[Paul-Butt]

Finished my first pack (see the last page of that thread here http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtop ... 4&start=60 and leave your thoughts/opinions) and thought I would attempt another. This is going to be a slowwww build I think due to lack of funds, getting married costs a penny or two. Thought I would start the thread now and see where it goes.

The sync generator. Took a few hours to draw and cut. Much thanks to lordgilpin and his thread here http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtop ... =2&t=13685 for inspiration and ideas.





Powercell. I'm going to cut out the rest when I eventually get lights or go to paint.



Ion Arm done by my father:






The first booster. Turned out great then I noticed that I was off by 1/2" length wise.



Thus the second booster:



And here's where we are...



Give some love here if you want and be sure to check out our first pack at the link above.

Stay tuned!

[ThrowingChicken]

Coming along well!

[lordgilpin]

Looking good man... =)

[Paul-Butt]

Alright, so a it of an update. I bought a 9" by 2" cake pan that I realized I could not place on top of a 1/2" spacer as it would be too high. Therefore I had to cut out the 1/2" spacer, cut a hole to allow room for the cake pan, and then channel out some foam for the lip of the cake pan. I also cut away the foam around the outer edge by 1/2" to fold it down to protect the foam. Tedious? Yes. Necessary? In my opinion, yes.





Once that was done, I got started on the gear box. Took me a while, and fortunately I noticed a few mistakes BEFORE I cut it out, but it turned out great. I didn't cut the angled middle section yet as I want to get the PVC first to ensure a good fit.






Easiest method to make fins? Anyone?


And here's where we stand at the moment:




Don't forget to check out my original pack: http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtop ... 4&start=60

[nick-a-tron]

Looking good! Foamcore is alot of fun

[lordgilpin]

Easiest fins are basswood. It already comes in the thickness you want and you just need cut it out and sand it smooth.

(Be sure the glue you use on them won't warp the wood though- Liquid Nail is a good kind to use.)

[Gareee]

I've seen some thing people did here with craftfoam. I think it is a little thin, but it is very easy to cut, and requires no real cleanup.

[Paul-Butt]

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words and advice. Will definitely have a lookout for some basswood. So, did some work today on the gun mount. No fins yet, but I like how it is shaping up. Also cut the cosmetic plating out of 1/2" foam board. as well as the corner plate. That's all for now.








Thoughts? Opinions?

[Paul-Butt]

Any ideas on how to attach the ion arm to the booster?

[Gareee]

I'd say use some square wooden dowels from lowe's or home depot. You want some strength there, because Only Dirt Bags Grab Ion Arms!

I also don't think a foamcore ion arm will hold the weight of the fittings and hoses that you need to connect to it without sagging over time.

[Paul-Butt]

I figure I'll fill up the ion arm with expanding foam before I attach it.

Thanks for the advice Gareee, appreciate it.

[Gareee]

Mine is solid wood, and someone almost tore it off our first event night out 2 years ago. (Halloween) The bumper and the ion arm and gun take the most abuse.

[Paul-Butt]

Bit of an update. I put some quarter round in the corners of all of the parts I've built. I also began to bolt everything together. A bit tricky at times, but everything feels solid. Today, I also today caulked the seams of all the parts. Gotta wait for the caulking to dry and sand it smooth. Stay tuned!









If anyone is wondering, the caulking I used was specifically for foam board and yes, it's like working with peanut butter.

[deekman]

Awesome. As for the Ion Arm, I filled mine with expanding foam, capped it with 1/4" balsa, then used dowels to anchor it. Super sturdy, considering it's foamcore. Also, as I learned the hard way, expanding foam contracts a bit after expanding that will cave in the sides (resulting in me making a 3rd Crank Generator and 2nd Ion Arm... ) And for the spacer, brace the ever living hell out of it. I didn't consider everything that was going to be mounted to it (Cyclotron, Bumper, and chunky Shockmount) and ended up making a 2nd one that I'm pretty sure I could beat someone to death with.

[Paul-Butt]

Yeah, I've been thinking about the spacer. I've got wooden pieces on every flap for support (pics to come). I figure I'll put two larger wooden blocks inside the spacer, attach them to the motherboard and then attach the bumper to them, hopefully having them take the weight instead of the cyclotron. My cyclotron is just a cake pan so no real weight there, but I am a bit concerned about the collapsing expanded foam. If it's going to collapse, is there any point in putting it in there to begin with?

