FIber Glass Gun!!!

[Salehthefish]

There is a discussion went out between me and a friend who has boat factory whose making them from fiberglass. After i told him about making a wooden gun he told me that he can make that gun as mold and he will make a copy from fiberglass and it will be hard enough to use underwater as speargun!!!

Anyone tried to make this one before or any suggestion if it can work? I mean strength wise, buoyancy wise, etc...

 

[strangelove]

Omer used to have a fiber glass gun (I think) now mares has one.

 

[spaghetti]

The Mares gun Phantom FV is actually a nylon gun: made of plastic reinforced with glass fiber. It flexes a lot (but they say it shoots straight, and this is what counts). Anyway, not a glass fiber gun.
Omer has tried many types of materials for spearguns throughout the 90's: graphite, ceramic/graphite, kevlar, carbon/kevlar....all which showed some type of problem at the end of the day: too light, too heavy, too flexible, too fragile....

 

[strangelove]

Spaghetti

I tought the old omer master america was a fiber glass gun.

 

[DivingDane]

nope pretty sure it was carbon.

i know a guy in cains here who has built a bluewater gun with a wood core then layered in fibreglass with fibreglass stabilizer wings with foam core, then ballasted. weighs a tonne out of water but neutral in water. the guy loves it but it would be an average ,aterial for a reef gun i think scratch chip too much.

DD

 

[foxfish]

The only real problem will be weight, fiberglass is heavy & will need a lot of air space.

 

[Salehthefish]

Thanks for your answers so no use from making one...

I will stick to wood

 

[slingshaft]

Hi, I actually think that a synthetic material gun is an excellent idea. Addressing the issues of flexibility, weight, and buoyancy, said gun will not weigh more than wood, have superb flotation, and just by including inexpensive stiff stringers into the composite mix,acceptable structural strength is achieved. Also the choice of Polyester, and Epoxy resins are available. It is my dream to manufacture fiberglass spearguns, One can incorporate every desirable characteristic into this ideology. The ScubaPro Panther is an illustration of an advanced concept from back in the 1980's.

 

[strangelove]

Hi, I actually think that a synthetic material gun is an excellent idea. .

I agree with that, wood guns are great but very bulky they have a very specific usage (IMO) but you should try different things. If men kind did not re invent the wheel we would still be riding on stone wheels !

It is funny to hear the fiber glass being so bad (those opnions are from folks that know more then me I should add - no argument here ), but from my ignorant point of view, if boats, surf boards can be made of fiber glass why not spear guns.

 

[foxfish]

You can build fiberglass guns but when carbon mat & epoxy is available it would seem a little back dated to go to the trouble?
I have built many composite guns including polyester & glass fibre guns but wood floats & offers a high mass & a neutrally buoyant finished gun where as glass fiber naturally sinks so it would need to have air trapped in its contusion.
Building a hollow construction is not that easy but quite possible.

 

[Jonny250]

You could build a glass/frp gun using a foam core - eg linear pvc 30kg/m^3 core - by shaping the core, then wrapping the glass cloth (or sleave) and infusing with resin, it would be pretty light. the benefit of carbon is mainly stiffness - it not a strength issue - but a glass skin thickness of 2 x that of carbon would give a similar section modulus (=stiffness) and more toughness, so i think it's a very good idea. more affordable and tougher than a carbon gun. not quite as light, but a good economical option imho.

 

[DivingDane]

As said above anything is doable, and people have made them. but why? carbon out performes glass and really isnt THAT expensive. and if looking for a more economical option then wood or as most manufacturers use alumimium tube work VERY well.

for something ifferent sure but for the number of man hours required the small extra cost to go to carbon would makes sense for your hand made piece of Art.

my opinion only. if your going to go to the expense of building a gun rather than buying off the shelf go all the way and make something for people to remember out of the best materials you can find.

me personally would love to have the skills to make a 130 length 1pce carbon speargun with titanium trigger mechanism and 20mm roller set up. but i dont have the time nor the skills.

DD

 

[foxfish]

I made a quite complex mould to produce a fiberglass sleeve that would fit over my air gun barrel in an attempt to balance the gun however the end component sank like a stone!!
http://forums.deeperblue.com/attachments/guernsey/9441d1149961407-guernsey-2006-p1020541-1-.jpg

 

[Salehthefish]

After the feedback i got from everyone i decided to go ahead and will start project on the same I have spoken to my friend and he welcomed the idea to make fiberglass gun as he was thinking and he told me just to give him any gun and he will make the same one even aluminum gun he can make the same shape as he said, but honestly i would like to get a feedback again from you guys bcoz ur idea would be more wise in this project. If it is heavy can not we make a shape which will make it float more? and as i was discussing with my friend he is much sure about the strength of the gun... shall we go for open or closed muzzle? what size shall we make and which gun shall we copy as first make gun?

I will be happy to get your suggestions...

 

[DivingDane]

seeing as your friend produces in fibreglass you may as well have him make it in carbon as the production basics are the same. and the resulting product will be smoother to use.

yes you can produce gun with greater internal volume to compensate for weight but this will create quite a bulky gun by comparison therefore increasing drag. but like you said you have already started so:

- length of your choice
- OPen muzzle to suit 2 looped rubbers
- rear handle
- stainless mechanism
- cuttle bone shaped barrel

not really anypoint in copying other existing guns because the majority of these guns were produced in their particular shape to ballast the gun so it sits neutrally in the water and seeing as your gun will not be made of the same materials the shape will need to be different to ensure the gun sits neutral in the water.

DD