function comes over form.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Can you link me to your valveless design where the projectile is pushed forward by a bolt allowing air to get behind it. I would like to have another look at it and maybe give it a go if thats cool with you, as its your design.

The mechanism you described is this one, as featured in a patented launcher. The one I actually made -> here <-uses a bolt to keep the projectile jammed in place until it's time to fire.

The issue with these designs is that they both require a projectile that's a 100% seal to be effective.

[trollhameran]

Thanks Rag.
Cool, will you be using a specific wood, or just whatever you can get your hands on. Eventually I might build a cannon that deserves some decent wood furniture.

JSR, Thanks for the links, Its possible that i will use the designs, or I might modify a radiator valve, i have one that I have taken apart, so now I have a manually operated piston, so I need a way of getting the pin to stay pushed in so that it seals untill im ready to fire.

[Ragnarok]

Cool, will you be using a specific wood, or just whatever you can get your hands on. Eventually I might build a cannon that deserves some decent wood furniture.

I'll be looking around for a decent hardwood. I haven't researched it too deeply yet, and what I eventually end up with with sorta depend on how heavy my wallet feels at the time.

I'll be doing a test run on a bit of cheap DIY store wood first though - better to be making a mistake on a cheapish bit of pine or something than a more costly hardwood.

[trollhameran]

http://www.exotichardwoods.co.uk/

They have a decent selection of hardwoods and they would probably thickness it and cut it to length to minimize waste.

Yeah I would definitely practice on some cheap wood first, especially if your going for something exotic, as they tend to be more expensive.

If your using copper for the cannon, I would recommend a wood like imbuya, it has quite a coppery look to it once finished, or if you want it to contrast, something very light, like sycamore, maple, or cherry.

[Brian the brain]

(ooooh my first ever piston... scary) with an airsoft barrel,

that would be mayor overkill.You have used QEV´s before , right?..

even a 1/4" one would be more than okay for a 6mm barrel.
Pistons that small are hard to get right, and I would not recommend it as your first.It is unapropriate for an airsoft anyway.
Now, as for the bass:

I like the bassguitar, although I'm not blown away by it like some others seem to be.
To much of it remains flat.
The carving does not really change the board-look.Too little depth for me.
The nose looks really good, and so does the bottom jaw,
but for my taste, the rest should be more in-depth as well.That is, if you were trying to get me as hyped as some others.

I have studied art and have drawn/painted and sculpted quite a lot in the past, but feel free to ignore my opinion on that.Just a matter of taste, and I still think you did pretty well.I guess I feel like pointing out the parts i don't like, just because everybody seems a little too exctatic about it.

I like the outline of the dragon, I have seen a lot of misshaped ones, but the overall design of this one is pretty nice.

[trollhameran]

Im not going to be using a piston anymore, I have some new ideas to try out.

Constructive criticism is always good in my opinion Brian, I agree that it could do with some more depth, next time a make one with lots of carving on it I will try to give it more depth, if it was just going to be a normal carving then I probably would have made it less flat, but on a guitar or a bass you have the problem of the bridge and the pickups, as these need to be fixed on flat to avoid them moving around. Anyway I appreciate knowing the things that can be improved as well as the good things about it, so that in the future I can improve and keep learning...who knows maybe one day ill be good enough to make a living out of it.

[Ragnarok]

If your using copper for the cannon, I would recommend a wood like imbuya, it has quite a coppery look to it once finished, or if you want it to contrast, something very light, like sycamore, maple, or cherry.

Well, it's going to be copper, I know that much - I don't really build cannons in anything else any more.

I had half an idea I might get some walnut, and then cut it in such a way with a butt at each end of the length, so I could make both the launcher stock, and a custom one for my Air Arms.

Dunno yet, I'm just thinking out loud.

[Brian the brain]

on a guitar or a bass you have the problem of the bridge and the pickups

very true.
I understand the need for some flat surfaces.I'm glad you see I did not mean anything negative.
Still I think you deserve credit for building your own bass.
I have thought about building my own guitar in the past, but I decided I did not have the skills for it.
The placing of the bridge would be a nightmare to me.

can't really play anything well but rock and roll in E anyway.

[trollhameran]

Rag: American black walnut would look fantastic. you can probably get a board around 3" or 4" thick, and get it either long enough for both and quite narrow, or wide enough for both and quite short in length.

Brian: I would be the first person to say that it is by no means perfect, but I plan to make many more in the future, I plan on building myself a career making furniture, guitars, and pretty much anything out of wood (I love the stuff)

If you ever get the chance I would definitely make your own, it is really satisfying seeing it finished and knowing that you built it, and the actual making part is really enjoyable.

The bridge is horrible to position, I learnt the hard way that its a good idea to fix the neck on before positioning the bridge lol.

I love rock n roll and metal, but I cant really play anything either, so I just stick to the making part.

[VH_man]

WOW that looks awsome......

I finally know what to do with the GIANT Myrlewood Burl I have in my basement......

[trollhameran]

Thanks man.

Quite hard to find myrtlewood around here, it would make a nice guitar or bass though.

[FishBoy]

you should post a vid of either you or you & the band your in (if your in one) playing, that would be pretty sweet

[trollhameran]

I will do that once I have some spare time on my hands

[Ragnarok]

Rag: American black walnut would look fantastic. you can probably get a board around 3" or 4" thick, and get it either long enough for both and quite narrow, or wide enough for both and quite short in length.

Ooh, I hadn't thought of black walnut. I'd been nosing around at european walnut, but the black stuff could be seven different kinds of awesome.

In an ideal world, this is probably roughly the dimensions I want to cut down on wastage:


It may well only need to be 2" thick, but I'll work out the exact details in the test runs.
I don't really need to do a new stock for my Air Arms, I rather like the current one (so I'd keep it as well), but I can get the material to do a new one pretty cheaply, by adding another foot to the piece for my launcher and using material that would have otherwise have been wasted, so it would be pretty silly to pass up the opportunity.

I get a unique custom stock to my own exact specifications, and a walnut stock should be about 15% lighter than the current beech one, which wouldn't be a bad thing, given my Air Arms currently weighs ten and a half pounds, which does start to make a difference in long runs.