One is finished! well almost...

[frogmansailor]

So I have managed to nearly complete one of the two guns on my list of things to do. I think the blue water cannon will have to wait until next winter.

This is a 100cm mahogany gun with a 115cm picasso shaft, two 9/16" rubbers (16" and 18") a posiedon sub trigger mech, and an oak trigger housing.

Let me know what you think!

Dave

PS. If you are going to talk to me about the shaft/spear combination, there has already been a discussion(http://forums.deeperblue.net/homemad...s-works-5.html), and knowing the risks I am keeping this configuration.

[frogmansailor]

My camera battery died, so more pictures will be on the way in about an hour... these are what I got before it went.

It is finished with five coats of watco oil, and will have a few coats of marine spar varnish (UV protectant) on top of that after 72 hrs of drying. I am still in the process of making (maybe buying?) a reel, and I have a rubber pad for the butt piece that will go on after the varnish.

Seeing as it is not quite finished, any suggestions for tweaks/fixes etc. are welcome, but make them quick because it will be finished by the end of the week to be ready for a possible trip to the FL keys the first week in April. (Any good spots to break this baby in down there let me know...)

[Spaniard]

Looks fantastic mate! I love the howling wolf motif

[James Jay]

Very nice Dave. Just curious as I've never built a gun before, aprox. how many man hours do you have in it's production?

[frogmansailor]

excluding the drying time and the 4 wks that the wood has to stand after laminating, I'd guess about 30-50 hrs. I didn't really keep track, but it all depends on how much time you want to spend on it. I could have easily taken my time and been working on this gun through the summer, but it could have been completely functional about three weeks ago.

If you have any type of woodworking background, or at least the basic tools (router, table saw, and hand tools) and not necessary but very useful: electric sanders, band saw, dremel, drill press, lathe, jig saw, etc. you should go for it! This site is really great for support or questions while you're building. (you can PM me for my email if you want specific help. I check my email very often)

[frogmansailor]

camera's done charging...
My upload quota is full. If you want more pics, I can send them to you. Just ask.

[Mongrel454]

Nice peice of work

[Whopperhead]

WOW- That is a good job! Have you tested it at all? Boyancy? weight?

[frogmansailor]

I havent tested weight/balance yet because it doesn't have the final coat of varnish over the oil. By the end of this week the bathtub will be filling...

[dotey]

how hard was it to make your own gun man id like too but thats alot of work right

[octpora]

oooooo, speargun porn

[frogmansailor]

dotey, you should go for it! This site is really great for giving you anything you need, and if there is anything you can't find an answer to, you can just ask! It isn't hard if you just take your time and think everything through. Another good idea is to make two spearguns at the same time: one out of your good wood (teak/mahogany/etc.) and the other out of pine or other cheap wood. This way you can catch any mistakes before they cost you. If you have basic woodworking tools (or at least acess to them) and a general understanding of how to build stuff without chopping your fingers off on the table saw you can do it (you also need about 250 bucks, but what you get is well worth it)

[frogmansailor]

no one knows of any good spearing spots in the Keys?

[settingsteel]

Nice work frogman...why did you cover the pins, that hold the trig. mech? The handle/trig. looks very nice what did you end up using for the trig guard?

[frogmansailor]

The side panels are not to cover the trigger pins, but rather the bolts that hold the handle into the trigger housing and also the trigger housing onto the barrel. It is just an after piece that is tacked on with two dabs of epoxy, and, if need be, can be popped right off for maitenance and then re attached. I don't think I will need to get to the trigger though, it has quite a bit of space to let water wash through.

The piece that runs through the handle, becomes the trigger guard, and then continues into a bit of the barrel (you can see it under my signature), is 1/2" plastic cutting board which was sandwitched between the nahogany handle pieces, and buffed smooth.