Posts by Jono

  • 1250 Hybrid

    Been a while since I have posted any guns up due to being extremely busy renovating my house, but this is a gun i have been working on for the last few weeks, some spec’s –
    1.25m o/all length
    Hybrid design – carbon ‘speardiver’ barrel, African Padauk rear
    Rear handle/euro gun, open graphite track, open muzzle, neptonics mech, JBL handle (used this for the in-built safety since this gun is being donated to a spearfishing comp), 7mm speardiver shaft.


    So here’s some pics of the build – Enjoy -


    Gear all ready to go –



    Design cut out and barrel fitted in to blank –



    Rounding over begun and more shaping to give it some curves (sorry for the rubbish photo) –



    More shaping (this process took me a long time) –



    Once I was happy with the shape I went on and poured my graphite track, now I cut my tracks out with a slightly oversize bit for a trigger mech and then route the trigger area also, this pic shows the track poured –



    Track dry and flushed with top of blank –



    And the trigger cut out, you can see why I oversize the track as when I route out the trigger, the area the trigger is set into is completely sealed with epoxy –



    Trigger set in and pinned –



    Handle recessed in –



    So this is what the gun looks like o/all –




    Finally progress as of this afternoon – first coat of epoxy on the gun –



    Hopefully the gun will be coated enough to ballast in the next few days, then all will be completed (just in time for the comp on the 10th Feb)


    Jono

  • Latest Guns

    Hi All


    Haven't posted on hear for a while but thought i would put some pics up of the last few guns that i have built -


    This one is a mix of Padauk and Aus Ash, 0.9m long (36"), Open Track running a 7mm Riffe shaft and a single 16mm band. I alternated the timber to get a striped gun, then cut the laminates across flipping them again to create a 'chessboard' pattern on the end grain. That way the gun is striped all the way around, not just on one side. Handle is made of HDPE plastic that i cnc cut at my work.





    This pic gives you an idea of what i mean by the stripes running all the way around




    The next gun is 1.2m long (47"), All Aus ash with Jarrah inlays in the sides, Jarrah's not the best timber in large laminations for water, so i thinned it down to around 2mm used it as an inlay instead of a lamination. Shoots a 7-8mm riffe shaft, graphite enclosed track, neptonics hardware.






    This gun is the same length as the previous, the only difference is it is made entirely of Padauk and only has an oil finish (at the request of the owner)





    This final gun is a 1.3m Hybrid (52"), Padauk with a semi-enclosed track, ie. enclosed at the back and open at the front. Runs a 7-8mm shaft.






    Enjoy!!

  • Baking laminated guns

    I'm using Padauk, sounds like its not worth the risk, i did a couple of tests baking some offcuts to around 100 degrees Celsius and the glue lines seemed to open a little but not too bad.


    However i'm using an enclosed graphite track and i don't want it to stuff the track.

  • Baking laminated guns

    Hi all


    I am looking at doing a baked finish on a laminated gun i have just finished, actually i've had a guy offer to do it for free so i'm seriously considering it.


    However


    On the West systems site it states that the 105 resin/hardener can handle temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 deg celsius), the finish requires the gun to be baked at 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees).


    Do you think the timber glue lines will be able to hold up to this sort of temperature, my thought is at this temp the resin will soften and the timber will expand and ruin the laminations.


    Any thoughts!!

  • Spearfishing wetsuit, which exterior is best

    I have a cressi Technica 3.5mm open cell suit, it is smooth on the inside and i have had it stick together a number of times when in storage (in my w/robe out of any sunlight/heat), it has torn a few small chunks out of it on the inside when un-sticking it. When i bought the suit i looked at the Cressi smoothskin suits but they were all stuck together on the outside to each other in the shop and tore when pulled apart. Has anyone else had this problem with open cell wetsuits and how does one stop it from happening.


    Jono

  • How to correctly power a speargun

    Snapper was shot free swimming, i don't tend to burly to much over here due to the danger of GWS. It went 42cm on the brag matt, not huge for over here but def. legal. The cuttlefish made the snapper look small though.


    There are others who can better answer your question but i always thought if your shooting high it is mainly due to muzzle flip when firing due to excess recoil, you can fix this by either adding mass to your gun (which is easy if it is timber but harder if it is a pipe gun). Shooting low would mean that you possibly need to either adjust your aiming or try powering up a bit by shortening the rubbers etc.


    Everyone aims differently so its a bit difficult to give a specific answer.


    Good Luck


    Jono

  • How to correctly power a speargun

    Managed to dive on Wednesday before long weekend and shot a snapper and giant cuttlefish (in Adelaide), i was in Sydney over the weekend visiting family but didn't have any dive gear over there. Next time i will def. drive so i can dive as well.