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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here!

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Old 08-01-2016, 04:39 AM   #61
e.m.p!
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

Printing in metal is pricey as heck – a colleague had a small item printed and a 10x10x10 stainless steel cube went for about $20 at shapeways. But they're making a living from it, so chances are with the right connections you'll be able to shave off a bit
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Old 08-01-2016, 05:35 AM   #62
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

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The tiny inclusions are carbon deposits that didn't burn out completely in the furnace - you won't get them out unless you change the material. Wax still does the trick, so don't write off your good old hand-sculpting skills just yet.
Yeah... kind of guessed that... thanks for confirming... although I have had some success with previous lost PLA mold attempts when I managed to get an old Aga oven right up to 900C, the recommended temp for lost PLA casting... so I do have some options left using the 3D PLA prints I have already done... providing I can repair this old oven.



However I think the Moldlay filament is probably the way to go in the future with a burnout temp of only 270C it has been designed for domestic oven use... unfortunately hand-sculpting is really not an option for me... 'artiz(t)'... I am most definitely not... hence the ironic user name. Doesn't detract much from how enjoyable this whole project has been though... taken me a couple of years to get here... so all good.
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Old 08-01-2016, 05:45 AM   #63
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

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Would it be too expensive to 3D print this directly as aluminium? I know shapeways and imaterialize have a service for that ... just not sure how much it costs. There must be metal direct 3D printing in the UK at a reasonable price.
As e.m.p. pointed out above it is extremely expensive... I have actually run my STL's through the quoting system on both Shapeways and iMaterialise and the totals are about £1700 for all the separate components on both sites... hence little desktop metal melting furnace... which actually works surprisingly well for £180.



Some people have had some fantastic results with these methods though so I'm still holding out hope that with a bit more trial and error I'll get there eventually.

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Old 08-01-2016, 10:58 AM   #64
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

If you are mixing carbon and aluminum parts ,remember that cf is conducive and you will get galvanic corrosion between parts
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Old 08-01-2016, 11:51 AM   #65
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

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If you are mixing carbon and aluminum parts ,remember that cf is conducive and you will get galvanic corrosion between parts
Good point Phil... but I won't be doing that... I've got a nice ally rail tube for this one... I also plan to anodize my ally components when/if I finally get it finished... although interesting to note I have replaced some random washers I initially used on my carbon gun after they produced a strange galvanic reaction...
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Old 08-05-2016, 02:43 PM   #66
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

Holy Mackerel! You actually did it, you 3D printed one Epic Stuff man (y)
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Old 08-06-2016, 04:16 AM   #67
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

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Holy Mackerel! You actually did it, you 3D printed one Epic Stuff man (y)



Thanks Sam... I have actually managed to make 3 guns... from the top is the 1.5 meter 'Mamba' then the 1.0 meter 'Cobra' and the 0.5 meter 'Asp'. I've tried to cover all bases/ranges of speargun use. They are all prototypes of course but they are also fully working guns with no adverse effects at all so far regarding the 3D printed parts... they seem to be as good as any plastic gun parts and quite possibly better because they are custom designed to my own hand and requirements... next phase is an aluminium traveler break down build which I can take anywhere around the world in my backpack.

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Old 08-06-2016, 04:49 AM   #68
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

Very nice. Welldone!
Did you make "pool" test with this short "Asp" rollergun (shaf speed, energy...)? Is it usable?
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Old 08-06-2016, 05:17 AM   #69
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

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Very nice. Welldone!
Did you make "pool" test with this short "Asp" rollergun (shaf speed, energy...)? Is it usable?
Much thanks Labrax... definitely usable to a range of a couple of meters... not sure it would fully penetrate anything over that but I've field tested going under ledges, holes, caves, gullies and very good for flatties of course but the gun still hasn't caught anything yet so testing continues. The idea being that it's a second gun... which if I'm honest is a bit of a step up for me and will take quite a bit of practice if I am to use it effectively. I initially thought taking 2 guns would be 'super cool' but after giving it a go a couple of times I'm not so sure I can actually cope. Having said that I have never bothered using a float or even a reel so I am and always have been a 'grass roots' spearo... I'm just after dinner really so 'toting' 2 guns is probably a bit too ambitious for me. I definitely have a few cave/gully marks where this gun will be far more useful than anything else I own. 'Horses for courses' as they say... also some decent weather might help!

