e 11 folding stock help

Star Wars Man

Well-Known Member
alright, i think that there are three parts to the folding stock, right?

i have some questions

how to attach them to each other so they can be folded back to a stock

how do you get them to stay when they aren't folded back

and how do you get them not to just fall to the ground

folding stock

and could i have some pics of yours?
 
Very few blaster builders make functional folding stocks.
The stock is held onto the receiver with a hook, which is on a rod, which is pushed when you fold the front "grip" down thus releasing the folding stock.
There are two knobs on the inner side of the two arms that attach to the notches on the endcap. By pressing down the release on the underside of the back of the receiver you enable the endcap to be pushed forward thus releasing the stock, letting you fold it forwards.

They are never seen folded back in Star Wars. Master Replicas' blaster does not fold back.
I know there is one person who has made a functional stock has posted on the Blaster Builder's Club. You will have to hunt yourself.
http://www.imperial-fleet.com/bbcforum/portal.php
 
I cheated. :$

Since my blaster is mostly metal I just used a small rare-earth magnet under the barrel shroud which sticks the folded stock in place quite securely. No muss, no fuss. About a $2 solution to the problem. On a plastic stock you could do the same thing and glue a metal washer where the stock meets the magnet. You don't need much of a magnet if the stock doesn't weigh much.

It took me a while to see how the stock seemed to attach, too. All the line drawings at the PVC Blaster Builder's Club are great, and hopefully these pictures may help too..

This is how I did mine, inaccurate though it may be. First we have the folded stock:
foldedstock.JPG

Next, the extended stock:
extendedstock.JPG

Now to explain a couple of things. The green circles are connections which have been bolted so they can still swivel. The red circles are connections where it is just a pressure-fit (the sides are bent in enough that they grip the area of overlap). The blue circle is the rare-earth magnet.
stockexp.JPG

Keep looking around and you will find some pictures that better show how the actual rifle stock is held in place. Try looking for pictures on the net of actual rifles or conversion kits. It may take a while but they are out there. Someone here who owns one may be able to contribute, too.

Hope that helps a bit. Anyone who can post pics of the real mechanisms in action would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the clear verbal explanation, Darth Lars. :)

Ever-present thanks to WC again.
 
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yeah on a real sterling the shoulder stock has a hook built into the round tube
that houses the retaining spring that both holds the hook forward, locking it to the gun and pushes against the shoulder plate, making it stay folded under.

when you grab the shoulder plate and swing it out to the front, it pushes back on the hook and releases it from the underside of the gun.

at that time the main spar of the shoulder stock can then slide down and lock into those Y shaped holes on either side of the shoulder plate. there is a spring steel retaining plate on the inside of the shoulder plate that locks it in place.

It's actually quite ingenious how it all works....the brits musta snuck a couple of germans in to over engineer the whole thing :)
 
now i think i understand...it is gonna be tuff to do with cardboard

fettclone, that is sick, how did you make the stock?

and what does rare earth magnet mean? i know like what a magnet is but rare...earth? is it made of dirt...he he
 
Originally posted by Star Wars Man@Jan 31 2006, 04:01 PM

and what does rare earth magnet mean? i know like what a magnet is but rare...earth? is it made of dirt...he he
[snapback]1172815[/snapback]​

Google is your friend:

Google Search "what is a rear earth magnet"

Basically, it's a magnet made of neodymium, iron, and boron. They are quite strong for their size. Easily accessible from Radio shack (easy for me, there's one right behind my condo complex), but many other retailers carry them as well.
 
"That is the most industrial blaster I've ever seen."

Thanks Jay. It's in "non-pretty pre-paint phase" right now. I just haven't cleaned it up much since the welding was done. It's made of some fairly hefty pipe and sheet steel, definitely not the type you want to carry around all day. I even spring-loaded the receiver cover just for fun. Static props that "do" something are always more enjoyable to me.

"fettclone, that is sick, how did you make the stock?"

I used the templates from the BBC (blaster builders club) on sheet steel instead of plastic. The cutting takes a jigsaw with metal-cutting blades and personal protection (sharp, hot slivers of metal flying from the cuts). Using a centre-punch before drilling the holes helps keep them from wandering (like lost sheep... lost metal sheep...). The folding requires a large vise and a hammer, and you get a pretty sturdy result. And keep working away on the props, Star Wars Man. :D

Thanks for the catch with the magnets, RedTwoX.

Someday soon I may even have to try a plastic one, though all the long guns are mighty tempting too. I just picked up a Koto shock trooper and the detail on the guns are starting to scream "build me."... :lol

I'm gonna go nuts when I finally get around to getting some armor.
 
If anyone needs them, I could also post pics of a vintage stormtrooper blaster (back when it came with the stock). Still not an accurate method of fastening the stock but it could provide someone with an idea if they're interested. LMK.
 
Mine wasn't as dangerous :eek to make as fettclone's,
I just used Aluminum sheet, and flat aluminum bar from home depot..
And I used the BBC templates aswell...
 
Aluminum would be softer and easier to work. Heck, even lighter to carry, too. What can I say? I'm a fan of the steel. I have gotten pretty good at the "keep your fingers anywhere but where the hammering is going on" part. The key is to let the vise do all the holding. I could hammer on it all day and it wouldn't complain a bit. As far as the hot metal shavings go, just use gloves and an appropriate face shield. The danger is all relative to your experience working with these tools and the safety precautions you take.

The hammer is used to form the butt-stock only, as I can't bend steel that thick with my bare hands and lack more sophisticated tools to do it. It just bolts in place on the blaster, no "persuasion" needed. Everything just slips into place with a flick of the wrist. :p

Here are the pics of a vintage Star Wars stormtrooper blaster, circa 1978-ish. I can certainly say they don't make 'em like they used to.

blasterleft.JPG
blastright.JPG


vinstock1.JPG
vinstock2.JPG


Note the tabs under the barrel and the corresponding slot on the stock.
vinstock3.JPG
vinstock4.JPG


Here you can see the knobs that lock the stock in the open position. The plastic is flexible enough to take the stretch required by the arms.
vinstock5.JPG

The rear endcap comes off with a slight pull, allowing the battery hatch to open. This was later moved to the handle when they changed to an "AA" battery configuration.
vinstock6.JPG


The new ones don't feature the yellow and black "barber-pole" which spins inside the barrel with a really loud, parent-annoying, "Look-at-me-I'm-shooting-bad-guys" noise also made by bits inside the barrel. The new ones also lack the 3-position stock although you can see where it used to attach to the gun in the later versions. :cry Law now requires the blaze-orange endcaps on the guns in the US as well, same story as the Han blaster (made sure I got one of those, too). The vintage blaster rifle shows up on Ebay from time to time, and it's a fun piece to own. Not cheap, but some of the older stuff just can't be beat... :)

Once again, big thanks to WackyChimp for the hosting.
 
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