Posts by rich vandusen

  • 33" rear-handle

    Back to the gun blank, once I knew where to stick the handle I cut the trigger pocket and the spear track using a jig I made for my plunge router.
    http://www.shopnotes.com/issue…nge-router-mortising-jig/
    I cut the mortise with a 1/2" straight bit and cleaned up the corners with a chisel, and did the open track for the 9/32" flopper shaft using one of the Neptonic "budget" 5/16" ball end bits that Josh sells. The over-sized track will leave room for the epoxy coating later on, and I also cut the trigger mortise slightly oversized to leave room for a layer of epoxy (note the paper shims in the second pic). I used the router jig to cut the slots for the line release on the side and the finger-pull on the bottom of the blank as well.


    I pinned the mech using a home made drill jig (Neptonic finally sells these for the home builder), then dry-fit all the hardware and handle to make sure the shaft engages the mech correctly (perfect, of course ;) ). It's starting to look like a speargun now.....

  • 33" rear-handle

    I always wanted to post that.....
    .....especially since there's usually 50-60 unregistered users lurking around the forum at any given time.


    So, a few months ago I posted about vacuum-laminating a short gun blank in a Foodsaver bag:
    http://spearfishing.world/spea…nt-in-vacuum-bagging.html


    I finally got around to doing some cutting and shaping on the gun recently, and decided to go with a rear handle since the last 3 guns I've built have all been mids. I've also been wanting to try something a little different with the handle attachment based on something Phil showed me a couple years ago. The blank finished out pretty thin at 1-7/16" tall by 1-1/2" wide, and that made it a little tricky when laying out for the Neptonic auto-reset Reef Mech since the line release is pinned below the front of the trigger.


    I started out with a short doug-fir dummy blank to lay out the trigger in relation to the handle I was fabricating. I'm using a 34" Riffe shaft that I already had so I needed the mech as far back on the blank as possible, but still leaving room for the single through-bolt attachment for the handle. I used 1/4" rod, a threaded coupler nut, and a 1/4"-20 bolt (all stainless steel) for the handle skeleton, and bent them to the shape I needed. A buddy of mine gave me a nice hunk of maple burl so I slabbed that out for the two sides of the handle. A little free-hand router action to cut the slots for the stainless hardware, and then epoxied the two halves together. I traced the pattern, jig-sawed the shape, and made a bunch of dust with the Dremel.


    I'm a little ahead of myself in the thread, because the last pic shows the actual blank I'm using :D

  • Snakestrap

    Oh dear, this is hilarious!
    Have you read all the great information and advice he has on his website?


    Quote

    Experienced divers know that the straps can be setup two ways, on the inside or outside bottom of the leg. When you need to use the dive knife, reaching for it is ergonomically uncomfortable.


    My definition of "ergonomically uncomfortable" is that thigh strap crushing my right nut!!! :D



    I guess I've been wearing my knife in the wrong place this whole time. :rolleyes1:

  • Timber/Wood

    Phil got me hooked on Tigerwood (Goncalo alves) from tropical South America a couple years ago for gun building, and I like it a lot for it's straight grain and overall density (s.g. 0.90) relative to seawater. It machines like butter for how hard it is, and it takes on a beautiful dark reddish-brown color as it ages/oxidizes.


    I built a 58" gun that weighs about 13lb. fully rigged, and with the shaft fired, the gun just floats (break-away & floatline) without needing to add any lead ballast during the build. It's not very resistant to water absorption, so it needs to be coated with an epoxy finish, but the end result is very pleasing to the eye.


    I've tried a few different species, but for some reason, I keep coming back to this one.
    Maybe because it's 60% cheaper than teak :D


  • Banks Board - New Shore diving Board

    :thumbsup2:


    They were originally designed as a Nor Cal abalone/spearfishing dive platform, but I'm stoked to see divers utilizing these things all over the U.S., and even worldwide!!


    My review (nearly word for word from the other place ;)):


    Up here in Nor Cal we usually have to hike (sometimes for miles), and climb down steep, sketchy cliffs and hang off ropes to get to the good coves where we hunt the tasty snails and rockfish. Most of us use a float-tube or a modified Boogie Board as a floatation device, a backpack for all our gear, and a way to keep the bloody fish out of the water in Great White territory. John factored all these considerations into his designs and came up with what you see here.


    I got mine about a month ago and I've only had it in the water once, but since then, I'm giving up my old Morey sponger. The side rails hold 2 guns, and the drawstring bag holds just about everything else you'd need to take into the water and don't mind getting wet (floatline, ab bar, ab gauges, flashlights, etc.). The bag is also roomy enough for a limit of abs, and a bunch of dead rockfish.


    This Military-Spec backpack straps are a must-have for those long hikes down deer trails to get to the cliffs you want to drop in on, and they really help out on the way back up to the car with a limit of dead marine animals on your back. The incorporated eye bold for the backpack strap also doubles as a handy point to anchor your kelp-clip for when you're diving away from your board.


    The best part of this design is the waterproof hatch that allows for dry-storage of the things you don't want to get wet. So far I've stashed spare ab gauges & bars, my fishing license bottle with zip-ties, pens, ab tags, etc., a full sized bath towel for drying off before filling out those damn tags, a 1/2 liter bottle of fresh water (for sipping on those long hours in the ocean), and my digital camera, plus room for a bit more shit if need be.....


    I've been considering foaming the bottom portion of the board for a bit more flotation, but so far the board floats and trims nicely in the water with what I kill on any given day, and still has ample buoyancy to give me a place to climb onto and take a breather for a few minutes between drops.

  • Coming clean.

    Quote from phil herranen

    rich and i have a little game where we see how fast we can find his new names


    I wouldn't so much as call it a game.....


    More like "Why go to all the effort to disguise who you really are?"


    Most of you know me on "other" websites as thereefgeek. Even then, I sign each and every post with my full first and last name, because I'm not ashamed of who I am. I registered here as "rich vandusen" (even though thereefgeek wasn't taken yet), and I may get loose on some people from time to time, but at least I'm willing to stand behind what I write.


    Phil Probably said it best with "maybe its the fact that i am proud of the name i have made for myself ,why would someone want to hide who they are?"

  • another new member

    Quote from bajabound

    And I've seen you Rich at the FreeDive shop meets.


    Oh, you're THAT Eric?


    I remember meeting you at last year's Picasso Open, and I'm glad you made it over to this forum (I still owe you that bottle of Aquafina). I haven't seen you since that day you were doing work for Greg & Vanessa. I think you'll like it over here. There's way less drama on this site and they don't charge you for comercial advertising if you happen to have a spear-related company you're posting about..... ;)


    Quote from bajabound

    Thats a nice first WSB.


    Thanks man, I'm always looking for yet another excuse to post a picture of my first real fish. You remember Phil (skinny dude on the left)? He's over here also, mostly on the gun builders forum..... :D