Random blaster pistol project?

[GreyGuard38]

If someone makes a "blaster" from a non-firing gun, is it allowed at cosplay events?
I have an old air pistol that no longer works (I'm sure all the O-rings are gone), and I'm thinking of turning it into my own "blaster." It's a Crosman 130, one of the ones I learned to shoot with "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." I think it's "unique" looking enough that it might make a good "sci-fi" pistol.

 

[OdiWan72]

Depends on the policies of the convention you‘re attending…all differ

Weapons allowed/ not allowed at all
Only resin/ rubber/ printed props
Orange plugs required yes/ no
…

 

[GreyGuard38]

Roger that, thanks! I could probably fashion an orange plug to go in the end of the barrel. It's a .22 cal.
It's going to be a while before I have a full costume, et. al.

Under "weapons," I guess lightsabers are still okay, since they're still "non-functional?"

 

[OdiWan72]

Yeah…I never heard of any convention forbidding lightsabers LOL

Check the conventions website or give them a call up front. I had to leave my blasters in the car TWICE, because I did not check the regulations up front

 

[GreyGuard38]

If you see this guy at the door, you know it's "No Blasters!"

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Roger that, thanks! I could probably fashion an orange plug to go in the end of the barrel. It's a .22 cal.
It's going to be a while before I have a full costume, et. al.

Under "weapons," I guess lightsabers are still okay, since they're still "non-functional?"

I've also never encountered a con that forbade lightsabres, though I have seen someone get kicked out for being a moron with one...

The other thing to check is local weapon laws. If you were to visit Calgary Comic Con, say, I don't know what the con itself would say but forgetting you had that in your holster when you stopped by a pub for lunch would probably get you an intense conversation with the police, and depending on the knowledge and mood of the officers involved might end up with your prop being seized. You'd almost certainly get it back eventually, but it would be a massive pain in the butt.

 

[GreyGuard38]

Yes, all local firearm laws still apply! I don't think Canadian Customs would allow actual Star Wars blasters from the movies, without a lot of paperwork. I wouldn't try to take it to an area with strict laws.

 

[GreyGuard38]

Still working on ideas for upgrading this pistol... As it happens, I work for a company that supplies welding parts and supplies and there are DOZENS of assorted pieces and parts that would make terrific "greeblies" to add on for effect!
Anyone have ideas on how I could affix some kind of "block" onto the side, which I could add a couple of small tube-like parts onto?
Looking for some brainstorming on ideas on creating a "new" model of blaster out of this.
It's a couple of times per week when I'm doing inventory checks that I see another nozzle, tip or something and think it would make a great part to add on to the pistol. LOL

 

[GreyGuard38]

Made some progress in the planning and design stage today, and I have acquired a few parts to add on to it.
Need to pick up some paint tomorrow.

 

[GreyGuard38]

Well... that didn't work...
First coat of paint a metallic bronze, second coat gloss black. The metallic is WAAYY too metallic, and the gloss black is tooo glossy. (A matte clear might be all it needs, but not there yet.) Also, it's not adhering properly, I can tap it with my fingernail and all the paint chips right off down to the metal.
Soooo... Time to strip it, sand it good, clean it (again) and try it with primer this time, I guess? Well, it's a "practice project" from the start anyways, so now I'm learning about practicing!

Also picked up some brown acrylic paint. It has hard plastic, black grips. I've scrubbed it with Dawn soap and water, and it's dry and masked off.
I want to paint the checkered part brown to simulate "wood" grips. Should I hit it with steel wool or something first? I dunno... it's practice! haha

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Primer is almost always a good idea. Primer sticks really well, but is easy to damage. So we use primer to "glue" the paint to the item, and then use paint to protect both the item and the primer.

The only time it isn't is if you want the substrate (whatever you're putting the paint on) to show through. So if one is trying to recreate the 1977 look of R2-D2 where the blue bits were just markup dye applied directly to the aluminium, primer is going to make that harder. Of course, there's a reason why the blue "paint" is so inconsistent and awful in the first movie - not using primer means the paint is less likely to stick. But unless you're trying to have the underlying material to show through, primer is the best plan.

For your plastic grips, the main problem with such things is usually a mold release agent that's lingering on the plastic - it can last an amazingly long time - or oils from human handling. Your scrubbing routine is the best way to take on that. Again, unless you really want the underlying material to show through, primer is a good start. If you can remove the grips, doing a quick test spray on the inside to make sure the paint will fully cure isn't a bad plan, especially if you're using spray bombs. The carrier medium in spray paint will sometimes react with plastic and the result is paint that never "dries." Also, with plastic remember that spray paint can take a lot longer to cure than on other surfaces, so being patient and giving it lots of time to fully cure before adding the next layer will also help.

 

[GreyGuard38]

Thanks! I have liquid acrylic paint for the grips, testing on the back is a great idea I didn't think of. (D'oh!)
I like the 2-layer approach on the pistol that they're talking about in the Andor/Bryar pistol, wearing off the darker outer color to allow the underlayer to show, I would like to try that on mine. Sounds like the primer would help, since I don't want metal showing.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Thanks! I have liquid acrylic paint for the grips, testing on the back is a great idea I didn't think of. (D'oh!)
I like the 2-layer approach on the pistol that they're talking about in the Andor/Bryar pistol, wearing off the darker outer color to allow the underlayer to show, I would like to try that on mine. Sounds like the primer would help, since I don't want metal showing.

Yup! That's the same basic technique used on lots of things. I've used it on my R5 dome and my scrubber droid, though I can't find any suitable pictures right now.