PS. Wicked Youtube channel by the way...
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Old 08-06-2016, 05:28 AM   #70
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

If you use two guns be very carefull with the short one. It can be turned to you very easily if you drop it.
Once more, welldone!
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Old 09-15-2016, 06:46 PM   #71
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun

With my upcoming backpacking trip I have been working on a model of my Carbon Cobra which I can easily assemble/disassemble and put into my rucksack. The original idea was to make it out of aluminium but carrying a metal gun around the world in my rucksack was probably not the best idea I've ever had.
The grand plan then is for the 3D printed parts not to have any real stress applied to them and the inversion concept is very well suited to this idea... by making sure that all the stress of loading is taken up by the 316 stainless steel bolts which go through the parts as well as the barrel. The second main concept being that if I lose the gun or break any of the parts I can perhaps have them 3D printed locally... whilst also taking an extra set of (bolts/nuts/screws/rollers/bearings) spare parts. Also I can easily just buy a 26mm aluminium tube and print out my own rail adaptor's rather than hunting around for a rail barrel in Malaysia or wherever... well that's the plan anyway.

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I have also tried out a new 3D printing filament which is a Nylon/Carbon mix which has proved pretty good... a bit more of an ugly finish compared to the Colorfabb XT-CF20 which I have used for the other guns but it was worth a try out.


The main improvement has been that this new design can now be printed in 2 halves and then bonded together in the traditional manner of plastic handle guns ... it is also in a more universal size meaning that it can be easily printed on most consumer 3D printers.
Lastly, this completed gun is by far the cheapest yet... around £25 in 3D printing material for both the head and handle assemblies... plus all the other parts of course including the Meandros S trigger mech which is probably the most expensive part at around £40 but no reason why a much cheaper mechanism or one from an old gun couldn't be used... the barrel is a cheap Bucanero rail barrel for about £15 but even cheaper still would be an aluminium tube with a couple of 3d printed adaptors which could just slide on to the barrel.. or even better still use a barrel from an old gun. The possibilities are endless.
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Old 09-15-2016, 06:56 PM   #72
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun (Inverted)

How is the nylon/carbon stuff as far as delamination and strength? I mostly just 3D print models for mold making on any production parts but for a few functional prototypes or little brackets and one-offs I use an ABS/polycarbonate blend, or PCTPE (which will make water tight containers).
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Old 09-15-2016, 07:06 PM   #73
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun (Inverted)

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How is the nylon/carbon stuff as far as delamination and strength? I mostly just 3D print models for mold making on any production parts but for a few functional prototypes or little brackets and one-offs I use an ABS/polycarbonate blend, or PCTPE (which will make water tight containers).
It was a flick of a coin between the Nylon/Carbon and Polycarb and on balance I think I should have gone for the Polycarb.
Layer strength does look good though and at least you can bounce it off the floor which I have done a few times when dropping this handle... the finish does tend to let it down though... I reckon the Polycarb would be better but it does depend on the warping/shrinking of course... does it suffer from that in your experience?

P.S. By the way your muzzle is outstanding Lance.
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Old 09-16-2016, 04:40 PM   #74
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun (Inverted)

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It was a flick of a coin between the Nylon/Carbon and Polycarb and on balance I think I should have gone for the Polycarb.
Layer strength does look good though and at least you can bounce it off the floor which I have done a few times when dropping this handle... the finish does tend to let it down though... I reckon the Polycarb would be better but it does depend on the warping/shrinking of course... does it suffer from that in your experience?

