Kadajiroth
Sr Member
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Wow! That's an amazing scratchbuild! You should be very proud. :thumbsup
Wow! That's an amazing scratchbuild! You should be very proud. :thumbsup
Constructing VERA : completed
- Thread starter JOATRASH FX
- Start date
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
That is amazing, looks just almost just like the one I bought from peninsulamike
That is amazing, looks just almost just like the one I bought from peninsulamike
Eureka!
Well, since the other Firefly-related prop threads have been so active the last few days I guess it's time for me to share some potentially shiny news:
I FOUND A MACHINIST!!
I've been in contact with a guy that works in the next town over (where I work) that is willing to make the ALICE parts for me, within my budget. He knows his stuff too and has made gun parts (scope rails and stuff) before. So far, he's showing some real enthusiasm- he wants me to upgrade my blueprints and put in some of the details I've left out and some things I was thinking of doing myself!! He said that since the parts will be in the machines anyway, there was no reason to not do everything.
Now, with my track record so far on this project, I ain't countin' no chickens yet. Currently it looks like I'll see some progress mid-october. Keep all yer fingers'n'toes out there crossed for me.
IN OTHER NEWS:
My Jubal Early parts are now done and waiting for the silicone treatment. Finally did the last piece, the trigger, yesterday.
I'll be on the way to the post office in a little while to pick up my mold-making supplies. I've never done any casting in silicone before, (mainly done stuff with alginate and plaster) but unless I screw it up royally I should have some metal parts in a week or so. It's been quite a few years since I did any casting in metal so I've been reading up on some of the pitfalls... hopefully I still know what I'm doing.
I think maybe I need to go watch an episode or two to celebrate.
Well, since the other Firefly-related prop threads have been so active the last few days I guess it's time for me to share some potentially shiny news:
I FOUND A MACHINIST!!
I've been in contact with a guy that works in the next town over (where I work) that is willing to make the ALICE parts for me, within my budget. He knows his stuff too and has made gun parts (scope rails and stuff) before. So far, he's showing some real enthusiasm- he wants me to upgrade my blueprints and put in some of the details I've left out and some things I was thinking of doing myself!! He said that since the parts will be in the machines anyway, there was no reason to not do everything.
Now, with my track record so far on this project, I ain't countin' no chickens yet. Currently it looks like I'll see some progress mid-october. Keep all yer fingers'n'toes out there crossed for me.
IN OTHER NEWS:
My Jubal Early parts are now done and waiting for the silicone treatment. Finally did the last piece, the trigger, yesterday.
I'll be on the way to the post office in a little while to pick up my mold-making supplies. I've never done any casting in silicone before, (mainly done stuff with alginate and plaster) but unless I screw it up royally I should have some metal parts in a week or so. It's been quite a few years since I did any casting in metal so I've been reading up on some of the pitfalls... hopefully I still know what I'm doing.
I think maybe I need to go watch an episode or two to celebrate.
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Those Jubal Early parts look great, good luck on the silicone casting
Those Jubal Early parts look great, good luck on the silicone casting
pennausamike
Sr Member
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Well... here's a bit of news:
A SAIGA 12 AIRSOFT!
However, it's one horrendously expensive sob! Also, it seems to be a custom job built on an AK, which is why the receiver looks very close to the one on my cut down AK47 replica. Definitely looks different than the base gun for Vera. In other words... not worth the $ for a conversion (i.m.o.).
On that subject: I've been to see the machinist again and I dropped off my receiver so that he can match it up while doing the parts. One October rolls in, I'll ask him if I can snap a few photos while one of the parts is being machined.
In other news... as you may have seen elsewhere, I've begun trying to cast my Jubal Early pistols, but I'm having some problems. I'll probably be able to get a few useful castings but each one takes a few tries and they will probably still need a lot of cleanup, so I'm not sure if there's much point in offering the parts or just build a few finished guns. Lemme try some more stuff...
Oh.... and it's supposed to be:
Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
The extra "Jayne" makes all the difference! :lol
Well... here's a bit of news:
A SAIGA 12 AIRSOFT!
