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Rhodesian Teak home made speargun
- Thread starterMarco van Wyk
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Well the gun needs to float without the spear & just hover horizontally with spear in place.
Not muzzle heavy or butt heavy... Just stay nice and steady if you let it go underwater.
This is important but not always easy to achieve!
Some guns are made very bulky with lots of chunky wood (American design) so the gun can then have extra weight (lead) added at the front & back to get the balance just right. If you use lots of metlal & lillte wood it will sink like a stone or the muzzle will point down etc.. The best guns have just the right amount or bulk to reduce recoil but are not to heavy to carry around but most importantly they will feel very comfatable to hold without straining you wrist underwater.
Not muzzle heavy or butt heavy... Just stay nice and steady if you let it go underwater.
This is important but not always easy to achieve!
Some guns are made very bulky with lots of chunky wood (American design) so the gun can then have extra weight (lead) added at the front & back to get the balance just right. If you use lots of metlal & lillte wood it will sink like a stone or the muzzle will point down etc.. The best guns have just the right amount or bulk to reduce recoil but are not to heavy to carry around but most importantly they will feel very comfatable to hold without straining you wrist underwater.
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Thank you for the explanation. I will put the gun in my Kio pond and check the balance with the components lying loose on top for now or type them on. Sea water is a bit more buoyant so that part I can not change much on this design but will keep it in mind what ever happen to this one in the salt water. Thanks again.
I put the blank in my fish dam this morning……….does not flout, hang just under the surface and then slowly sink with no metal parts.
There is no way this gun will flout with some metal on it, only if I drill a big hole thru most of it and seal it of, but there go’s the strength.
I am not sure if salt water will push it up much more. Any body with some ideas that will work or if it will matter a lot???
Its gona be a mid handle, so don’t think it will not be too heavy under the water, I will work on getting the balance as close as possible
There is no way this gun will flout with some metal on it, only if I drill a big hole thru most of it and seal it of, but there go’s the strength.
I am not sure if salt water will push it up much more. Any body with some ideas that will work or if it will matter a lot???
Its gona be a mid handle, so don’t think it will not be too heavy under the water, I will work on getting the balance as close as possible
If I were you, before making radical adjustments, I'd really make a plan to test it in salt water. Sea water is on average around 2.5% more dense than fresh water so you will find things float a lot better in the sea.
In my wooden guns made by Tommy the wood is laminated around an aluminium square tube (to counteract any wood warping). The tube is however also completely filled with Teak so besides the aluminium it's essentially a solid piece of wood.
Without the spear the gun is positively buoyant and with the spear the slightly negatively buoyant.
I think the mid-handle is a great idea. My 1.3 mid-handle wooden gun tracks faster than my 1.2m rear-handle Rob Allen.
In my wooden guns made by Tommy the wood is laminated around an aluminium square tube (to counteract any wood warping). The tube is however also completely filled with Teak so besides the aluminium it's essentially a solid piece of wood.
Without the spear the gun is positively buoyant and with the spear the slightly negatively buoyant.
I think the mid-handle is a great idea. My 1.3 mid-handle wooden gun tracks faster than my 1.2m rear-handle Rob Allen.
I'm busy building a polespear which is obviously a lot less complicated than your build, but I'm sitting with more or less the same issue trying to get the buoyancy and balance right.
What I'm doing at home is adding normal table salt to fresh water to try and simulate sea water and testing in a big container. I'm adding +/- 35g salt for each litre of water.
Once I get closer to the correct buoyancy of each part I'll most probably go and collect real sea water or take the parts down to the sea to test and make sure.
What I'm doing at home is adding normal table salt to fresh water to try and simulate sea water and testing in a big container. I'm adding +/- 35g salt for each litre of water.
Once I get closer to the correct buoyancy of each part I'll most probably go and collect real sea water or take the parts down to the sea to test and make sure.
Ok, you give me a great idea. Make a box with old wood and line it with a peace of building plastic. I guess no need to be deeper than 300mm.
Yes I agree, not going to make changes yet. Still need to do final straightening of the blank and then start router the slots and need to make a trigger and swivel bracket for it........and so on, still lots to make.
Here is the final look of my handle before welding.
Yes I agree, not going to make changes yet. Still need to do final straightening of the blank and then start router the slots and need to make a trigger and swivel bracket for it........and so on, still lots to make.
Here is the final look of my handle before welding.
Surprisingly it does flout in the sea water, did not know that 2.5% will make that much deferense.
Haven’t done much this weekend on the gun, but need to re-do the trigger itself, looks jiggy.
Haven’t done much this weekend on the gun, but need to re-do the trigger itself, looks jiggy.
To be frank about you gun ... at the moment it is just a square block design! However you can add more wood to get a better shape, narrow the front & widen the back, this would help the buoyancy & give it some more bulk to reduce recoil.
Even the world best gun makers buy the trigger units, it is very difficult to make a case hardened, reliable & safe trigger!
You have some fantastic skills but by using all that metal you will need quite a lot of wood to compensate.
I understand this is your first gun & it does take a few attempts to get the feel for what will work & what wont.
I quite often build a basic mock up from one piece of soft wood & then adapt the design ... quite a lot of extra work but a few grams of metal or extra wood can make a lot of difference.
The most basic designs are just a 4' - 3 piece lamented - 3'' square, mid handle guns (American design) but even then the components are usually light weight alloy or plastic! once you get into the fine art of delicate shapes & accurate balance it becomes quite difficult! It is far easier to add plenty wood & adjust the balance with a little lead here & there.
I would be tempted to add a couple of strips of wood, one either side & then add some taper from front to back, by the time you round the corners & fix all you metal & spear, the gun will sink!