P.S. By the way your muzzle is outstanding Lance.
My printer has been modified to the point it will do pure polycarb but I have only been using the Airwolf ABS/polycarb blend, mainly because I bought a spool by accident thinking it was ABS. Pure polycarb is very high temp and if I was printing much of it I would have to reprint certain existing parts in PC/ABS just keep the unit from melting (I already melted the stock carriage unit).

So, the PC/ABS blend is very good, very little warping, very high strength, good bed adhesion, very rigid, can be sanded and machined easily, good layer adhesion. Better than regular ABS in all respects, prints much the same way just twice as expensive and needs a lot more heat. It doesn't feel as brittle as an ABS print, I have no doubt a properly printed handle that was mostly solid PC/ABS would stand up to being dropped on concrete. I have made some reel brackets with it recently.

Nylon blends 'feel' better though in your hand, I think because it is softer. So far, the only nylon I have had any kind of success with is the PCTPE--sticks to the bed, doesn't delaminate, low warping. Bridge nylon was second best but sometimes suffered from delamination. Partly it is because I print a lot of thin walled containers for potting electrical, so delamination is exaggerated.

The other material I use is PETG, it's a polyester. I use it exclusively for models/mold dummies because it prints beautifully, no warping, and can be easily machined, but it doesn't have the structural properties of nylon or polycarbonate.

When you get a design really locked in, you might look at casting your handles. It is a whole new bother but you'd be able to make them out of stronger material. Generally if it is something that can be made in a 3D printer without a ton of supports, the part will be easy to cast. Downside is time and expense but once your molds are made and developed you can knock them out fast.

The guns look really cool from a design standpoint, thanks, glad you like the muzzles.
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Old 09-16-2016, 06:27 PM   #75
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Re: 3D Printed Speargun (Inverted)

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Originally Posted by growingupninja View Post
My printer has been modified to the point it will do pure polycarb but I have only been using the Airwolf ABS/polycarb blend, mainly because I bought a spool by accident thinking it was ABS. Pure polycarb is very high temp and if I was printing much of it I would have to reprint certain existing parts in PC/ABS just keep the unit from melting (I already melted the stock carriage unit).

So, the PC/ABS blend is very good, very little warping, very high strength, good bed adhesion, very rigid, can be sanded and machined easily, good layer adhesion. Better than regular ABS in all respects, prints much the same way just twice as expensive and needs a lot more heat. It doesn't feel as brittle as an ABS print, I have no doubt a properly printed handle that was mostly solid PC/ABS would stand up to being dropped on concrete. I have made some reel brackets with it recently.

Nylon blends 'feel' better though in your hand, I think because it is softer. So far, the only nylon I have had any kind of success with is the PCTPE--sticks to the bed, doesn't delaminate, low warping. Bridge nylon was second best but sometimes suffered from delamination. Partly it is because I print a lot of thin walled containers for potting electrical, so delamination is exaggerated.

The other material I use is PETG, it's a polyester. I use it exclusively for models/mold dummies because it prints beautifully, no warping, and can be easily machined, but it doesn't have the structural properties of nylon or polycarbonate.

When you get a design really locked in, you might look at casting your handles. It is a whole new bother but you'd be able to make them out of stronger material. Generally if it is something that can be made in a 3D printer without a ton of supports, the part will be easy to cast. Downside is time and expense but once your molds are made and developed you can knock them out fast.

The guns look really cool from a design standpoint, thanks, glad you like the muzzles.
I have just found a cheaper Chinese polycarb mix which I have now ordered thanks to your encouragement... should be here in a few days... I'll let you know how I get on.
I'm not so sure that plastic injection is the way forward though Lance... with developments the way they are going with desktop FDM printing we are now so very close to filaments which will match their manufactured counterparts... investing in tooling and so on seems somewhat outdated.
I get the feeling that the future is selling designs online which can then be 3D printed at home/office in an appropriate material is just around the corner. The amount of small/independent plastic manufacturer's in the UK now going out of business is at an all time high... large scale plastic manufacturing seems to have had its day perhaps.
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