Posts by Rusty

Quote from Dan

The foam depends on how deep you're going to take the gun. Look up the crush specs for 4lb and 8lb foam. If you plug the tube properly you don't need the foam.

You may want to look into this http://spearfishing.world/spea…un-building-material.html

You're going to have a bit of a hard time finding a muzzle that fits nice because that tube is oval. Again if you do find something that fits nice I'm interested to know.

The difference between wall thickness is only 1mm on these barrels, as long as I get a good fit for the sides I can work the bottom of the muzzle to suit.

The hammerhead pelagic muzzle would be workable my mate Barry has one and we worked it down with sandpaper to suit his gun, it's pretty soft material.....

But yeah it's going to be a bit of messing around to get a truly flush finish. Will look into the syntactic foam link, cheers for that.

Jono the barrels are from a mate of mine over east, he doesn't sell guns it was a gift. It's very similar to the aimrite pro barrels, very very similar.

Cheers George, if they are even half as good as the mustangs then they will be a great fin. Could you post a pic of your wahoo fins, just to give me an idea of what they look like after a bit of rock hopping. I am not kind on fins, they are there to work and sometimes we do some pretty big jumps in and rough climbs out...... So it's good to hear that opinion from a long term wahoo user.....

The mustangs are a great fin, I fell in love with them after just a handful of dives but I was offered a pair of diveR Spanish prints for 250$ with pockets, I couldn't turn it down....

Dan, which C4 fins have you used mate? Most people that use them really like them, I think it's when people use these fins for rock hopping and reef diving in hard conditions that they start getting issues, this is another reason why I use diveR, much more durable..... But less efficient, horses for courses I guess.

Some of my mates have carbons for boat and blue water diving, fiber for deep reef and hard conditions, and plastic or thicker fiber fins for rock hopping. I don't feel the need for three pairs of fins, which is why I'm geared towards the wahoo...... And for 200$ it's a great price for such a fin in Aus.

Wahoo Dark - C4

I agree, but these are some killer plastic fins...... I have used the C4 mustangs on a bluewater trip and they were awesome.

Like you said plastic fins are just that, but for 200 I reckon these might be worth a go as when I need to change my rock hoppers out

Cheers for that Dan, Peter, meandros, actually has a handle of mine at the moment he is making a custom mech for it. I was thinking about chucking a nitro or nitro B in the cobra but a friend in Oz is very good at modding the original mechs to take 3x16mm bands so I am going to do that.

But i agree Peter makes amazing mechs, I will post a thread when I get my custom mech for my Pelaj handle, it's for old faithful my 140 lol.

I hear you about the muzzle, I was planning on pinning the delrin with a single horizontal pin and glueing it in place.

Good idea about making the insert take the strain and not the barrel, I like that. The mono block idea is not an easy option know, but I if it will hold I will have a go. If its to going to take the strain then I will go with a slip in muzzle.......boring........

About the foam, I was thinking about 4lbs, what do you reckon? Noted about the added weight mate, I'm not worried about it though, I'm actiually looking for added strength and a bit more weight for the triples.

I will let you know how I go with muzzles if it comes downto it, there are some really nice ones around as a last resort. Am I missing anything or forgetting anything??

Yeah right I didn't think of that, probably would have been better.

In places like Albany in Western Australia we dive in 6m swells off the rocks, fiber and carbon fins get smashed in a few exits from the water. It's only calm there a handful of days a year. But it's worth it we hunt off the most southerly point of the state, it's pretty intense. I hate plastic fins but there's really no choice for this type of diving,it's just rough as guts.

We mostly use diveR fins in our group, but we all have a pair of plastics for rock hopping, I will try and dig out some pics for you....

Was thinking about getting a pair of C4 wahoo fins as a compromise when these ones die, I get the, for 200$ so it's not to bad...... Have you used the wahoo fins yet?

Wow! Triple bands and a sliptip, that guys not messing around!

Cheers for that info treebilly, if I didn't live so far away I would love to give that a go.

Cheers for posting the link Dan

Do think it would be possible to melt the rubber with poly glue to get the right size gap? We melt 4mm thick Poly to colar a hole drilling using this technique.....

I'm not worried about butchering these fins, it's more of an experiment than anything else...... Sticking it to the blade willmbe difficult , could even pop rivet them on!!:@

Did you notice a huge difference with the rails Dan? These do slip side to side a bit when I go hard but nothing major. I think the short tendons make a huge difference when compared to no tendons

LB, cheers for the insight, the epoxy and CF mix would be a core and the barrel would be the main source of strength..... This is why I thought filling it with a rod of 26.2mm HDPE might be better. I'm really keen to achieve the same look as the aimrite, mono lock look. Is there anyway of achieving this?

