Round Two- Near Completion

[Chris W]

Alright it has been a while. I have nearly finished my build. Now please keep in mind that I am spearing in Wisconsin for panfish. The only thing I have to do is get my spear shaft back from my welder and put a finish on the gun. I have given it three liberal coatings of anise seed oil already to help prevent water absorption when balancing it out. What is the best route to take from here to get it safe for a couple hours at a time underwater? I don't plan on dives longer than 3 hours at the max with it.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Chris W]

I almost forgot, I made this one out of Hard Maple. at the time I couldn't get teak, that will be my next one. Hopefully this will suffice for at least a year.

Chris

 

[Chris W]

I was able to get in the water this weekend and test it out. I didn't want to stay in very long since it wasn't finished so I was only in for about 30mins. Shot one decent crappie and took some mental notes on what I should tweek. All the necessary corrections have been made and I finished the gun with a oil-based polyurethane finish. I gave it 3 coats, sanding with 500grit sandpaper between each coat and am planning on giving it another two coats in the next few weeks. Updates and pictures to come.

Chris

 

[foxfish]

Looks great.. love the shark design... my only criticism would be next time you build one I would slope the handle back at bit to be more comfortable to hold out straight in front of you when hunting.
Polyurethane is a good finish to use but best applied on bare wood.

 

[Chris W]

Glad you like the shark design Foxfish the handle issue became apparent the instant I glued it in but it was going to be difficult to change at that point so I went with it. It hasn't been a bother yet but it is something I will remember for the next one. I was not sure on what to finish it with and am not yet comfortable with epoxy. Will it be a real issue that the wood was oiled prior to application?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[foxfish]

It might be - it depends if the oil sunk in to the wood or was still on the surface but, it will never be a major issue as you could always sand it down and recoat.... !!
I wouldn't worry though just enjoy your gun.

 

[Chris W]

Oh, ok yeah the oil soaked into the gun for a couple days before I applied the polyurethane. Thanks for your replies Foxfish they are very much appreciated.

Chris

 

[poildeq]

Wow
it looks impressive how heavy is it and would u give us the type of mech u r using and share the design blueprints, I am debating also to build one.
Having used Pneumatic until recently when I had a massive break down in the middle of the ocean....

 

[Chris W]

The overall length is ~43" and it weighs ~3.6 lbs. I put in a Reef Mech from Neptonics. Dimensions on the barrel are approx. 1.5" wide by 1.75" tall. The handle is custom formed and is 4" tall and 1.75" wide at its widest point (this should vary based on the size of your hand). The handle is centered about 6.5" forward from the back of the gun. As I said there are a few things I would do differently. First I would use a different type of line anchor, I did not angle mine forward and it is proving difficult. Another thing is I would switch the dimensions to wider than taller, although it hasn't affected anything for my application. Oh and I do not suggest making your own spear shaft, I am only going after small fish < 5 lb. so it doesn't affect me at all but it would be easier to just buy one. Hard maple was nice to work with and cheaper than teak, just make sure that when you seal it (if you use it) that you get ALL the wood, and multiple thin coats are best.

If you have any questions just ask. If I can't help you someone here can.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[poildeq]

good one mate thanks
not a good woodworker..I am
may just stick to my rob allen
but u did get me enthusiastic to fabricate 1