Thursday, May 30, 2013

Firestrike mod!





Hello readers,

Sorry for the delay, but I'm back! Due to the caliber of my mods now, I will be unable to output posts at the same rate as I have in the past. Such is the price to pay in the quest for excellence. Anyways, a few weeks ago I decided that I wasn't showing pistols enough love, so I decide to take one to the absolute max. This mod is my finest to date, and I went through a lot of trouble to get this thing functional. Here are some of its wonderful properties:

  • 1 1/4'' polycarbonate plunger tube
  • Delrin plunger rod
  • 4 1/4'' K26 at full compression
  • 1 1/8'' rubber grommet seal
  • Custom front spring spacer
  • Custom rear spring blocker
  • Custom trigger catch
Let's get down to business, shall we?

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Happy birthday, T da B!

Thank you all for gracing my blog with your presence--now that I'm 27 years old, I feel like I have more than ever to contribute to the Nerf Internet Community! The last year of my life saw more change than ever, including the birth of my Nerf passion. I have big plans for my 27th year on this Earth, including the following:
  • Paint some blasters
  • Build my first homemade
  • Attend more wars
  • Build my girlfriend a shoe rack
  • Mod my Crossbow!
Now that my workshop is complete, the future is looking brighter then ever! I suppose the benchtop sander was an early birthday present to myself :)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Benchtop sander acquired!


Sup guys!

You're looking at the latest addition to my workshop--a Harbor Freight combo belt sander and disc sander. This tool is going to drastically cut down on sanding, one of the most time-consuming parts of modding. In addition, I will be able to perfectly square the ends of all the pipes I cut! The sanding belt is 4'' x 36'' and the sanding disc is 6'' in diameter, and the device comes with a mitre gauge to square your workpiece--check it out:

I removed the disc for the moment, since I won't be needing it for my projects in the immediate future. Some of you may be groaning at the fact that I went with Harbor Freight, but the deal I got was too sweet to pass up. In addition to being on sale, I had a coupon for 20% off and ended up getting the sander for $64! It's my first sander, so I really don't think I need to get something super fancy and expensive. I also bought an accessory to prolong the life of my sandpaper--a sanding belt cleaner. Basically it's a big eraser that you rub on your sanding belt after a job to remove any particles that get stuck to the sandpaper.

At this point, my workshop is just about complete! With my drill press, scroll saw, and belt sander, I can't think of any more essential tools that I might need to complete Nerf projects and beyond. Of course it would be nice to have a lathe or a milling machine, but even the cheapest ones are expensive. I'm completely content at this point with my tool repertoire--I can do almost anything!

~T da B

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Ultimate Supermaxx 1500 Mod!


Sup readers,

I know that you've all been waiting a long time for this one, but the time has finally come! After many setbacks, I have finally succeeded in turning my Supermaxx 1500 into a war-worthy primary up to T da B's standards. For this mod, I had a few requirements:
  • Hopper clip for maximum rate of fire
  • Removable stock
  • Capable of reliably handling 100+ psi
  • Safety valve and psi gauge
It wasn't easy, but I have satisfied all of the requirements! Wanna know how?

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Solving the Angel Breech


Sup guys,
 
This little orange piece has been the bane of my existence since I first decided to make an Angel Breech for my Longshot. For those of you that don't know, this little orange guy is the attachment point between the bolt sled and breech--the #1 point of failure. Pretty much every brass breech mod that I've read calls for gluing this piece to your brass breech. I have tried many types of epoxy, including the one from the original breech created by ForsakenAngel24, but none of them have had enough strength to withstand my K26 spring. In typical T da B fashion, I set out to solve this annoyance once and for all. This time, it involves fire!

Back in action!

Sup guys,

It has been a while, but I'm back to the land of the living. Last month was a tough one for me due to sickness and a record-breaking workload at my job. We just released the newest version of our product and I was 100% in charge of testing the user interface, so I busted my ass to stamp out as many bugs as I could in a short time. Now that it's May, I can finally enjoy a short reprieve.

Although I didn't post very much at all last month, I was still putting in work behind the scenes. The main blaster that I've been working on is my Supermaxx 1500:

I have really been struggling to cram all the components I need into this slim package. It's no problem in a chunky Airtech 3000, but the SM1500 has much less room inside for goodies. Also, no one else has ever attempted what I am doing, so I have nobody's work to use for reference. On Monday I will be receiving what is hopefully my last part to finish the mod (mini hose clamps). In the end, my setup should be able to reliably handle 100+ psi!

The other mod that I have been working on is more of a repair than a mod--fixing my Longshot's brass breech. I spent a great deal of time last month learning about soldering, brazing, and welding and have finally acquired the necessary components to actually do it! On the bottom of the picture a bar of copper that will be sculpted into a new bolt sled attachment nub. The white dropper contains flux, which is used to prepare a surface for soldering. It removes the oxides on the metal surface and makes the solder stick to wherever you apply it. In the middle of the picture is the solder, which is usually a combination of metals. Mine contains silver, which causes the solder joint to be stronger than the actual metals you are bonding! Finally, on the left is my new butane torch, which can put out a flame that is 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Stay tuned for a write-up.

Hang in there, guys!
~T