Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project.

Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with pretty lights!

Just thought I'd touch briefly on how to properly prep and paint your shooters. :)
This question popped up a couple of times so I made sure to take pictures of some of the steps I used.

As you've no doubt noticed, the texture of the White Strong & Flexible polished prints leave a lot to be desired; it's by no means smooth. But with a little elbow grease we can soon fix that no problem. The secret to it all are three easily obtainable items.
  • Spot Putty aka Glazing Putty
  • Primer or Filler Primer (great for filling in those small holes)
  • Sand Paper
These can all be found at your local wal-mart, home improvement store, or auto store.

First thing you need to do is apply a coat of the putty on the surface you want to smooth out, like so:

Once applied, it'll air dry to a sand-able surface. Give it about 30 minutes to harden and then start attacking it with your sandpaper. I like to start with a 200 grit and work it all the way around.


Here you can see the bezel and fluid cartridge after I sanded it some. You see how spots of the sruface are showing? That's pretty much what you want to see when sanding, though don't sand too deep. Remember, you're using the glazing putty to fill in the small stepping and imperfections left from the printing process.


This time I sprayed black primer to see how i was doing. Looking a lot better but i still have more filling and sanding to go! At this point it's repeating the same process over and over until you are ultimately satisfied with the result. Don't rush it as this takes time if you want a nice smooth finish.

Once I was happy with how it turned out, I did a final sanding with 600 grit sandpaper to get rid of the smaller particles that the 300 couldn't. The finish will be a lot smoother than before; after this you can apply one more coat of primer, then your choice of color! Also, don't forget to add your clear coat to the shooters. You can choose a matte, semi-gloss, or glossy finish. The clear coat is what protects the paint from the elements. This was all done using spray paint. :)
The results can be quite satisfying, see!
View attachment 106198
View attachment 106199

Now these are my results and I am satisfied with them. I could've spent several more hours sanding and puttying, sanding and puttying, etc. but I'm overall quite pleased with how they came out. Especially considering the rough texture it had before hand. Now I just have to wait for the paint to dry and I can tackle the electronics! :love

So remember!
  1. Apply putty
  2. Sand sand sand!
  3. Spray primer
  4. Repeat until satisfied
  5. Sand with 600 grit or higher
  6. Apply final coat of paint
  7. Apply clear coat

Cheers! :cheers
What brand/color names did you use for your final painting? Those colors look great!
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Nice work! Would you happen to have a source link for the palm switch you are using?looks perfect!

The switch is from sparkfun.com
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8720

While it may be obvious, this thing is TINY. So far I have only been able to press it with the edge of my fingernail. I'll probably need to reinforce the back, unless you like prongs poking your palm :lol, and add something to the button itself to increase the surface area of the button making it easier to press.
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

The switch is from sparkfun.com
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8720

While it may be obvious, this thing is TINY. So far I have only been able to press it with the edge of my fingernail. I'll probably need to reinforce the back, unless you like prongs poking your palm :lol, and add something to the button itself to increase the surface area of the button making it easier to press.

Ha! Wow! You don't really get an idea of just how small it is until you see it sitting on a quarter in the link you provided! Thanks.
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

As you can see below, with my current circuit design one of the drawbacks of using the CR2032 battery is the size. It's not the thickness that's the issue...


...its the diameter.


Now that being said, some possible remedies:

- more efficient( but tricky) stacking of components to allow more space for the battery
- a washer like spacer to hide the thickness of the battery
- if a spacer is used, one could hide the excess thickness in the band itself ( if the proto-type/ pre-webslinger suit is what you are going for)

If all else fails, redo circuit designs to accommodate a pair of LR44 batteries.

Possible concerns:

The pair will have to be used in parallel( sharing the same positive and negative terminals as if they were one battery) just like a watch would; to maintain a low profile. Doing so would mean some sort of housing would be needed to hold the batteries as well as maintain a proper circuit.

Now the only metal I have lying around the house are soda cans and maybe some airgun pellet containers. So if these aren't ideal, I'll have to some more shopping...

These are just a few things going through my head as I troubleshoot, so I figured I'd share my thoughts.

Looking forward to seeing more build progress :)
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

The switch is from sparkfun.com
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8720

While it may be obvious, this thing is TINY. So far I have only been able to press it with the edge of my fingernail. I'll probably need to reinforce the back, unless you like prongs poking your palm :lol, and add something to the button itself to increase the surface area of the button making it easier to press.