I did talk to tinman ages ago about this but I guess he was busy cause we just lost contact..... That's what lead me on a wild goose chase for the right muzzle, which led me to the mono lock idea, which led me here, which led me back to tinman again lol

Hey johno mate,

Yeah talked to tony (edge) for ages about handles, he is probably one of the most knowledgable people in the world about this kind of thing. We discussed everything I want from the gun and so on, he is a cracking guy, so giving..... I was really keen on the merou until I talked with tony, so I switched over to the cobra bluewater handle. I'm def going to use it on the 31mm o.d barrel, and I will probably use the picasso magnum on the 28.2 O.D barrel.

The only thing I'm not sure on is the muzzle, if its possible I will do it the way I said, cutting into the barrel and making it like an aimrite style..... If that's not possible I will go with a slip in muzzle, but that's a last resort...... I love the snake muzzles from Agro dive Imports and the pathos open muzzle is sweet too. Again getting a custom made muzzle would be my choice before getting anything off the shelf.

Cheers for your input mate, appreciate it.

pelaj muzzle on the barrel, not pinned just placed inside so its not 100% flush in the pics. Also one of my many ugly guns, this is my go to 140.... its missing the reel cause i put it on my 120, which is equally ugly...

Hey Guys,

I have a couple of these CF rail barrels, they are pretty solid with a 2mm wall and built in CF track. They look the part too with the twill red coating.

This is a 140cm barrel with an I.D of 26.2mm and an O.D of 31mm, its pure CF so im confident it will take a bit of abuse.

I was looking for a reverse mech handle that would take 3x14mm rubber and looked the part. I looked at the D'Angelo 2 handle as their are heaps of variants of it out there, the Merou handle i figured it must be good if Aimrite referenced it... was going to use an R.A but its to expensive in AUS and doesn’t have the reverse mech. Not a fan of cressi or mares, was considering a Mako handle, he copy of the OLD OLD school cavalero handle...... but i have decided that i will run a Picasso BW cobra handle.... I have a mate that sells mechs to allow the safe use of up to 3x16mm bands. I like to look, the shape, the fact its built for a 32mm O.D barrel and that it has a right specific grip upon request. At 43 Euro I felt it was the best option for me.

I’m stuck however on the muzzle and I’m looking for some advice.... I have looked into a heap of open muzzles.... from gun builders to the big brands. I have thought about single band slots, multiple holes, ferrules, pinned pivoting bridles and more.

I like ferrules because i like the look and the way the bands line up, i hate the loss of band stretch and its not a fair trade off, even if i counter it with a reverse mech.

I like the single band slot more than multiple holes and I’m not a fan of a slot for wish bones, i prefer to tie them in and that’s that... I use replaceable wishbones so its no big deal, the bands come out after a swim and go in the fridge for storage anyway....

My question is... can i pour epoxy mixed with Carbon fiber into the barrel and then drill the single band slot straight into the barrel? Giving it the same affect as the Aimrite muzzle on their monoblock guns?

The things I’m concerned about are cracking the barrel while drilling the muzzle and it not holding up to the pressure once the bands are in.

I would cut the front of the barrel at an angle much like the pic of the aimrite, and pin it then cut a simple line guide down the front. I would like pointers as to your thinking about reel line guide and the possible addition of a shark spike.......

Also do you think it would be best to pour epoxy mix as mentioned OR to glue in a length of HDPE to the inside of the barrel and shape it that way?

Final option would be to make a custom muzzle similar to the one in the pic below, it would however be equal to the O.D of my barrel and have either a stick on track or machined to the same specs of the barrel….

I played with the Pelaj open muzzle and built it up with epoxy to match the rail of the barrel but im not happy with the shape of the gun, i really want this one sexy as well as deadly.. all my guns are pretty ugly but shoot like a dream, chek out my old faithful 140 as an example...... i want a good looking gun like in the magazines :crazy:

I will fill the barrel with high density foam and plug the handle end with a thin layer of epoxy.

if you take a look at the pics below you will get an idea of what i mean, its hard to explain......

Any gun builders, I would much prefer learning form your mistakes than make my own, any help is much appreciated.

Cheers,
Rusty

I Know this is an old thread but i thought i would show you my foot pockets. They are Picasso, way to stiff, and i am running Marez razor plastic fins. I used the foot pockets from the razors for my diveR fins.

Instead of leaving them in the garage never to see the light of day i chopped the tendons right down, but not off.

They hold the blades in nice and tight and i get a heap of movement out of the plastic blade. I am thinking about sticking nice chunky rails all the way down the side, at 3 bucks a foot its a cheap experiment. So far the fins are great. These are used for rock hopping in rough conditions and that it, its shallow hunting all below 20m.

So far so good, like i said beats leaving them in the garage as parts never to be used AND i don’t need to buy another set of fins for a while.

Hey Guys,

Here’s a really quick and really easy meal that is great for the whole family and great on the wallet too!!

There are lots of ways of cooking this dish, if i have salmon, YFT or any other pink or red meat fish that i like i cook it the way im showing you in this thread.