However, it's one horrendously expensive sob! Also, it seems to be a custom job built on an AK, which is why the receiver looks very close to the one on my cut down AK47 replica. Definitely looks different than the base gun for Vera. In other words... not worth the $ for a conversion (i.m.o.).
On that subject: I've been to see the machinist again and I dropped off my receiver so that he can match it up while doing the parts. One October rolls in, I'll ask him if I can snap a few photos while one of the parts is being machined.
In other news... as you may have seen elsewhere, I've begun trying to cast my Jubal Early pistols, but I'm having some problems. I'll probably be able to get a few useful castings but each one takes a few tries and they will probably still need a lot of cleanup, so I'm not sure if there's much point in offering the parts or just build a few finished guns. Lemme try some more stuff...
Oh.... and it's supposed to be:
Jayne!
The man they call Jayne!
The extra "Jayne" makes all the difference! :lol
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ed-209
Sr Member
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
In case this hasn't been mentioned before....
I found that the gun was originally used in the Eddie Murphy/Robert DeNiro film "SHOWTIME"
The base gun was a Saiga 12 guage shotgun that was converted by Gibbons Ltd. gunsmith Jim Boland, Gibbons, Burbank.
In case this hasn't been mentioned before....
I found that the gun was originally used in the Eddie Murphy/Robert DeNiro film "SHOWTIME"
The base gun was a Saiga 12 guage shotgun that was converted by Gibbons Ltd. gunsmith Jim Boland, Gibbons, Burbank.
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Ed, we have discussed Vera's origins a few times in earlier threads, but appreciate the effort nevertheless. Thanks for chiming in! :thumbsup
Oldzey, the extra "Jayne!" goes at the very beginning! :lol
And for the main event of the evening:
Well... here they are. Pewter castings of all the Jubal Early parts. These are straight out of the molds with only the sprues cut off, which is why they're all burnt and yella'. You'll also notice that some of the parts (like the main body) are quite rough. Good thing I went and got some sanding, grinding and polishing tools today. (Sidkit parts they ain't.) Sadly the mold for the main body went bye-bye after five castings and the others began to show signs of heat stress, so there will at most only be five of these things and that's assuming I don't screw anything up. Luckily, pewter is easily filled in and repaired. I was hoping to get a least ten pulls but alas, it was not to be. I am very pleased however, that the trigger guard and handle fits perfectly into the Pachmayr grip.
Ed, we have discussed Vera's origins a few times in earlier threads, but appreciate the effort nevertheless. Thanks for chiming in! :thumbsup
Oldzey, the extra "Jayne!" goes at the very beginning! :lol
And for the main event of the evening:
Well... here they are. Pewter castings of all the Jubal Early parts. These are straight out of the molds with only the sprues cut off, which is why they're all burnt and yella'. You'll also notice that some of the parts (like the main body) are quite rough. Good thing I went and got some sanding, grinding and polishing tools today. (Sidkit parts they ain't.) Sadly the mold for the main body went bye-bye after five castings and the others began to show signs of heat stress, so there will at most only be five of these things and that's assuming I don't screw anything up. Luckily, pewter is easily filled in and repaired. I was hoping to get a least ten pulls but alas, it was not to be. I am very pleased however, that the trigger guard and handle fits perfectly into the Pachmayr grip.
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Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Well... not much to report on Alice yet (Did a small entry to the site, but that's all.)
Blow torch bonanza!
Ok, well... as you all know the pewter casting didn't go super-smoothly. I got some pits and air bubbles in a few parts, most notably the "main body" of the guns. My plan was to use a hot soldering iron and fill in any holes and then grind them smooth. In a bout of enthusiastic ignorance I powered up my trusty old low-power iron and went at it. It kinda dawned on me rather quickly that I forgot to consider the fact there was no way in hell that it was gonna work, because of the way heat spreads through metal. For it to work, the part I want to fill has to be close to the same temperature of the filling solder/tin and my iron is nowhere near powerful enough.
