How to make a Raygun
It's a dangerous universe out there, every spacer and astronavigator ought to have a sidearm they can count on. While there is a metric ton of fantastic rayguns people have made, I wanted to see if I could make my own out of common home improvement store materials. A hose nozzle, plumbing and irrigation parts, and a few small details for glitz. And there's a very simple way to make the light-up "pommel", to show the weapon is charged and ready to do some damage. I call this model the Mako, a sleek raygun for a space-faring gunslinger.
Materials
-Orbit thumb-control hose nozzle
-SharkBite Push-to-connect reducer tee 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2"
-2 1/2inch swing pipe coupling
-1 regular size marble
-1 shooter marble
-Small penlight
-7/8 inch black rubber leg tip
Tools
-Hobby knife
-Epoxy glue
-Metallic gold spray paint
-Black spray paint
-Gold acrylic paint (optional)
-Black acrylic paint (optional)
1. Gather the materials
From the hardware store I purchased the hose nozzle, reducer tee, swing pipe couplings, and rubber chair leg tip. The hose nozzle proved be the key component here. I chose this particular nozzle due to its subtle dial control (rather than the big obvious squeeze lever), "trigger guard" which makes it easy to twirl gunslinger-style, and a spacious core in the handle that easily fit a small penlight inside. The reducer tee is found in the metal plumbing parts, the swing pipe couplings are in the garden irrigation supplies, and the chair rubber tips are with moving supplies. The materials are also easier to paint than some of the other models, which have lots of ridges and very flexible rubber pieces (which paint has trouble sticking to). I got this penlight from a dollar store, and had the marbles already in my collection of random objects.
2. Paint the nozzle and muzzle
The first task is to paint so that it all the pieces match. I chose a black and gold color scheme to match some of the colors already present in the grip and reducer tee. I covered the black rubber grip with masking tape in preparation for painting.
So the rest of nozzle that is not the black rubber was painted metallic gold using spray paint.
I then painted the swing pipe couplings. Only the threaded part will show.
Finish by adding a few layers of clear coat enamel spray paint to seal.
3. Glue together
Ordinary superglue is not going to cut it for such heavy and mismatched dimensions. Sure the reducer tee fits over the nozzle tip, but it's not very snug and the weight of the reducer tee will weaken the glue over time. Epoxy takes more preparation and care, but it bonds with a lot of materials and is very strong when dry. However, planning is crucial and it takes time for the glue to set properly. First plan how all the pieces will fit together. Sort of.
First I glued the muzzle onto one end of the reducer tee. I rested it so that the weight of the tee holds the pieces together.
After that sets, I decided that the other end of the reducer tee should also have the same fitting as the muzzle. I got another ? and cut off the excess small end, painted it and glue it to the reducer tee where it should meet the hose nozzle.
And then I glued it to the reducer tee and the hose nozzle.
And finally glued the small red marble on the top of the reducer tee.
4. Making the light-up pommel
First cut off a circular section from the bottom of the chair leg tip using a hobby knife or similar (though be careful not to snap the blade). The removed section should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the shooter marble.
Here's what it looks like, but it should be pressed down farther into the rubber.
I then cut off about a half inch ring from the narrow end of the rubber chair tip. After that, it's easy. Turn on the penlight, slip it into the hollow of the nozzle, and then fit the pommel into the bottom of the hose nozzle.
So at the end it should look like this.
5. Finishing touches
Usually there's bits of object that either missed getting painted or got through the edge of the tape. I spent a little time touching up those spots with basic black and gold acrylic paint.
And there you have it, a simple raygun to take on your space-faring adventure. I ended up making a pair of them, one with blue details and the other with red (stun vs. kill perhaps?). Good luck and keep crafting!
Materials
-Orbit thumb-control hose nozzle
-SharkBite Push-to-connect reducer tee 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2"
-2 1/2inch swing pipe coupling
-1 regular size marble
-1 shooter marble
-Small penlight
-7/8 inch black rubber leg tip
Tools
-Hobby knife
-Epoxy glue
-Metallic gold spray paint
-Black spray paint
-Gold acrylic paint (optional)
-Black acrylic paint (optional)
1. Gather the materials
From the hardware store I purchased the hose nozzle, reducer tee, swing pipe couplings, and rubber chair leg tip. The hose nozzle proved be the key component here. I chose this particular nozzle due to its subtle dial control (rather than the big obvious squeeze lever), "trigger guard" which makes it easy to twirl gunslinger-style, and a spacious core in the handle that easily fit a small penlight inside. The reducer tee is found in the metal plumbing parts, the swing pipe couplings are in the garden irrigation supplies, and the chair rubber tips are with moving supplies. The materials are also easier to paint than some of the other models, which have lots of ridges and very flexible rubber pieces (which paint has trouble sticking to). I got this penlight from a dollar store, and had the marbles already in my collection of random objects.
2. Paint the nozzle and muzzle
The first task is to paint so that it all the pieces match. I chose a black and gold color scheme to match some of the colors already present in the grip and reducer tee. I covered the black rubber grip with masking tape in preparation for painting.
So the rest of nozzle that is not the black rubber was painted metallic gold using spray paint.
I then painted the swing pipe couplings. Only the threaded part will show.
Finish by adding a few layers of clear coat enamel spray paint to seal.
3. Glue together
Ordinary superglue is not going to cut it for such heavy and mismatched dimensions. Sure the reducer tee fits over the nozzle tip, but it's not very snug and the weight of the reducer tee will weaken the glue over time. Epoxy takes more preparation and care, but it bonds with a lot of materials and is very strong when dry. However, planning is crucial and it takes time for the glue to set properly. First plan how all the pieces will fit together. Sort of.
First I glued the muzzle onto one end of the reducer tee. I rested it so that the weight of the tee holds the pieces together.
After that sets, I decided that the other end of the reducer tee should also have the same fitting as the muzzle. I got another ? and cut off the excess small end, painted it and glue it to the reducer tee where it should meet the hose nozzle.
And then I glued it to the reducer tee and the hose nozzle.
And finally glued the small red marble on the top of the reducer tee.
4. Making the light-up pommel
First cut off a circular section from the bottom of the chair leg tip using a hobby knife or similar (though be careful not to snap the blade). The removed section should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the shooter marble.
Here's what it looks like, but it should be pressed down farther into the rubber.
I then cut off about a half inch ring from the narrow end of the rubber chair tip. After that, it's easy. Turn on the penlight, slip it into the hollow of the nozzle, and then fit the pommel into the bottom of the hose nozzle.
So at the end it should look like this.
5. Finishing touches
Usually there's bits of object that either missed getting painted or got through the edge of the tape. I spent a little time touching up those spots with basic black and gold acrylic paint.
And there you have it, a simple raygun to take on your space-faring adventure. I ended up making a pair of them, one with blue details and the other with red (stun vs. kill perhaps?). Good luck and keep crafting!
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