Space Dandy Blaster REMAKE

Several years ago, I make a space dandy cosplay. The blasters are make entirely from wood, except for the single black accent on the back that was a piece of PVC.



I made two for the costume and each have subtle differences and are imperfect and inaccurate to the show. These complaints are exactly valid because they are very good replicas, I am just picky.


the handle was made from a couple pieces of wood glued together and sanded to their current shape. I was impatient and didn't sand them flush before painting.



There was a lot of places that I neglected to sand enough before painting. the trigger is a shinning example of that. The paint shows up lumpy because of it.



This back piece was glued on with epoxy after painting. While that order of operation is fine, I didn't sand the pvc i used enough and didn't scrap off any excess glue that escaped from under the piece.



Both blasters where eyeballed the entire time. The process was the same for each but no measurements were taken. Because of this, the tail pieces varied in length and thickness.



Another tell tail sign I didn't measure is both blasters length are different. Their diameter is about the same because they where both lathed out of the same piece of wood, but again eyeballed.


Therefore, I am making a new one that will be as perfect as I can make it. If all goes well, I will make a silicon mold and make two identical blaster for my cosplay and possibly to sell
My reasoning for going to all this new work is that I would like to be able to replicate my props with a silicon mold and I don't want to make a new prop that has all the same imperfections especially if I want to sell them. My SECOND reason is I want to make more accurate replicas. Attention to detail is a key part of this project.

*Progress update *
(AND NOTE: This wood is reclaimed and is cracked as HECK. It doesn't seem to be effecting the project horribly and I believe I can work around it if they go too far. Here's hoping ...)

I used a 4x4 and hacked the corners off to make it easier to carve on the lathe.


you know, they probably sell large dowels that match my required diameter :facepalm


Compared to my existing blaster (the longer one is my reference)
Chisel and the wood lathe I'm using.
now that it is completely round i measured out how long it will be and I will slowly shape its unique shape.




Before I get too far along, I will be re-watching the episodes of Space Dandy that have good shots of his blasters and take notes. (and notes on another projects that I will be starting soon )

*UPdate*

Almost finished the initial shape.



Because I do not have access to more precise measuring equipment, I used a fixed clamp and compared it to another point exactly opposite to it to make sure it is symmetrical.


My next step is cutting it off and shaping the rest of the blaster. The cracks unfortunately are still there so i will need to be extra careful to not open them up anymore.
This is probably a terrible way to do this because I realize I have created two weak points that can easily ruined everything. Leave some feedback if their is a way to do this with less risk. Chopping off large excess on the ends might help.

An idea I could use is cutting of the blocks and making a jig to hold my piece in place so I can still work on it. The question now if how to make the jig so it will hold the piece firmly enough but so it won't leave marks