If I have fish that’s not as nice or that’s been in the freezer and needs to make way for fresh meat i just steam it then mix it in with the potatoes, spring onion and such.... i will make a note in the stages below.

To serve 2 you will need;

200g of Salmon or tuna (500g of fish such as samson, snapper, cod, WSB)
4 Potatoes
3 chopped spring onions, leek is nice too
cheddar cheese or blue cheese
mustard
salt
pepper
baking soda
corn flour
butter
olive oil
2 eggs
milk

Step 1.

Chop your potatoes and boil them up, you want them cooked through for this type of potato cake, add a bit of butter and a table spoon of salt rocks or table salt to the water. While that’s cooking away chop the spring onions, if you want to add leek too then chop it up now. Test the potatoes by stabbing them with a knife, if it falls off the knife with ease its done. strain in a colander and put it in the fridge.

step 2.
Take a large bowl and put a big knob of butter over the heat in a pan and melt it, then add it to your big bowl. Add the chopped spring onions, and leek if want to add that too. Add a pinch of baking soda and salt and pepper. Mix it all up till the melted butter covers all the onion and leek. *** If your using a white meat fish then now is the time you want to lightly steam it, the easiest way to do this is just chuck it in a colander and over a pot or pan of water. throw a WET tea towel over the fish and leave it till its almost cooked through. now take it off the heat and break it up into little pieces, add the bits of fish to the mix and stir.*** take the potato out of the fridge and add it to the mix, mash the potato and the mix up evenly. Add more salt and pepper to taste and a splash of milk.

step 3.

Once mixed evenly divide the mix into 4 parts and shape them into burger shapes, thick or thin as you like it depends if you like them crunchy or soft, just experiment and see what you like. I like mine soft in the middle where as my wife likes them thinner and crunchy. About 15-20mm is good. Now you want to coat the outside of the cake in corn flour to stop it sticking to the pan, and add a bit of crunch to the outside of the cake. once your happy with it, add a knob of butter and ample olive oil to a non stick pan over medium heat, then add your cakes two at a time. Cook it till its golden brown then carefully flip it over and cook it the same on the other side. When you add the second batch of cakes boil or poach 2 eggs... I prefer poached eggs but i have a poaching pan, if i didn’t i would just soft boil them.

Step 4.

Remove your last cakes and turn the heat off on your eggs. lay the cakes out on the plates and add some thinly sliced mature cheddar or blue cheese, not much, just a little...... Now add e few slices of salmon or tuna.***if you are using white meat then your fish is already mixed up in the cake so you will skip this stage***

Finally add a table spoon of mustard to the oil and butter in the pan and mix it up evenly, DONT HEAT IT UP. spoon this mixture over your cake, add the poached or soft boiled egg and your good to go.

There are loads of ways to cook these cakes, this is my favorite way when using salmon or tuna.

Enjoy

Quote from Don Paul

Not a penny less than than it was worth, a true love is priceless.

Cheers, Don

What Don said...

that was a great read mate, i had no idea that people were even spearing salmon in alaska..... are these considered BIG salmon? for the U.K these would be huge and that the only place i have seen salmon.

You mentioned "king" salmon, are they another species? Bigger? This was really interesting, if you have a go pro it would be cool to see the conditions you hunt them in.... i imagine it being pebbles on the bottom, lots of current and whaite water.......

cheers for that bro

Wise words George, Im converting her into a motor vessel so the mast is coming off, bt the weight saved there is going to be lost on new inboards, fuel tanks and fuel!!!!

Weight is something that is going to be a serious issue, even though i will only be using it for 150nm round trips MAX.

Im going to start a thread now, i would really appreciate all and any ideas, its a blank canvas at the moment, i know what i want to use her for but the best way to acheive it might not be my way....

see you on the other thread;)

nice one bro, i reckon you did a good job with the carbon......

Yeah you know what they say jono, waters always clearer......

You would love it up north, just mental!

Quote from hank

Tom Yam....gotta remember this. I'm going to be in Bangkok in two weeks. Should I take some of my black grouper from here?

Hey Hank,

I think, hope, im going to be back in W.A for work in 2 weeks but if im not then your welcome to come over and have a feed, some beers and talk some spearing. I got some good DVDs too.

Just incase you run out of things to do in BKK lol

Quote from LunkerBuster

Great post. Good luck with the cat. She will be sweet when you are done

Yeah she should be, we are going to turn it into an ideal spearing boat, so lots of usable space for gear and for cooking. We will cover the whole aft deck and the majority of the forward deck with shade so we dont fry.

decent ladders to get in and out with big fish, extended swim platform, big fresh water tanks and keep in all simple and robust....... i have never done anything like this before so it shoud be interesting, i may start a thread about it and let you guys know how its all going........

Yup it was pretty fat bro, i was pleased to see it hanging out in the shallows there, beats the fight a little goat fish would give me, and the locals like to eat barracuda so it was win win.