My personal approach is:

Primer. Let it cure; this isn't a race. Pay attention to what the primer is for. You may be able to use a generic "works on anything" primer or you may need to use a self-etching primer - which may or may not play nicely with the plastic.

Satin Black. Putting black under a metallic paint adds depth. Flat black adds more depth, gloss black adds more shine, I like satin as a midpoint. Using a different colour here can have an interesting if subtle impact on the way the metallic paint looks. For copper I'd consider (though have not actually tried) a dark green. For gold colours, a red undercoat is usually better than a black one. In any case, let that paint fully cure before moving on.

Metallic layer. I do a lot of 3d printed stuff so I like the Tremclad "hammered" metals because the paint adds textures that helps hide the 3d printed nature. Not really a factor for you here. Again, make sure this has fully cured before you move on.

Top coat. "Wet masking" with jelly or putty or heck, I use a tube of toothpaste I turned out to be allergic to, can do a great job of siumulating chips in the paint. Salt masking looks cool but I've never actually tried it. And then for edge wear, lightly sanding the part after the paint has dried works well.

Clear-coating metallic paint usually ends up making it look like paint and not metal, so if that's part of the plan make sure to test it on scrap first.

 

[Shingouki28]

Yup! That's the same basic technique used on lots of things. I've used it on my R5 dome and my scrubber droid, though I can't find any suitable pictures right now.

My personal approach is:

Primer. Let it cure; this isn't a race. Pay attention to what the primer is for. You may be able to use a generic "works on anything" primer or you may need to use a self-etching primer - which may or may not play nicely with the plastic.

Satin Black. Putting black under a metallic paint adds depth. Flat black adds more depth, gloss black adds more shine, I like satin as a midpoint. Using a different colour here can have an interesting if subtle impact on the way the metallic paint looks. For copper I'd consider (though have not actually tried) a dark green. For gold colours, a red undercoat is usually better than a black one. In any case, let that paint fully cure before moving on.

Metallic layer. I do a lot of 3d printed stuff so I like the Tremclad "hammered" metals because the paint adds textures that helps hide the 3d printed nature. Not really a factor for you here. Again, make sure this has fully cured before you move on.

Top coat. "Wet masking" with jelly or putty or heck, I use a tube of toothpaste I turned out to be allergic to, can do a great job of siumulating chips in the paint. Salt masking looks cool but I've never actually tried it. And then for edge wear, lightly sanding the part after the paint has dried works well.

Clear-coating metallic paint usually ends up making it look like paint and not metal, so if that's part of the plan make sure to test it on scrap first.

Great tips here

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Personally, I would not paint or weather anything on that existing weapon. Yes, you may have things that you add that might need painting and to blend with the used look of your weapon, you will have to weather it but but right now you have the perfect look and weathering. In the OT, when they used a real weapon, they did not mess with the finish, mostly because they leased them so they were used and they could not do anything that wasn't reversible. Also that gun barrel metal look that you have currently on the barrel is perfect, you are going to have a hard time getting that look back if you paint it. I can see where you might want to change the grips or change the color but I think everything else looks good.

In my opinion, most people over weather their props especially blasters. It kind of reminds me of computer webpages in the 90s when because someone knew how to add sounds and gifs, they just insisted on using them and too much. I feel that a lot of folks here learn to faux weather and they feel they must prove by over doing it.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

I had done a similar custom blaster over 20 years ago. Similar in design but it was shorter and it was CO2 so there was no pump section.

It here is the original.

I eliminated the top section (the actual barrel, barrel support, cocking mechanism) so the I could use the larger tube as the main barrel. This is actual where you load the CO2 cartage from the front. I also got rid of the screw on loading cap on the front.

At the time, I had a friend with access to a machine shop, So I designed a muzzle that would slip over the main tube. It was slightly rounded on the top and bottom with a wide and thin groove. The thin groove I added black paint accent to along with a fat O-ring behind the muzzle. I had a bit of a hard rubber grooved grip piece that I had in my parts box. I sliced a section out of it and fit it so it clamped at the top. This covered the text engraving on the side and the a little bar that stuck out the top. The grooved piece could slide along the tube and still cock the pistol which h offered a neat effect.

When I had the muzzle made, I had it made very long because I was not sure how long I wanted it. I actually was able to cut to two equal pieces and then a shorter leftover piece. I ended up making two of these for a friend. My friend I made a extension barrel lathed that would screw into the threads where the CO2 cap once went.

Unfortunately all my good images of those two blasters have been lost and I no longer am in contact with my friend or have mine. So this is the best shot I have of one of this blasters.

If you want to know what happened to the the smaller muzzle piece, I used to to make a quick and dirty Mara Jade holdout blaster.

 

[GreyGuard38]

Very nice!

 

[GreyGuard38]

Welp, started trying to sand off the paint, and lo and behold- it looks great! A light sanding took the shine off, and wore off a couple of high spots, so the "weathering" actually looks pretty good. I also managed to clean up the hole in the front plastic piece so I could mount the nozzle.
The "brown" I got for the grips is too orange (not as orange as AK-style bakelight, but still...), so I'll have to pick up something else.

 

[PicasoX]

How about airsoft?

 

[Vagabond Elf]

Welp, started trying to sand off the paint, and lo and behold- it looks great! A light sanding took the shine off, and wore off a couple of high spots, so the "weathering" actually looks pretty good. I also managed to clean up the hole in the front plastic piece so I could mount the nozzle.
The "brown" I got for the grips is too orange (not as orange as AK-style bakelight, but still...), so I'll have to pick up something else.

Brown and orange are technically the same colour at different levels of brightness.

But glad to hear the base paint is looking good!