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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here!

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Old 12-16-2016, 04:36 AM   #31
spearq8
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

I was checking through my video files and I found that I actually did put up a video with testing of a Polymorph handle some time back. At that time I did not use a level meter in the handle fitting ... but results look very good ... so maybe that is a viable option for the guns @ 120cm and smaller. Polymorph is certainly much easier to work with as if you make a mistake ... you just reheat the plastic and re-shape.

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Old 12-17-2016, 05:27 AM   #32
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

Is there any risk of injury? I imagine since all the recoil is channeled to your palm, less is dissipated to the water so you feel the full force. What's your experience till now?

Thanks!
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Old 12-17-2016, 08:05 AM   #33
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

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Originally Posted by Shotmaster View Post
HDPE is a great material. Only problem is nothing will stick to it, so good luck with it.
Should be easy to pin it into place using existing mounting holes, screws are another option but I hate to use them unless I have to.

I actually went so far as to put 3 screws into one of my handles, and then ended up covering the screw holes with polymorph so that you could not see them. When it came time to remove the handle I just uncovered the screws unscrewed it and slipped it right off. This was handle number 9, i think im at about 36 lol.

Pretty sure it was Mr Majd that turned me onto polymorph many many many moons ago.
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Old 12-18-2016, 01:17 AM   #34
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

Not many people out tinker me with their spearguns ... but kwtony has me beat by a country mile!

As for risk of injury ... after modding the handle, whatever risk was there is greatly reduced. Think of doing a push up where you are only allowed to use your thumbs ... now do the same push up using your palms. You will quickly understand why you need to have recoil go into your palm. You can get wrist injury from shooting too high a load in a poorly designed gun ... in my case I injured my wrist back a few years ago from shooting heavy loads on a poorly designed gun where I could not do a push up for over 6 months ... and that was shooting only a 7mm shaft. Today I understand how things work much better and I will absolutely refuse to shoot any gun I feel is not properly setup. A gun with a low handle and low mass ... is just pure agony on your wrist... and there are a lot of those guns around. As for misalignment of handle inherent in all guns ... that is a problem with high loads ... not really painful ... but rather if you use a gun that is too light, you lose complete control of the gun you are shooting and it can come off your hand ... which of course can be dangerous if it hits you in the face.

With a properly shaped handle on a high handle gun the recoil is dramatically reduced as all forces are pushed into the palm. If you look at the video with the extreme load I used it really felt like I was just shooting a 90cm gun and I could shoot that load all day long with zero problems. That load was way over the TV of an 8mm @160cm shaft ... being shot by a 730 gram gun (shaft was almost same weight as gun !!!). I am not saying everyone should go and build that setup, but rather to point out what a huge difference understanding the physics of recoil and mating it your body ergonomics can make. If a shaped handle can tame recoil on such a gun and still maintain incredible performance with pin point accuracy ... it will easily benefit any other gun.
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Old 12-19-2016, 04:47 PM   #35
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

Here's a Carbide covered grip a friend did for me. We're not the first ones to want a non slip gun grip. He makes these for the Navy SEALS. You need to wear a glove, but this coating grabs your glove like nobody's business and eliminates completely recoil slop on a properly set up gun. I like this approach because sometimes I find a Stylized Target grip to be cumbersome and difficult to find my footing very quickly. A grip like this I find very easy to find my spot.
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Old 12-19-2016, 11:09 PM   #36
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

I have been adding carbide to my grips lately as well. I believe Majd was the one who turned me onto it a few months ago.


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Old 12-20-2016, 09:38 AM   #37
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

OK, so I had to look the carborundum up so I could search for it and find it locally here in China. As has been touched upon here and elsewhere, it is carbide, or rather silicon carbide. It is is used to make grinding stones, sandpaper, lapping, polishing and for sand blasting. So, if you have a sand blasting facility nearby they would prolly give you some for free.

Now that I know what it is, I found it pretty fast online for about 2 bucks for a pound (locally in China). It's listed by grit from about 10# to 6000#, just pick a few options and have it in a few days.
For tinkerers, this place is pretty sweet sometimes
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Old 12-20-2016, 12:10 PM   #38
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

If I had a choice between a shaped handle without friction layer or a normal handle with friction layer ... I would choose a shaped handle every time. Of course a friction layer will improve any handle. I experimented with many different sands and silicas and to be honest, I think they all work equally well. The carbondrum (or whatever it is called) I got because it was sold by the company I buy epoxy and carbon fiber sleeves from ... it is very heavy ... maybe 2 or 3x heavier than regular silica sand. Lately I just sprinkle the carbondrum first then the remaining glossy areas I put black silica sand until the gloss is gone. I think it is a good idea to use a heat gun to heat up the epoxy and allow the sand a better hold. Results are great but not necessarily better than just good old play sand or clean beach sand.
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Old 12-20-2016, 12:24 PM   #39
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

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Originally Posted by jstiver09 View Post
I have been adding carbide to my grips lately as well. I believe Majd was the one who turned me onto it a few months ago.


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Wow ... that came out nice! I need to get some of those butt pads ... it certainly looks much better and must be a lot more functional!
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Old 12-27-2016, 05:30 PM   #40
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

Around how much polymorph would be enough for an entire handle?

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Old 12-28-2016, 03:42 AM   #41
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

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Around how much polymorph would be enough for an entire handle?

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If I take the handle off completely on a Pathos D'Angelo II and am left with the square handle cog ... a complete handle uses about 80 to 90 grams of Polymorph. If you keep the handle and just shape around an existing handle and add polymporh just for fitting ... of course it would be much less. If you want to make a full Polymorph handle ... first use a general base ... then let that harden and cool down. The dip it in boiling and stick new polymorph for final shaping. I find that better than doing a full handle in one go.

I do think that Polymorph is not as good as epoxy putty and I hardly ever use the stuff for handles any more. I don't like it as much as I cannot put a good friction layer on it. I did experiment with dipping the Polymorph in boiling water and then wrapping the handle with carbon fiber tape ... the CF tape glues really well to the soft Polymorph ... then when everything dries you put a final epoxy coat over that and can put a good friction layer. But seems just easier to use epoxy putty.
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Old 12-28-2016, 04:55 AM   #42
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

You want to use as little polymorph as possible. If you use too much your gun will become negative and sink handle down. Which also means it aims right at ya, when you drop it.
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Old 12-28-2016, 08:30 AM   #43
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

OK thanks guys...

My intent was to do my existing handle and to put it in red...(its now orange)

I guess ill have to try epoxy then... Marine Weld?


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Old 12-28-2016, 12:09 PM   #44
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

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OK thanks guys...

My intent was to do my existing handle and to put it in red...(its now orange)

I guess ill have to try epoxy then... Marine Weld?


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Is your orange handle Polymorph? If it is then I don't think epoxy putty will adhere to it. Epoxy putty will adhere well with the normal plastic handles such as the Pathos handle.
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Old 12-28-2016, 02:42 PM   #45
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Re: Handle Mod video ... GAME CHANGER !!!

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Is your orange handle Polymorph? If it is then I don't think epoxy putty will adhere to it. Epoxy putty will adhere well with the normal plastic handles such as the Pathos handle.
No its a rubbery/plastic handle...

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Is your orange handle Polymorph? If it is then I don't think epoxy putty will adhere to it. Epoxy putty will adhere well with the normal plastic handles such as the Pathos handle.

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