Fallout, Stimpak built from real parts

[zapwizard]

Pyrotech I think the oilers may be a good idea. However there is a bit of a "+" shape inside that sort of looks like a jean rivet to me, but I never found any with a "+" shape inside, so I went for the hex screw. I have also 3D modeled a version I can 3D print that is perfectly accurate, but wouldn't be metal.

I am also still working on the internal guts, and recently came across a video on how dial indicators work and am going to re-design some of the guts to make it a bit simpler than the series of gears I have now.

 

[Pyrotech]

When I saw this, I instantly thought of this thread..

 

[zapwizard]

I watched that video as soon as it game out. While Adam did a great job of piecing everything together in one day. But the clear step in the tubing really doesn't sell it as real for me. I also want the gauge to be activated by the pushing of the needle.

He also didn't end up with any fake liquid (which is hard). I have thought of a few way to have the liquid appear to disappear, but all of them involve a plunger or pump which there just isn't room for. Mine will at least have real liquid trapped in the chamber.

 

[zapwizard]

So after watching the Clickspring series on dial indicators it gave me some ideas that made me dig up my Stimpak project.
My existing design was really quite close and just needed some tweaking to get working.

My goal with this project is to make a "functional" Stimpak. In that you stab the needle into something and the pressure gauge drops, and stays at zero. My current design wasn't reliable. But I just had to get the right springs and make the overall mechanism stiffer. I did this by adding a few metal bits from SendCutSend to the 3D prints so that the gears are all held between metal plates and no able to move.

Getting the mechanism to lock at zero was tricky, but in the end simpler than I was making it out to be. What I did was make it so that one tooth of the center gear locks with the reset button at zero. This has the added effect that the reset button stays flush with the enclosure until activated.

I also now have access to a SLS 3D printer, so I can make parts with any shape I need, far better than the laser-cut stacks I was limited to in 2018 when I started this project.

 

[zapwizard]

So the new Fallout show has me motivated to get working on my props again.
The Stimpak is the closest to being complete, and is a purely mechanical build.

The ones used on the show are smaller, and look to be a departure from what is seen in the game. (They also don't have gauges that move)

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Last week I prototyped making some of the liquid that will be inside the canister on the Stimpak. I tried a few different mixes of things. The one I settled on is a mix of baby oil, fluorescent alcohol inks, and embossing powders. All stolen from my wife's huge collection of card making supplies. It is hard to capture on camera, but the goo looks like the last thing you want to see injected into your self. There are bits of stuff floating around inside in clumps and the color changes from red to orange depending on the lighting.

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The canister all on it's own looks like a sci-fi prop. I may even make a few "refills" for the Stimpak as extra props.

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The glass canister itself required some development. At first I was hoping to just use some flat rubber gaskets, just like the original tube had. However the center glass tube needs something to hold it centered in place. Also putting liquid into the tube when the ends are somewhat loose just doesn't work well. So I restored to 3D printed end caps with rubber o-rings to seal the glass. My first protoype leaks from the middle, so I will tweak the o-ring channels a bit until they seal fully.

 

[Mach]

Very cool! The series makes me want to have another look at the bottles and Predicta TV again. Why'd you go with an oil based solution instead? I'd figured you'd have gone with a UV reactive water cooling fluid instead.