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The Thunderbuss MK IV


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The Thunderbuss MK IV

I started on another ray-gun, the “Thunderbuss MK IV.” I figured that people would be interested in seeing how I put it all together, so I will be taking pictures of the process step by step. I can only play with it occasionally, so it might be awhile between post.

When I start a project like this, I really don't know how it's all going to fit together... I just kind of play with everything and see what fits together the best. I do want to rig it with lights that turn on when I hold the pistol grip (I'm thinking of making a switch that is an extension of the trigger guard). I also want a laser and a piezoelectric buzzer that will activate when the trigger is pulled. Somewhere around here, I have a short piece of El-wire, if I can find that a decide where I want it to light up, I might add that also.

I bought a rifle stock a few weeks ago at a local flea market for $10.00. Originally I was thinking of making it into a largish pistol with a belt hook. But as I was playing with the peaces, I like how it's balanced better as a blunderbuss. Also shown in the picture are some candle sticks that will be turned

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This picture shows the barrels cut and soldered together. I found the base to another candlestick, so I used that and one of the candlesticks for the upper part of the barrel. The lower (main) barrel is three different candlesticks cut and soldered together. You can't see it in the picture, but I've sanded the inside of the lower barrel so I can fit a small laser pointer inside of it, that will turn on when I pull the trigger. I still have to make a bracket to hold the upper part of the barrel on.

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I started by cutting off the front part of the stock, I then used my bench grinder to roughly shape the front of the stock. Then using my Dremel, with a sanding drum, I've carefully inleted the lower barrel into the stock. I can't take off too much wood under the stock, there is a cut-out where the original rifles magazine was. I might make a “hatch” in the base of the stock, (where the magazine was) so I can hold a 9 volt battery to run all of the lights and buzzer later.

With just the lower barrel in place, the center of balance is right at where the trigger will be. With the upper barrel assembly on and all of the tubing, it will move the center of balance forward, but I'm thinking of making a sort of “Patch box” for it full of interesting greebly bits, and a Kentucky style brass butt plate for it, so that should throw the center of balance back to about the pistol grip....

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Unfortunately, the original inletting for the receiver is larger than the candlestick barrel, leaving some gaps. I might fill some of the gaps with epoxy putty but I'm pretty sure that I will be able to hide most of the gaps when I add all of the tubing and greebly bits later.

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Well sometimes stuff just doesn’t work as planned. I cut-out a chunk of heavy sheet aluminum, sanded it smooth, and drilled the holes to make a bracket to hold the upper barrel. But I just couldn't get it to fold how I wanted it... Rats. So now I'm trying to cut-down a chunk of 3/4” conduit and clean it up,and try to use that. I may have to heat blue it tho... if it rusted, that may not be the best look.

I don't think using leather to fill some of the gaps would have the look that I'm going for. Wood putty or sawdust mixed with glue may work, but it would still look like it was patched. Epoxy putty or Sculpty might look like bedding or insulation...But I'm trying to figure out how to make the gaps look like they were intended to be there, and are part of the project.

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put the candlestick in a glass tube and mount the glass tube. You could fill the tube with colored liquid or something....

or any kind of tube with multiple holes drilled in it to show the brass inside.

Edited by madPete

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Aye... Plunder Awaits!

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Make a copper coil around the thinnest part of the "barrel" to fill the void. It can be the cooling device.

'Til the Morrow,
Cap'n Bloody Sam Rackham
Captain o' The Cursed Few
Co Organizer o' The Southern Pirate Festival
Ship's Carpenter o' The Atlanta Pirates & Wenches Guild

Member of Order of Leviathan 2nd Generation

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I'm not really worrying too much about it yet... a glass tube wouldn't quite work,(it might break) but it is a good idea for maybe a copper tube with cut-outs... the copper coil idea would be interesting also.....

I'm still grinding down a chunk of conduit to act as a brace for the upper barrel....not getting as much done on it lately as I'd like....

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  • 1 month later...

I finally got around to getting some brass strapping to make a trigger guard and magazine compartment.... so now I have to get back to work on the Thunderbuss MK IV...

Just for S&G, I looked at some of the Steampunk ray-guns for sale on etsey.... $35.00 for a repainted Nerf gun ?....

So I got thinking about a money making venture.... but decided to look up that orange tip law for toy guns.... The ray-guns have the configuration of a gun, so they would need a 6mm orange tip ...I don't know if arguing that they are designed as pre-1898 guns would work....Dang, I started making ray-guns, so the would Not be mistaken for anything real....

guess I'll have to do some more research on this one.....

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Do those etsy repainted Nerf guns have orange tips?

"The time was when ships passing one another at sea backed their topsails and had a 'gam,' and on parting fired guns; but those good old days have gone. People have hardly time nowadays to speak even on the broad ocean, where news is news, and as for a salute of guns, they cannot afford the powder. There are no poetry-enshrined freighters on the sea now; it is a prosy life when we have no time to bid one another good morning."

- Capt. Joshua Slocum

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  • 10 months later...

Eye have been still active in the steam punk genre and as such have been getting picture here and there..

Eye just came up with this to communicate time travel.

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http://www.myspace.com/oderlesseye
http://www.facebook....esseye?ref=name
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Hangin at Execution dock awaits. May yer Life be a long and joyous adventure in gettin there!
As he was about to face the gallows there, the pirate is said to have tossed a sheaf of papers into the crowd, taunting his audience with these final words:

"My treasure to he who can understand."

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So I got thinking about a money making venture.... but decided to look up that orange tip law for toy guns.... The ray-guns have the configuration of a gun, so they would need a 6mm orange tip ...I don't know if arguing that they are designed as pre-1898 guns would work....Dang, I started making ray-guns, so the would Not be mistaken for anything real....

guess I'll have to do some more research on this one.....

Just another example of a poorly conceived and badly written law by lawmakers that have no knowledge about what they are making rules about. They also refuse to listen to people that actually know something about the subject !!!

........stepping down from my soapbox now.

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Aye and anyone to speak out against them are demonized gun lobbyist.

Cascabel, let me give ye a hand stepping down. ;)

"Born on an island, live on an island... the sea has always been in my blood." Jas. Hook

"You can't direct the wind . . . but . . . you can adjust the sails."

"Don't eat the chickens with writing on their beaks." Governor Sawney

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