I was just thinking, I don't have any of my components in hand - so I'm not sure how feasible it would be - but what about a bingo chip sandwich.... hot gluing/super gluing a chip on the top and bottom of the switch? You've got few extra, right?:)
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

I was just thinking, I don't have any of my components in hand - so I'm not sure how feasible it would be - but what about a bingo chip sandwich.... hot gluing/super gluing a chip on the top and bottom of the switch? You've got few extra, right?:)

Only a couple left actually ;)

That's the idea, making it look good is the challenge though. Essentially it just has to be a low profile and rigid material, so choices are pretty open. It may be challenge to make it look like the actual trigger.

We'll have to see what other come up with for that part of the build. :)
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

epilepticsquirl
Your shooter wants me to be a better person.
SO. I Went to Autozone and stared at paint cans in a cage.
Which brand and color did you go with?
I was all like uuuuuuuuuhhh? Maybe Ford Blue?
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Oh also I ordered the Micro Lilypads. Do you all think that will make a difference?
Giving just a teensy weensy more space?
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Oh also I ordered the Micro Lilypads. Do you all think that will make a difference?
Giving just a teensy weensy more space?


And I thought the regular Lilypads were small! Nice find :thumbsup
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

What brand/color names did you use for your final painting? Those colors look great!

epilepticsquirl
Your shooter wants me to be a better person.
SO. I Went to Autozone and stared at paint cans in a cage.
Which brand and color did you go with?
I was all like uuuuuuuuuhhh? Maybe Ford Blue?

haha, thanks buddy.
There's no mystery or special paint technique that I use; hell I buy almost everything from Wal-Mart.

Here is the jist of the materials and paints I used; most everything I had beforehand, except the putty. ;):thumbsup
View attachment 108343
The purple block is a fine grit sanding sponge and to the right is a 600 grit sheet of sandpaper.
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Oh also I ordered the Micro Lilypads. Do you all think that will make a difference?
Giving just a teensy weensy more space?
I can't really address that, but I just ordered some of these thanks to an earlier post link, they look pretty tiny, seem to have a small profile - for anyone who hasn't ordered and/or didn't see them . Can't wait for all this stuff to start arriving!
Small Bright LEDs, SMD or Chip, Tab LEDs - Hobby LEDs
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

epilepticsquirl
I went to Home Depot and Auto Zone and did not see this Bondo that you used.
Standing in the isle reading as much as my iPhone would allow you said it was for "imperfections".
Honestly my shooters printing out really good. No divots or anything.
I still bought primer and clear gloss.
Do I still need the Bondo if they look pretty sturdy/clean already?
Guy at the store had me buy freaking dry wall filler from the post I showed him.
He was like "oh is that Pintrest?!".
I'm thinking "yeah for nerds".
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Give your shooters a spray of primer and see the texture for yourself. It's not always that apparent in white.
The smoother your surface is the better the final paint will come out. :thumbsup
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

the micro lily pads should be fine... i think the diff between them is the removal of a resistor, so you'll just have to see if your circuit will need one or not
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

downsized_0817121413.jpg

I just painted them to. What does everybody use to make them stay in place
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

That's fantastic!
A lot of us are saving the gluing for the very last step of the process. I know that once I'm happy that everything is working I'll dab Super Glue on all the pieces to make it more permanent. :thumbsup
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

That's fantastic!
A lot of us are saving the gluing for the very last step of the process. I know that once I'm happy that everything is working I'll dab Super Glue on all the pieces to make it more permanent. :thumbsup
Thanks
 
Re: Spiderman web shooter: A collaborative project. Now with wiring diagrams!

Magnets! :D




With a little trial and error, they worked in the end. While I did get a few different sizes, the ones pictured are D22-N52 magnets.

(1/8"x1/8"/cylinder/N52/NI (nickel plated) magnets from K & J magnetics.)

They are stacked 2x2 because I found that 1x1 was not strong enough to close the reed switch and had to destroy a cartridge to retrieve the fist set of magnets that didn't work:cry. I may experiment a little more, but at least I have one reliable method. :)

While the magnets hold the cartridge in place, it's still prone to falling out, so an additional pair may be necessary to hold it to the base. But since I have yet to paint anything, I'll wait and see if its still needed after paint.
 
Back
Top