[Gareee]

The cyclorton weight doesn't come from the cakepan mainly.. it comes from those damned heavy steel washers.

I asked AJ if he coul make some lightweight ones on his spiffy new router... maybe pm him, and see if thats a possibility for you.

[deekman]

I used foam to make it rigid and give it support. Like with an empty box, it's easy to wiggle, get off square, and collapse if bumped or dropped. But if solid, it's not going to go anywhere. It's kindof like when people fiberglass the inside of vacuform shells.

edit:And the collapsing is only a problem if you fill the piece completely all at once. If you run the foam along the inside corners, allow to dry, then spread the walls leaving the center open. If the middle's open it can't draw the walls to the center. I guess it's not really necessary, but I was just extremely paranoid that I'll drop it or bump it and cave a piece in and have to rebuild a section...

[Paul-Butt]

Here's a few pictures of the supports I have so far. I also put a block of wood in the gunmount. I'll secure the block of wood to the motherboard directly so that the weight of the gun doesn't damage the gunmount foamboard box.










Deekman and Gareee, that is all excellent advice. Thanks!

[Gareee]

Since the gunmount block mounts directly to the motherboard, I'd just make it out of solid wood. You are going to have a layer of foamcore now between your gun and your gunmount.

One of the worse sounds you will ever hear: The sound of your gun shattering on the floor.

[Paul-Butt]

If I put screws through the dixie style v-hook and spacer, through the foam and into the wood, and the wood is attached to the motherboard, won't that be enough? I figured the foam was just aesthetics for this particular part of the pack.




I don't know if I'm explaining this enough, I'm tired.

[Gareee]

It might.. but to tighten it up, you'll have to crush the foam core completely, otherwise your hook will be loose.

In my experience at least, the guns already take the most wear n tear. Thats why I went with solid blocks on my gunmounts.

[chibigear]

In my experience at least, the guns already take the most wear n tear. Thats why I went with solid blocks on my gunmounts.

Yup, same here... Our gun mounts are made from trusty, readily available and cheap 2x4 wood block. Does the thing nicely...

[deekman]

When I mounted my v-hook, I had the layer of foamcore on the block too but I made the holes in the gunmount foamcore slightly bigger and slipped metal spacers on the mounting bolts. Still a tight fit without crushing anything.

[Not404Error]

When I mounted my v-hook, I had the layer of foamcore on the block too but I made the holes in the gunmount foamcore slightly bigger and slipped metal spacers on the mounting bolts. Still a tight fit without crushing anything.

Doable, sure, but it's honestly easier to just make it out of solid wood.

[GAVAL]

Man, the upper assembly looks like a city skyline model when it's unpainted! lol

Keep it up! If I do a second pack it'll be foamcore, so I'm watching!

G

[Paul-Butt]

Gaval, I would recommend foamcore for a second build. It's very easy to work with and easy on the wallet.

Anyways, some progress: started on the fins today. Cut them out of 1/8" basswood last night and began gluing today. The top small parts on the gearbox are not done as I realized the ones for the sides of the gearbox were a smidge too long and came up too far. I will sand them down tomorrow and place the top parts on.



The photo is a bit blurry, but I am VERY happy with the bottom portion fins on the gearbox. My father and I used a handsaw and an xacto knife for the channels, then a bit of sanding and voila!





And lastly, the powercell. Very pleased with this one. A light sanding tomorrow and we're all set.



Thoughts? Opinions?

[Paul-Butt]

Another small update. Did some work on the booster and PPD. Also made an HGA out of some PVC and plywood. Very pleased with the results so far.







That's all for now!

[Paul-Butt]

So, did some more work. Cut out the plates (?) for the sync generator out of basswood. I actually did this twice. I used too much glue on the first batch and they all warped badly, I had to rip them off and put new ones on. Less glue the second time and we're in business!





Made some injectors out of dowel as per my last pack. I'll attach them to the rest of the pack with the appropriate L-bracket for support.



Made an ion rod as well.



Also, took the advice of a few people here and went solid wood for the gunmount.



Some sanding and a few fins later and voila!



Decided to make my own clippard after seeing Valentino's scratch build as well. Not finished yet, but so far so good.




Thoughts?

[KCGhostbuster]

Looking very good. Keep it coming.

[FeinDTacticS]

looks good so far and going with the all wood gun mount will pay off in the end trust me that thing will be holdin a lot. good luck and keep us posted