Art Asylum Phaser rebuilding thread

[Flagg]

I gutted one of these a while back and added a working laser. Nothing too fancy here...

It wasn't until I finished the whole thing that I realised I could of just wired into the existing battery setup in the P1 instead of jury rigging the AAA battery setup in there. Live and learn.

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Hey Colonel Flagg,

I think you rigged it up the right way... those watch batteries in the P1 probably wouldn't have lasted very long

 

[phase pistol]

Yeah but couldn't you keep the wiring?

That is, put the three AAAs in the p1, but cut the leads to the button cells and wire the new batteries up there?

That would leave the p2 trigger intact, and the phaser would function normally...

- k

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Okay, it is Dremel time.

Here's a pic of some of the parts that we'll be using in our conversion. If you don't have them yet, go ahead and order them from someone... we'll have a lot to keep us busy while we wait on them to come in.

You'll have to ask around about the metal, but Kurok has the fins for ten bucks a pop. He's rippin' himself off, if you ask me

Here are the Dremel accessories that we'll need. The fiber wheels are much tougher and safer than the other type

Go ahead and cut the nozzle off. We won't be needing it anymore

Here are the halves laid open. Be sure to save all the screws and small parts in one location. It'll be awhile before we need them again, but I for one am bad about forgetting where I put them.

Cut the LED wire close to the spring-loaded connectors. We won't be using the connectors in an electrical capacity, but they will be needed later on, so leave them.

Now is a good time to take the clip off the handle's bottom cap. We won't be needing it either, and the same goes for the side knob.

These are the two parts that we'll be working with.

Okay, here's where the fun begins.

While the wheel is still in the dremel, cut slots where the blue arrow points. We'll be opening up the sight window area, and these slots will make it easier for us to get that plastic 'wall' out of the way.

Now, switch to the drum. Take the side ribs dow, Be careful not to go too deep - keep it just above the surface of the surrounding plastic. I, for one, hate to putty, and we'll be able to sand it down the rest of the way later.

While you're there, smooth up the front, where you cut off the nozzle. Also, grind down the forehead plate area. Just take it down the thickness of the molded-on plate. Don't worry too awful much about neatness... because we're gonna make a metal plate later that's going to be covering up that area anyway.

This weekend, I'm going to be sanding the riblets down and adding the nozzle mount. I'll have a bunch more pics up on Tuesday

 

[USSCassiopeia]

It's Sanding Block time.

We need to screw the halves back together and head to the sink for some wet-sanding.

First off, we need to 'de-horn' the handle. Even though it is actually a decent joint, it still feels a bit ridgy, so that's where we'll start sanding.

Once the seams are solid gray, we've gone far enough.

BTW I'm using 320 grit sandpaper...

Now, smooth up the front and the top rear...

 

[PropReplicator]

Man, I'm glad you're doing this. My AA Phaser has been in pieces in several baggies, alongside it's upgrade components, for about a year, now.

Wayne

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Well, Wayne, de-baggie those parts and get crackin' LOL

This isn't a difficult conversion - remember, I am LAZY - it just takes a bit of time.

The most tedious parts are removing the side ribs and sanding the texture off the P1.

The most emotionally distressing part is having to wait a week between clearcoating and polishing. :lol

 

[KUROK]

Wet 'n wild .

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Originally posted by KUROK@Jan 17 2006, 12:07 PM
Wet 'n wild .

[snapback]1161209[/snapback]​

You have given me an idea, buddy...........

 

[stingray]

Hey Dave any updates?

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Hey fine people....

My phaser hiatus is over - expect pics soon :love

Dave

 

[Roger Ramjet]

Yea...Dave is back with a vengance...

Roger

 

[USSCassiopeia]

:thumbsup ,Roger. (I wish they had a hi-five emoticon.

Anyway, Our Story:

Time for more surgery. Enlarge this hole to fit your Side Knob. Instead of opening it up evenly all around the hole, you want to open it up more toward the top and rear.

Leave the original side knob shaft - it may need trimming but the new side knob will ride against it. Take your time on this - you want it to fit as exact and snug as you can. If it is snug anough, you won't have to glue the ring in - but if it is too snug, it may slightly deform the ring and the knob will be too tight to turn. If that happend, just open it up a little more.

I like to trim it out with an X-Acto and fine-tune it with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel rod.

Now, it is nozzle time.

You need some brass tubing, 1/2" inside diameter. Cut it to about 3/4" in length, and deburr the cut end. The factory-cut end goes toward the nozzle....

Now, for the mounting. You need a piece of .100" sheet plastic. Cut it into a square (IIRC, 1" square, maybe a little smaller.) Cut a hole in the center big enough for the tubing to slide snugly in.

