Posts by Guest

Although I don't live in Pensacola anymore, my parents still do, so I get over there to dive every chance that I get. I'll be over there after Easter, but don't know exactly what our dive plans will be.

Pensacola Bay might also be suitable for the diving that many here to do from kayaks, if you can go right at high tide. You would probably need to double up, with one guy in a yak tending the boats and minding the dive flag while the diver is in the water.

There are lots of good wrecks in the bay that you could easily kayak to from the Naval Base, and even the Massachusets is a possibility if you mind the tides. BTW, the Mass is nowhere near 40'. More like 28-30', unless the storms last Fall changed it. Popular spot, though, so you really need to watch the boat traffic.

No water. The foam comes in a kit with two cans of liquid. You mix part "A" with part "B", much like mixing epoxy with hardener.

"Two part mix and pour polyurethane foam". I sent you a link to the supplier that Wood Guy and I used to foam under the decks when we built the hull for his aluminum skiff.

The 2-lb (per cubic foot) density is pretty strong. But if you have any doubts about a fish dragging your float deep and crushing it, they also make 3, 4, and 8 lb densities.

The small foam kits are available in lots of places, and may even be stocked at West Marine. Just stay away from the little spray cans at Home Depot and other places. That foam usually won't harden if you spray a whole bunch into an enclosed space.

One caution about the two part mixes. They are somewhat temperature sensitive. If it's too cold, they don't foam as well, and if it is really hot outside, they will start to foam very quickly. Mix up a little test batch first, to see how much time you have to mix, before it starts to foam. You must get it mixed and poured into place before it starts to foam!

EDIT - Sorry, here's the link to the US Composites site: http://www.shopmaninc.com/foam.html

I like it! Did you re-mold the handle, or did it fit your hand OK?

That gun must be named Woody.

10-4. The holographic ribbon is cheap, but I guess you don't want them gnawing on your floatline. I was just thinking that might be an elegant solution that would be easy to roll up and wouldn't get tangled.

This from someone who's never even used a flasher . . .

I saw a roll of reflective silver holographic ribbon on Ebay for $6 for 500 yards. If you were using clear PVC tube as a floatline, what would happen if you pulled a few strands of holographic ribbon through the center of the floatline?

Not practical for an existing floatline, but maybe if you were making one. Do toothy critters ever actually bite the flasher?

Nothing against them, but for myself, I like names that suggest more than just a killing machine.

I thought about "Cetus" (Poseidon's avenging sea monster), but decided I like things that suggest the creativity and vision of the gun build, like "Mind's Eye" or the different feeling when everything falls into place, like "Alter Ego".

Or maybe "Vision Quest".

If your tab is on the bottom of the gun, then don't you have unload one band, and pass it in front of the gun, while the other band is still loaded? I'm sure that this can be done safely, if you really pay attention to where your hands are. But it also seems potentially dangerous.

I can't really say that I have a situation in mind that might cause the gun to fire just as your hand crosses in front of the spear, but it still seems best to avoid that possibility entirely if possible.

How about a small magnet on the wishbone? 17-4 stainless shafts are somewhat magnetic, but your spring steel RA shafts should be strongly magnetic.

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=R424DIA

If you are tying your own wishbones, it would be easy to thread one of these small cylinders on the wishbone cord, and then tie an overhand knot to keep the magnet right up close to the band, and away from where the wishbone fits the shaft slot. Or maybe insert a small magnet inside the band before tying the wishbone? These nickel plated ones will eventually rust, but at $0.43 each, it wouldn't be a great investment to try.

I'll check when I get home, but I think I have a couple laying around that you can have if you want to give it a try.

One delrin and one aluminum handle sold. One of each left.

Quote from straight shaft

Very nice, clean work on those handles Tin Man. Your work is enviable.

Thanks. The wife says it's more of a sickness, really . . . <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">

Core - Don't give up yet. Turns out that the only people who may be crazier than spearfishermen about individualized gear are paintballers. Several places out there specialize in anodizing short runs on small parts for paintball guns. I've sent out requests to see what it would cost me to do a batch of 10 handle frames in matte black.

Thanks Dan. And no white spots! <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">

I was just wondering if the sugar trick would work as well with soft shapelock as it does with epoxy to produce a "grippy" texture? Might have to try that tonight.

Yep, powder coating would be possible as well. I've got a request out to my secret network of tinkerers and alchemists to see if I could do a handful of handles and get them black anodized at a reasonable price.

I think the thickness of the herculiner might create problems at the trigger slot, and screw holes? Anodizing would probably be best, but I don't have a contact where I could get that done on just a single part.

Quote from Core

Those handles look nice. I want one;) <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">

Done. The handles I have listed are serial numbers 002 and 003, so to speak. Core gets the original for his new gun, since it was his idea for a smaller handled version of the Neptonics frame.

One of the Delrin mortise style handles is sold.

The Delrin handles in the top pics don't attach to the bottom. You route a pocket (from the bottom), and insert them, and pin them, similar to a trigger mechanism. It's a little easier than a trigger mech, because the front and back are rounded. The holes for the pins are drilled once the handle is in place, eliminating the difficulty of trying to match pre-drilled holes.

I haven't read about people painting the Neptonics aluminum frames, though I guess you could. Or maybe just cover the shapelock with tape and spray paint a clear coating of polyurethane over the aluminum.

Quote from pargo

I knew the sea was going to be like this today before I even looked. A week I'm waiting for this..

I bet looking at that water hurts more than the hand. Glad it wasn't worse.

It appears that I may have a bit of a handle problem. I don't intend to sell these on a regular basis, but over the last year or so I have built more different handles than I could ever use, so it's time to thin the herd a bit. No doubt that these aren't as pretty as a carved wooden handle, but the Shapelock so far seems to be nearly indestructable.

EDIT - Meant to say $65 shipped in U.S. (including Puerto Rico).

I have two of this style that I made to be mortised into a 1/2" wide slot, for a pushrod application. Just drill from the side and pin it in place. The frame is black delrin, with a stainless trigger and 5/32" diameter stainless pushrod. It also has a stainless set screw from the front that works as an adjustable stop so that you can set the trigger position exactly where it is the most comfortable. Do this BEFORE you cut the pushrod to length, so as not to add any unexpected tension to the trigger mech while adjusting the trigger position. One has the black shapelock applied already. I can do the other with either black or white shapelock. The shapelock plastic is easily re-molded to fit your hand by heating in 150°-160° water for a few minutes.

I also have two of these aluminum frame style. I recently made one of these for a friend who really liked the Neptonics frame, but wanted a smaller and more angled grip. These are cut from 3/16" thick aluminum plate and are welded from the back of the mounting flange and then sanded flat. The top plate dimensions and screw holes match the pattern for the Alexander handle. The trigger guard is about the same length as the Alexander, but rounded and just a little deeper at its widest point. One already has the Shapelock applied, and I can do the other one with either black or white.