Posts by Teaspoon shallow

A good mate asked me to build him an little 90cm (3 foot) Euro Woodie, this is the final product:

Specifications

Barrel: Mahogany, Ash and Wenge
Finish: Liquid silk epoxy
Handle / Mechanism: Beuchat Marlin

LOL, I was holding my breath wait for the shot.

I really wanted to reshape it but the owner did not want me to. I could of taken off material around the muzzle and made it more stream lined. But he has been using this gun for a long time and just wanted it protected.

Quote from Dan

Very cool paint job. What handle is that?

He advised it was an old Undersee.

I am using Autoair paint. This was just a bit of fun.

It has mech very similar to the old Sea Hornets but there is no name on the handle. He is coming to pick it up with in the hour so I will ask him.

It was fun playing with the air brushes.

A mates old speargun was in need of repair, wood rot had started and the coating had expired.
I stripped it and sanded it back to natural timber.
I cut out and repaired the rot, prepped it and gave it a pimping with a dolphin fish paint job.

Its all rigged and ready to get back into the water.

A bench grinder is one easy way of doing it, Dremel may introduce a few challenges.
The advantage of tapering band ends is minimal. Besides aesthetics it helps the ends pull closer to the shaft aiding in a better line of sight. Last picture was not taken to show the band ends so I did not focus on that but hopefully you can make it out.

Thank you Sir.

Little by little I am improving. I am still in awe of your blue hydro dipped gun, that is just art.
You know the amount of work that goes into crafting a "one off" and the anxiety when you try something new and worry it will not meet your expectations.

I am very pleased with how this one came out. I cannot wait to complete my "finishing room".

I am getting close to rigging this gun and am excited to test it.

Specifications:
Length: 1.4m from back of band slot to back of shaft
Barrel: Custom carbon firber
Handle: Custom laminated exotic timber
Mech: Reverse wide throat Euro form Neptonics

I would suggest you find a dive accredited doctor, they provide clearance certificates to commercial divers.

I have had ear troubles and have management plans to help me but I am reluctant to give further details as some might try what I have to do and cause negative effects.

One of the best things I have done to ensure I can dive for many years to come was to find my doctor.

Quote from Reefchief

Beautiful gun, love the no nonsense rounded tapers on your euro's. The silver AR handle also looks really great on it. The finish and wood color is incredible.

What are you thoughts on padauk vs teak? A buddy has a padauk riffe and it seems to be a great wood. I know the SG is a little heavier but I dont think its like mahogany (sinking gun). Ive thought about building my next gun out of it for economical reasons and just to see how it differs from teak.

onkelhedde glad to hear youre on the good end of a bad time. Hope to see some more amazingness coming from your new shop soon!

Thanks Reefchief.

Teak is good but is rediculously expensive here in Australia, also the quality is low with a lot of new growth timbers with open grain. It moves a lot.

The Padauk is also expensive but the quality is exceptional. I prefer the colour (once epoxied) and this piece was only 620kg/m3 so it was nice and light allowing for a slim gun that is well balanced.

The dust can be an irritant so a dust mask etc would be a good idea.

Teak is $24,000AU per cubic meter, Padauk is $19,800.:@

Padauk also glues easier than Teak and is a little different to most of the guns I see over here. Post up some pictures when you start your build.

Damn I am sorry to hear that mate. I really hope things improve for you.

The hospitalisation sounds extremely serious. Are you out of the woods now?

Thanks you gentlemen.

My focus was for a very light gun and trim gun that would move through the water easily and fire a short 7.1mm shaft (I usually use a 7.5mm). I am keen to do some target practice but with a 3 meter+ swell it will have to wait. I am working on a few more guns of different designs. Trying new things and learning more.

Its so good to be back in the workshop making things I love.

Henrik its been a long time, how have you been mate? I am still awestruck by your blue and white hydro-dipped gun. I would love to try that one day.

Kind regards

Darren

Custom Speargun 1.3m Euro

Specifications
Stock: 7 laminates of Padauk
Finish: Epoxy
Mech: Reverse wide throat Euro from Neptonics
Handle: AR-15

It has been a while and its really good to get back into the workshop. Work keeps getting in the road of having fun.

This is a very narrow gun that has a pipe gun feel to it though it carries a little more mass and has wider hips.
I have install 2 magnets up front to aid in faster loading.

Cheers guys, love these older styled guns and to be able to breath new life into them is satisfying.

Quote from Reefchief

Nice restoration job and beautiful gun. Is Kes a popular aussie builder/brand?

KES are a great gun but they do not seem to be as popular as they once were. I suspect that may be due to no new designs / models being released for a very long time. Mind you these are classic guns and those who use them love them.

I hope my mates with guns that I have made will feel the same way in 20 years.

So I started by stripping it down and then the fun of sanding it down.
I removed the bulk of the large surface areas using a random orbital connected to a dust extractor (You really don't want to be breathing this dust in).
I then hand sanded every where else except the handle as it was not the be coated.
The mech pocket was a mess, it looked like a beaver tried to gnaw its way into it.
I used a router to clean it up a bit, being careful not to take too much out.
I finished it off with a sharp carving chisel and more sand paper.
Dusting it down with dry compressed air it was ready for coating.
1 coat of penetrative epoxy and 6 thin coats of epoxy later it was ready to be cured and rigged.

This has added years onto its life and will also aid in future refurbishments and should only require a light sand and further coats.

I am very pleased with how this project turned out and i am sure my mate will be stoked with his go to gun again.

A mate has a classic KES speargun that is around the 4 years old and was a little tired. The original coating was compromised in several spots and water had started wet rot.
He had touched up some bad spots but the coating degraded rapidly so he left it with me to see what I could do to the old girl.

Thanks guys. Took it out in unfavourable conditions this afternoon but I am so happy right now. It was a dream to swim with even with the swell and poor viability. Landed dinner for the family for the next few nights.

Damn I wish I could draw like you!

I am looking forward to seeing this build come to life.

Quote from Reefchief

Dude this is just sick! Amazing work on the paint. Is there a reason you still wrapped it in cf if it was going to be painted?

Cheers Reefchief.

The carbon fibre is a structural member for these guns as it getting thin. The muzzle is 30mm x 30mm and I want to ensure it remains a dependable design.

The carbon fibre also adds protection for the timber, it holds it straight and lets no water get in contact with it.
Only weak points that I have noted is the penetration. these areas have been drilled out and micro-fibred epoxy poured in. This is then drilled into to install the stainless steel.

It seems to work very well with no visible cracking. Time with the test of abuse will tell though.