In the end, I had to go out an buy a mini-blowtorch to get the job done! The thing is, you have to be real close to the critical melting temperature of the metal. Hold the flame too long to the object and you risk it becoming one big blob of metal in an instant. The trick is to try and keep just the area that needs filling hot enough to seamlessly bond with the filler.
Luckily, I didn't have any mishaps besides a faulty torch that started spitting fire after the third refill. As soon as I start grinding down the excess filler I'll find out if any air got trapped or not.
I also had to invest in a ton of polishing equipment. One thing is for sure... I will probably not be able to get a perfect chrome-mirror finish on the parts. They will not be "afbb" pristine but rather look like they've actually been in use by ol' Jubal, which is more realistic and fitting anyway.
I'll try to get a pic up when there's something interesting to show.
Well... not much to report on Alice yet (Did a small entry to the site, but that's all.)
Blow torch bonanza!
Ok, well... as you all know the pewter casting didn't go super-smoothly. I got some pits and air bubbles in a few parts, most notably the "main body" of the guns. My plan was to use a hot soldering iron and fill in any holes and then grind them smooth. In a bout of enthusiastic ignorance I powered up my trusty old low-power iron and went at it. It kinda dawned on me rather quickly that I forgot to consider the fact there was no way in hell that it was gonna work, because of the way heat spreads through metal. For it to work, the part I want to fill has to be close to the same temperature of the filling solder/tin and my iron is nowhere near powerful enough.
In the end, I had to go out an buy a mini-blowtorch to get the job done! The thing is, you have to be real close to the critical melting temperature of the metal. Hold the flame too long to the object and you risk it becoming one big blob of metal in an instant. The trick is to try and keep just the area that needs filling hot enough to seamlessly bond with the filler.
Luckily, I didn't have any mishaps besides a faulty torch that started spitting fire after the third refill. As soon as I start grinding down the excess filler I'll find out if any air got trapped or not.
I also had to invest in a ton of polishing equipment. One thing is for sure... I will probably not be able to get a perfect chrome-mirror finish on the parts. They will not be "afbb" pristine but rather look like they've actually been in use by ol' Jubal, which is more realistic and fitting anyway.
I'll try to get a pic up when there's something interesting to show.
Kadajiroth
Sr Member
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Nice update. Can't wait for pics, I love this project. :thumbsup
Nice update. Can't wait for pics, I love this project. :thumbsup
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
A normal iron will easily melt pewter (or as in this case, basically pure tin) if the pieces are small (like solder, 25mm figures or objects like the trigger and side greeblies on the Jubal pistol). However, in this case we're talking about a massive chunk of metal, around an inch thick and 3-4 inches long, weighing probably 700-800 grams (almost 30 Oz). When you put the soldering tip to the piece, all the stored up heat spreads throughout the whole chunk, There isn't enough power even in a 100 watt iron to heat the whole thing and it doesn't get hot enough to "flash heat" just the area that needs filling. Even the blowtorch I got was barely coping cause the gas kept running out on me! I ended up putting the parts on a hotplate to boost the heat level. I set the plate to a safe enough setting and got the part up to maybe 150 degrees Celsius (tin melts at 230 or something like that) and blasted the filler area with the torch to get it hot enough.
If you used the hotplate method, a normal soldering iron can be used, but I found it kinda clumsy since you have to press the tip to the part and risk marring the surface. Better to use a torch and a screwdriver as a spatula.
As it is now, I've got just about all the parts filled up. I just gotta grind, drill and polish for a few days!
A normal iron will easily melt pewter (or as in this case, basically pure tin) if the pieces are small (like solder, 25mm figures or objects like the trigger and side greeblies on the Jubal pistol). However, in this case we're talking about a massive chunk of metal, around an inch thick and 3-4 inches long, weighing probably 700-800 grams (almost 30 Oz). When you put the soldering tip to the piece, all the stored up heat spreads throughout the whole chunk, There isn't enough power even in a 100 watt iron to heat the whole thing and it doesn't get hot enough to "flash heat" just the area that needs filling. Even the blowtorch I got was barely coping cause the gas kept running out on me! I ended up putting the parts on a hotplate to boost the heat level. I set the plate to a safe enough setting and got the part up to maybe 150 degrees Celsius (tin melts at 230 or something like that) and blasted the filler area with the torch to get it hot enough.
