Status

A number of readers have noticed that posts have slowed down on DZ. I haven't put up much of anything past my last action cam stuff a month or so ago.

Don't worry.

Nothing is wrong. I am just a bit busy. I still play regularly. I just played 2 HvZ events this weekend, but lately I get home from games and don't have the energy to blog about them, just stick some usual reddit/facebrick banter in here and there. Same with superstock builds, all of those are in cryo right now. I might not even bother with the Nerf Hyperfire for now, probably just the Rival Khaos, long story.

But before we get to what is going on, let's look at what is coming up for the near future.

For a while now I have been showing up in discussions of open class equipment (high velocity, stored energy) on reddit and facebrick, and been dropping mentions here and there of something called "Prometheus".

Prometheus is an ongoing development project of mine for a "kit bash" (discrete component) automatic pneumatic primary. Like many other cases, I don't just want to make my own version of the latest cool new thing, I want to jump ahead of the game, and this is no exception. I have been looking to everything that is wrong with the "current generation" openclass guns like the Red Baron, FAAG, Uglystick, and all their kin.


What I noted on facebrick:

Reciprocating barrel, pull type ram, coaxial action spring, Humphrey Products QE-3 main and 31P 3way trigger, shooting for 300fps@150psi, Upper and front top cover are 1.5" aluminum square tubing, lower is built up as in that homemade magfed flywheel thing from years ago, mounts at front with a hook and rear with screw. Internals all locate and mount on the 3 trunnions and nothing else, the trunnions and the barrel lug are the only critical dimension parts in the whole thing. Barrel is .527x5/8 aluminum tubing and breech cover and guide sleeve are 1/2" PVC schedule 40 which fits perfectly on the tubing I have. Dump chamber will stickout the side of the receiver to get it out of the way. 2" stroke and set up for short darts and Artifact mags, ram is an off the shelf cylinder probably a 9/16" bore double action like the parker one I have, with the cap side left open, or maybe a bigger one for bolt force balancing since the action spring needs accounting for there.

The basic concept is the closed bolt ram/exhaust valve engine which has been around nerf and spudguns for years. Since that post, I have changed things:

Main valve is to be a SQE-2 Humphrey, which will be much more manageable than the clunky QE-3 and yet will flow well enough for any legal nerf application (better than the majority of paintball marker valves), particularly given the operating pressure.

I have built the dump chamber, which is primarily 3/8" steel pipe, and is itself the line connecting the ram to the valve. There are no flexible lines. The chamber as-assembled will locate the valve in the receiver and itself be placed by the front ram threads. I forgot to photograph it. Volume is about 2 ci which should be about right for 150psi operation. The potential pipe tumor on the side is being reduced to a mere bulge with a cover over it.

The ram has been changed to 3/4" bore which will give me a bit more bolt closing force to allow for better barrel tuning. The 3/4" ram also relocates some dump chamber volume into the ram for slimmer profile and offers larger 1/8" NPT ports, which mean that (given proper fittings and some mild porting work) unlike the smaller cylinders with miniscule 10-32 miniature-pneumatic fittings, the air in that volume is not becoming wasted energy on throttling losses (an issue apparent to me in i.e. the Red Baron's extensive tiny hose runs between ram and dump chamber).

The grip frame concept still holds, the 31P is still going in there, and everything else.

Mandatory mention that Google Sketchup sucks, don't bother hating on my mockups, I hate it too. I am slipping toward yet another hand fitted prototype, as I have a history of, because of the lack of working CAD. Anyone know of a good 3D noncommercial CAD package?

Okay, now as to what is going on right now.

It isn't nerf. Well, wait. It is actually nerf equipment. I drive it to every game.

1993 Suzuki Sidekick LWB 4wd:

The 4 speed Aisin transmission that is in mine is not in a good state. 23 years of deferred maintenance before my ownership of this rig has taken a toll. So I have been putting together a 5 speed for it. Countershaft section finished:

Mainshaft parts all cleaned and inspected. Still waiting on a few to arrive.

The core I started with came out of a 1997 Geo Tracker (which is a rebadged Suzuki Sidekick) and supposedly worked OK. Well, one look and I wasn't about to put it in my car. The trashed input shaft and wasted bearings were apparent from the outside. Removed shifter, saw a bunch of metal particulate, uh-oh. Tore it down, found a munchy looking 5-R slider and reverse gear. Both getting replaced. Other gears all good.

I'm about a weekend away from having it assembled. It doesn't help that a supplier sent me an input shaft with a chip out of it from poor packing (shipping damage) and is now unreachable (never buy from American Powertrain Warehouse) so I am most likely out $62 and have to wait on a new one from another source. All changeover parts (wild geese, unobtanium Suzuki hardware) for the truck have been chased down to the last 2 dowel pins. Ahead of me is swap day, and this sort of stuff putting freshly worked-on equipment in service is always stressful as hell, but it will be a relief afterward. Thing's been going downhill for years and the thought of it cratering completely has been a constant burden.

All along has been the matter of my employment, slowing things down, nerf and otherwise. My primary hobby workshop is in a different city. I work late nights at a hard job all week, get nothing done while off work, and then have 2 free days to take another chip out of a project, then repeat. Oh and I just finished moving to a new apartment. So cut me some slack. Some of you guys on reddit who have given me heat about lack of new nerf content just joined r/nerf within the last 2 months, particularly you, you know who you are, you have attracted my unwanted attention. How about you take a look at my history before you make accusations like that; and on top of that, not to be elitist myself but you routinely take for granted stuff I helped lay the groundwork for. You have shown up, posted stuff that flat out entered the community because of me, and then flamed me for having the same answer. I am not sure if you are just too green to realize people have years of backstory in the nerf world or just egotistical and want to pick a fight, but get a grip, you little shit. I'm not your enemy.