It'll fit between the side knob ring and the inside front of the P2's body....and you want to trim it so that the P2 halves will close and the nozzle centered. Trial and error time for now, until I can measure it.

Once it fits to your satisfaction and looks vaguely like the pic, it is time to make the tubing a more permanent part of your phaser.

Making sure that the factory-cut end is all the way on the nozzle's extension and seated, slide them into the adaptor plate (which is placed, but not glued, inside the left P2 half.

Once the back of the nozzle is against the P2 front, put a drop of CA on the brass tubing where it meets the sheet plastic. Let that dry, and take it out of the P2 body gently.

Take the nozzle out, and if the brass stayed attached to the plate, lay the JB Weld to it - all around the back of the plate and around the brass tubing. Let it cure well - this needs to be a strong joint.

Now, while that is curing, time to fill in those dastardly screw holes....

Take a drill - preferably a variable-speed one. Chuck a piece of plastic rod in it (one that is slightly larger dia than the holes) and taper it as shown.

Once you have two pieces that fit tight, put a few drops of CA on them and twist them into the holes. After the glue dries, cut them off flush with the surface.

You'll have to use files, sanding sticks, imagination, and a few nerve pills to get the handle hole filled in without wrecking the tombstones...

Now to relieve some frustration and make the new trigger at the same time.

Cut off a two-inch piece of an X-Acto handle and chuck it in your drill. Get some 320- or 400-grit sandpaper and hold it against the side of the handle as it turns. Then, hold the sandpaper flat in the palm of your hand and stick the end of the handle against it. Drill.

If all went well, you should have a really cool finish on it. Now, do the same thing, except polish it with Brasso and an old cloth...

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Here we are, getting ready to mount the side knob.

With the back edge of an X-Acto blade, lightly trace the ring that comes with the knob in the place you want it. Then, using said X-Acto, carve it out but leave just a little bit of a border.

Then, wrap a piece of coarse sandpaper around something like this tapered brush handle and finish it up. You want to take out just enough plastic to make the ring fit snug.

Okay, fellas, here's more about mounting the nozzle.

Here's what you'll need...a piece of sheet plastic with a hole drilled as shown (I'll get the exact measurements soon), some CA (This is my favorite kind), some 9/16 and 17/32 brass tubing, and a 9/16 drill bit.

Use the hole as a pilot for the bigger bit.

Cut two pieces of brass.... the bigger piece needs to be about a half inch thick, and cut the other kinda in the shape of a TOS nacelle cap.

Make sure you de-burr the edges.

Make sure to cut out the tab that is pointed out, and remove some plastic from the bottom of the front screw-hole shaft. You need to do this so the back extension of the nozzle will fit.

Here is what it should look like all together, but not glued at this point:

It's time to align the nozzle and secure the mounting.

Taking care to keep everything in place, put the two halves of the P2 together. Slide the nozzle into the tube gently until it seats against the front of the P2 body. Take something like a small flat-blade screwdriver and, thru the side knob hole, push the brass tubes forward as far as they will go. Look the phaser over and see if the nozzle is aligned to your liking - you may have to trim the mounting plate ever-so-slightly.

If everything looks fine, put a few drops of CA in the points shown. All you want is enough CA to hold the tubes and plate in place, but don't glue the halves together, and don't glue the nozzle in. ( I did this once a while back...)

Once the CA dries, take the phaser back apart and glue the whiz out of the areas shown. Capillary action will take the CA where it is most needed.

Later, we're going to reinforce this area with some JBweld, but we'll wait till we mix it up when we take care of the Try-Me slot on the P1.

Now is a good idea to enlarge the front sight window. We're still going to use the stock 'glass', however...

Here is what you should have so far..... aren't they cute?

 

[phase pistol]

Originally posted by USSCassiopeia@Mar 14 2006, 09:08 AM
Hey fine people....

My phaser hiatus is over - expect pics soon  :love

Dave

[snapback]1205461[/snapback]​

Oh man I had a phaser hiatus once... VERY painful. :confused

- k

 

[USSCassiopeia]

Yeah, K - I see what you mean.

Are you still having to take suppositories for it? :lol

 

[ArtistTheGeek]

ooh.. i'd forgotten about this thread. Has it reaally been 4 months?

 

[Imahomer]

Wow............. What a thread. I'd like to read some sort of wrap and see some finished pictures though. I'm going to be house bound for a while and I've been thinking of trying this project out. I'm not a handy guy though and I need to read and learn as much beforehand as possible.

HELP.....

 

[Mechamaniac]

Yes, please wrap this one up. I'm itching to do this myself.

 

[Joe Campbell]

Hey, moderators -

It would be cool if we could archive this thread.....