My 1st Proton Gun/Particle Thrower Build w/ TC's Gun Kit v3

[ovwthrillseekr]

Hello everyone,

This is my first attempt at building a Proton Gun so bear with me. Feedback is definitely appreciated!

1. To begin with, I purchased ThrowingChicken’s Gun Kit v3.0. After drilling out some of the holes, I spray painted everything using “Krylon: Bright Metallic Finish”. Once the gun is assembled, I’ll finish it with the Black Satin and Flat.

2. Once the pieces dried, I attached the rear cylinder using a 10-24 x 3/4" screw.

3. Next I added the rear handle using a 9 1/2 inch, 1-1/4" OD x 1.010 ID x .120" Wall 6061-T6 Aluminum Tube from Speedy Metals (www.speedymetals.com). I cut the tip to open up some space in the gun and then superglued it in place.

*Lucky for me, JOE LUNA from the “Ghostbusters of So Cal” informed me that my rear handle was a half inch too long. He also mentioned that my rear handle positioning was partially blocking the box light openings to a degree. Needless to say, I made the corrections.

That’s it for tonight! More to come soon!

[JoeLuna33]

Lookin good so far dude. You’ll have this knocked out in no time.

[ovwthrillseekr]

Thanks man! I’m definitely making an investment in an electrical saw… Possibly a dremel. That small hand one was killing me. I probably should have cut more piping off the rear grip in the body to open up more space. I’m hoping that decision doesn’t come back to bite me when I start installing all of the circuitry.

[ThrowingChicken]

You should be okay, depending on how much you want to cram in there. On my thrower, starting from the vents and heading back towards the bottom opening, I have the reflector for the vent lights, a bunch of cables crammed together, the Heavy Props light board, then my prototype extension system. The extra bit of metal you have there probably would not interfere with any of these.

[ovwthrillseekr]

So after measuring 3/4’s of an inch from the instrument box, I added the rear grip using super glue and 2 allen head bolts:

I also drilled a hole from the instrument box into the body of the gun:

Next, I eyeballed where I thought the screw for the barrel rotation should go and proceeded to drill one along with multiple holes in the front grip attachment. I then filed down the front grip attachment to allow for a clean rotation. I’m not sure if it’s right or accurate but at this point I was already committed. Plus it works so I’m happy.

After countless consultations with JoeLuna33, I added a 2nd allen bolt to the mix and extended the front grip rotational channel. I was told the holes go at 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock but that was after I had drilled the first hole. Oh well.

Using All Purpose Bonding Putty, I added (or attempted to add) the fake weld to the rear grip. When it dries, I’ll sand it down, add a bit more putty (lightly) to smooth it out, and then see how it looks from there. For my first fake weld attempt, I’m not sure how I feel about it but I don’t think I’ll be able to do much better considering this was my 4th attempt.

On a side note, I accidentally stripped one of the screws on the side trigger box attachment when I tried to remove it. I realized I still had the barrel extension bar still in after I had screwed it on and had a bit of a panic moment. I’m still debating on whether or not to install an extension system all together. With the bar still in, I’m not left with an option. So, I cut off the corner of the trigger box attachment and removed the extension bar:

Once I figure out the extension system, I’ll either add back the corner edge piece or use plumber’s putty to fill in the gap. Not a big deal altogether but something worth noting. I also should have sanded the gun down before applying the metallic paint. I’m not sure why I was so eager to paint it but it wasn’t worth the effort. All of the paint seemed to end up on my fingers and hands during handling. Ultimately, I just washed it in soap and water and then sanded it down to remove any excess paint. Lesson learned… Don’t get greedy.

That’s all I’ve got for tonight. I’ll probably add the fake welding to the trigger box tomorrow and then find some time to paint everything when I can. Hopefully the light and sound kit gets here sooner than later!

[Azevedo]

Looking pretty good so far.

[ThrowingChicken]

@ovwthrillseekr

Just curious… why cut this piece at all?

[ovwthrillseekr]

When I originally attached the trigger box, I had the barrel extension lever in. Knowing that I possibly might add the barrel extension, it would have been impossible to incorporate if I wasn’t able to remove the lever all together. When I tried to unscrew the screws holding the trigger box attachment piece in place, one stripped. That’s when I decided to cut the corner.

[ThrowingChicken]

May have been avoidable by putting some super glue in the stripped hole

[ovwthrillseekr]

When I woke up this morning, the fake weld had not completely set. I reapplied the fake weld due to the putty materiel not being mixed completely.

[ThrowingChicken]

Looking good. BTW, you need to cut a small section from the green tube to use on the lever. I include the red tube to be used on the tips of the banjos.

[ovwthrillseekr]

Thanks! I wasn’t sure what that little red tube was for. I just assumed it was for that lever despite others having theirs green. Thanks for the heads up.