Even the world best gun makers buy the trigger units, it is very difficult to make a case hardened, reliable & safe trigger!
You have some fantastic skills but by using all that metal you will need quite a lot of wood to compensate.
I understand this is your first gun & it does take a few attempts to get the feel for what will work & what wont.
I quite often build a basic mock up from one piece of soft wood & then adapt the design ... quite a lot of extra work but a few grams of metal or extra wood can make a lot of difference.
The most basic designs are just a 4' - 3 piece lamented - 3'' square, mid handle guns (American design) but even then the components are usually light weight alloy or plastic! once you get into the fine art of delicate shapes & accurate balance it becomes quite difficult! It is far easier to add plenty wood & adjust the balance with a little lead here & there.
I would be tempted to add a couple of strips of wood, one either side & then add some taper from front to back, by the time you round the corners & fix all you metal & spear, the gun will sink!
Thanks for bean honest and straight forward. My thinking of using the wood I am going to use on the end for the gun is; I have never worked with a very hard wood like teak before and seldom worked with stainless steel.
I am basically doing my training on this gun. But all the reactions/tips I get from your guys are what I need, that will save me a lot of extra work or a complete flop of a first gun.
For the amount of work in a trigger mech, I will most probably order the next one. The price of importing just a handle or a trigger mechanism is the price of a complete 900mm gun in SA.
I definitely are going to taper the front a bit and will take your advise and ad some wood at the back, at the moment it looks very boring.
I am basically doing my training on this gun. But all the reactions/tips I get from your guys are what I need, that will save me a lot of extra work or a complete flop of a first gun.
For the amount of work in a trigger mech, I will most probably order the next one. The price of importing just a handle or a trigger mechanism is the price of a complete 900mm gun in SA.
I definitely are going to taper the front a bit and will take your advise and ad some wood at the back, at the moment it looks very boring.
Please someone correct me if I'am wrong...but all my (purchased) spearguns and all my friends' spearguns sink if the spear is on and float if it is not, I have never heard of a speargun floating with the spear on.
We are talking about balancing the gun to hover in the water, not float with the spear in place but just remain static at say 5 mt depth! The gun should pop to the surface without the spear & be neutral in the water with the spear in place.
Not many commercial round barrel guns have this asset but most wooden guns can be set up to balance just how you want.
You may prefer a slightly muzzle heavy gun but you don't want a heavy muzzle that pulls the gun down.
I guess you could still say a balanced gun will sink but it will only just about sink! The one in my picture above slowly turns over in the water if you let it go & then begins to slowly sink or move away in the tide.
Not many commercial round barrel guns have this asset but most wooden guns can be set up to balance just how you want.
You may prefer a slightly muzzle heavy gun but you don't want a heavy muzzle that pulls the gun down.
I guess you could still say a balanced gun will sink but it will only just about sink! The one in my picture above slowly turns over in the water if you let it go & then begins to slowly sink or move away in the tide.
Yes, agreed, my spearguns react like yours (the expensive ones), I had misunderstood you.
On second thoughts I might drill a few holes in the blank and fill it with Styrofoam, especially close to the steel parts.
The wood that you suggest to ad on the sides will hide the holes with foam. I suppose it is part of the challenge to get it as good as you can. And hopefully the next one better.
The steel on this one is a bit on the heavy side.
The wood that you suggest to ad on the sides will hide the holes with foam. I suppose it is part of the challenge to get it as good as you can. And hopefully the next one better.
The steel on this one is a bit on the heavy side.
Ok, here is the ugly side, just finished welding and started to router one slot for the trigger extension rod.
Have to start working on a better looking trigger tomorrow and get a router bit to match up my spear.
Need to work out were to drill some holes to compensate for that heavy handle, but one step at a time.
Have to start working on a better looking trigger tomorrow and get a router bit to match up my spear.
Need to work out were to drill some holes to compensate for that heavy handle, but one step at a time.
Trigger is in and
working. Next need to make some Styrofoam blanks and find a matching hole cuter.
Did not get the router bit yet, life happens in between having fun.
See how it go’s and try and take it down to the tidal pool again to see how it drop like a rock with the handle on.
This time I shoed type the rest of the components on with out the spear.
Does any body know if the rubbers x 2 will help with flouting a bit, got one spare for now?
Did not get the router bit yet, life happens in between having fun.
See how it go’s and try and take it down to the tidal pool again to see how it drop like a rock with the handle on.
This time I shoed type the rest of the components on with out the spear.
Does any body know if the rubbers x 2 will help with flouting a bit, got one spare for now?
Looks really good. Personally, before drilling big holes to fill with foam, I would just drill 2 smaller horizontal holes through the wood around where the handle is, seal the holes inner wall so no water can infiltrate there and put a metal tube inside. Then you can make wood wings (for the lack of a better term) out of less dense wood and attach them using those holes. You can play around with different wood to change the boyancy and make custom wings with different attachments (camera, light, etc) and Just swap them out as needed. For attachment wings you can change the size or wood to counter the accessory's weight. Not sure I explained myself, so here is a crude picture:
Ok, you’re the second person to say wait before drilling holes.
I do use a GoPro a lot and might mount a reel on it,
Sounds like a good idée, I’ll leave the holes till I finish the basic gun.
The plan is to put the line release on the side at the back next to my triggering device.
But I always say, one step at a time, do what you have to do first and then plan around that.
Thanks for the advice
I do use a GoPro a lot and might mount a reel on it,
Sounds like a good idée, I’ll leave the holes till I finish the basic gun.
The plan is to put the line release on the side at the back next to my triggering device.
But I always say, one step at a time, do what you have to do first and then plan around that.
Thanks for the advice