If you used the hotplate method, a normal soldering iron can be used, but I found it kinda clumsy since you have to press the tip to the part and risk marring the surface. Better to use a torch and a screwdriver as a spatula.
As it is now, I've got just about all the parts filled up. I just gotta grind, drill and polish for a few days!
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Well, I've just spent a day and a half grinding, shaping and buffing the Early pistol parts... man it's been a lot of work and I've gone though a lot of buffing/sanding tools so far. My hands are all numb and shaky after holding the Dremel for hours on end... even to the point of my finger-muscles "vibrating" by themselves when I tap something! :eek But now I'm finally getting close to "final assembly" stage. (Oh, and for those that want a set of parts... check the JY.)
Here are the parts after a couple rounds of cleanup:
No real news on the Vera parts yet. The machinist hasn't started yet, but I've updated a few of the blueprints, adding some details. Hopefully he'll get to them soon. I'm gettin' antsy! Especially with the new "Serenity 2" rumor/blurb floating about the internet and the official Mal pistol finally on the way. Looks like it's gonna be a close call... what will I get first... my Vera parts or the Mal pistol? (Please- no wagering!) :lol
Well, I've just spent a day and a half grinding, shaping and buffing the Early pistol parts... man it's been a lot of work and I've gone though a lot of buffing/sanding tools so far. My hands are all numb and shaky after holding the Dremel for hours on end... even to the point of my finger-muscles "vibrating" by themselves when I tap something! :eek But now I'm finally getting close to "final assembly" stage. (Oh, and for those that want a set of parts... check the JY.)
Here are the parts after a couple rounds of cleanup:
No real news on the Vera parts yet. The machinist hasn't started yet, but I've updated a few of the blueprints, adding some details. Hopefully he'll get to them soon. I'm gettin' antsy! Especially with the new "Serenity 2" rumor/blurb floating about the internet and the official Mal pistol finally on the way. Looks like it's gonna be a close call... what will I get first... my Vera parts or the Mal pistol? (Please- no wagering!) :lol
Re: Constructing VERA! (and Early's pistol)
Looking beautiful, very very nice work!
Looking beautiful, very very nice work!
the first Early pistol is DONE!
Whoa... I'm feelin' all sorts o' pleasin' right now. The first Jubal Early Pistol is now complete!
I gotta say... I had my doubts about this project. I had a hell of a time getting good castings and I ruined more than one part on the way. Now, I usually try not to toot my own horn but today, when I picked up the finished gun I got kind of a "wow" feeling. It might not be perfect, it might not be cast directly from a screen used... but it's heavy and the metal makes it feel so right. I left the finish a little "rough" as I imagine an old Colt would be. Not a "dirty" weathering like Mal's pistol... more like a "been through hell but has always been lovingly cared for" look, which I thinks kinda adds to the realism.
Anyway... here are some pics. This puppy will be crossing the pond in the next few days to be with it's new owner (a fellow RPFer).
Oh, and I also got word that my machinist has ordered material for my Alice/Vera parts!
Whoa... I'm feelin' all sorts o' pleasin' right now. The first Jubal Early Pistol is now complete!
I gotta say... I had my doubts about this project. I had a hell of a time getting good castings and I ruined more than one part on the way. Now, I usually try not to toot my own horn but today, when I picked up the finished gun I got kind of a "wow" feeling. It might not be perfect, it might not be cast directly from a screen used... but it's heavy and the metal makes it feel so right. I left the finish a little "rough" as I imagine an old Colt would be. Not a "dirty" weathering like Mal's pistol... more like a "been through hell but has always been lovingly cared for" look, which I thinks kinda adds to the realism.
Anyway... here are some pics. This puppy will be crossing the pond in the next few days to be with it's new owner (a fellow RPFer).
Oh, and I also got word that my machinist has ordered material for my Alice/Vera parts!
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