[ovwthrillseekr]

Since my last update, I have since painted the gun satin black and have added the hat lights, arcoelectric lights, ciippard, banjos, and everything else you see in the photos:

Adding the fittings, knobs, arcos, etc. didn’t take me very long and were pretty straight forward. The most troublesome part of this build has been the extension kit. After referencing several extension systems in the forums, I decided on the following method:

1. I purchased this 4-40 Push Rod off ebay which included all of the attachments used for the extension system.

2. Next I attached the push rod to the barrel using a piece of coat hanger and 2-part epoxy

3. It would have been nice to attach the 3-holed bar to the extension lever outside of the gun but it would have been impossible to install. Everything was assembled inside the gun. This left little room to manage any putty or epoxy on the bar to prevent it from rotating in place. After several unsuccessful (and frustrating) attempts using epoxy and putty to weld the bar to the extension lever, I went big and bought a welding torch. And no… I know absolutely nothing about welding.

My initial thoughts upon attempting the weld was that I was going to completely melt my resin gun down to nothing and unsuccessfully attach the lever. I almost decided to give up entirely on the extension system but at this point it was purely pride motivating me.

3. I put tin foil in-between in-between everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. From there, I followed all of youtube’s instructions regarding welding and after 2 or 3 quick minutes, the lever was attached.

4. I added a high powered magnet to add a “snap” effect. I also replaced the resin lever holder included with TC’s kit with the add on included with freekygeeky’s extension bar. I arranged it so the lever, upon retraction, wouldn’t over retract and potentially break the weld.

5. My next dilemma was deciding how long to keep the push rod. The extension system, from retraction to extension, only allows for an inch and a half extension. If the rod was long, the barrel wouldn’t retract as far as I wanted and short, wouldn’t extend as far as I wanted. I made the decision to keep the push rod short and settle for an extending barrel that doesn’t go as far as I want. It works though!

(**If someone can think of an add on that will allow the barrel to extend further without affecting retraction, let me know)

Retraction:

Extension:

And that is that! Just waiting on the GBFans light and sound kit to arrive.

[ThrowingChicken]

Here is how I do the full extend - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=455032514601863&set=vb.199309476840836&type=3&video_source=pages_video_set

[Venkmans_Swagger]

Nice work. When the GBFans kit comes can you detail how you installed these? I’ve seen a few pack builds but none with the light kit detailed

[ovwthrillseekr]

Sure! I’ll do my best to document the process.

[Venkmans_Swagger]

Thanks man. It’d be a huge help. I’m about to undertake a pack build myself and subscribed to your thread for reference. The work you’ve done so far is top notch

[ovwthrillseekr]

After waiting for the GBFans light kit and sound board to arrive, I’ve finally completed the particle thrower. I had JoeLuna33’s help finishing the build as he offered to help refurbish my Proton Pack. I made the mistake of purchasing a Bob’s Prop Shop Proton Pack before realizing what a scam artist he is (my naivety I guess). Needless to say, JoeLuna33 picked up the pieces and built me an amazing pack.

You can check out the BPS rebuild thread here: JoeLuna33 Refurbs ovwthrillseekr's BPS Pack - Proton Packs - GBFans.com

A few weekends back, I met up with Joe to pick up the pack and finish the gun build. While I didn’t take pictures of installing the GBFans gun kit (lights/switches) process, I’ll try to describe what I did:

The first thing I did was drill out the holes next to the bar graph a size larger than what they were. Installing those was fairly simple as I followed the documentation directions. Next I used a filing tool to make the bar graph’s rectangular hole a little wider. Again, fairly simple. It wasn’t until I put the switches into the trigger box that I encountered some problems. The trigger box is completely closed off with the exception of the the main opening left to attach the box to the gun body. There is also a “U” shaped piece in the center of the trigger box opening with holes used to screw the trigger box to the gun body. No matter what position we put the switches in, they were not going to fit into the trigger box. Even if we had desoldered the switches from a side angle, they still wouldn’t have fit. With no other options available, I filed down the box:



I covered the openings up with electrical tape


From there, I left the gun at Joe’s place and he finished up putting in the rest of the light kit. Here are some additional pictures:

I made the mistake of purchasing the front handle grip preassembled. Where most people would run their ear cables under the front grip channel, Joe ran them through the inside barrel channel









I added some decals, barrel LED add on extension, and bar graph bezel kit. Everything works. Everything lights up. Pack looks great (Thanks to Joe!). Just installed the E Cig Vent System which also works. I’ve got nothing to complain about.

I need something new to work on. Maybe I’ll build a trap!

[JoeLuna33]

It’s really amazing to look at pics of the pack you started with and that last pic you posted of the finished product. Your gun build was great and made the final assembly super easy. I’m glad you finally have a pack you can be proud of.

Trap you say…

[ovwthrillseekr]

Thanks! The pack is night and day better than what Bob originally built and I’m stoked on the gun. I’m debating adding the slime blower tank video game style to the side and then implementing one of Spongeface’s video game light kits. I dig the video game light kit setting but have no way to explain the slime blower green. Maybe add the additional video game lights next to the vhook. Or, I could just leave it as is and build a trap.

I still need dry rubs for this thing if anyone has any.