Woo, worked on the pack for 9.5 hours yesterday, September 23rd! Sure, 2.5 of those hours was research while waiting for glue to set, but it was still work. Buckle up. This is going to be a long one.
I removed the clamps holding the bumper mount braces in place. Then I flipped the shell over and realigned and attached the bumper. I used the playing cards as levelers again and taped the bumper in place. I drilled pilot holes into the synchronous generator. I didn't have to reattach the bummer to do this, but I wanted to make sure the drill bit trajectory lined up with the bumper holes.
Removed the bummer and stuck the bit into the hole and drew a line on the top of the synchronous as a guide of its path angle. I widened the holes and did the same for the other side.
I started each hole's first few threads by threading with an actual tap bit, then threaded the rest of the way with the screw. I find this makes for a tighter, more secure fit when working with styrene than using just the taping bit. Metal is a different story.
I widened out the holes on the bumper and rasped them out with the screws.
Using lovely GB1 style brass washers, I attached the bumper. Super pleased how it came out! I could put some washers and nuts on the inside of the screws, yet it seems super sturdy without washers already. It doesn't move, wiggle, creek, or show any signs of weakness.
Mixed up some apoxie sculpt and shoved it into the gaps on the n-filter with a narrow scrap stick of styrene. Just like Jenna Jameson says, spit is the best lube. I used an xacto blade for between the filter and cyclotron window ring. The Vaseline applied the previous day should do well keeping the epoxie from bonding with the cyclotron and synchronous.
Squished epoxie under the cyclotron window ring that raised up the day before. Used the same scrap corner that I used on the cyclotron step ring to scrape away excess and minimize clean up. I didn't do this for the n-filter as its round, so is the side of the cyclotron. It would have been messy, like your... I digress. Lol.
After researching measurements for friggin 1.5 hours, I measured and cut out two 2"x 2" squares for the male vhook base. Screw the hyphen, but I'll put it here for search sakes, v-hook. There, you happy search engines?!
Globbed up one of the squares with glue and laminated it to the other square. Used a square to make sure the squares were square. Hehe. Clamped down in the center, then the edges, lastly the corners to get excess glue out. I spread around the glue that squished out to aid in clean up.
After an additional half hour of research, I decided to just measure the female v-hook on the thrower (woah, auto correct put the hyphen in. Ok, unscrew the hyphen, I guess) to come up with my own dimensions.
I marked out the measurements (came in 1/4" per side for the v-hook spacer) and connected the dots. Then I scored and snapped out the pieces.
Cleaned up the edges and rounded the top edges.
Lined up the hook and spacer and traced the position. Applied glue and laminated them together. Used the clamp again and squished out excess glue from center out. Spread that out on the top and bottom. I carefully scraped it away with a blade for the side corners. I set these aside for an hour to cure some.
In that time I researched, yet again, for the entire hour of curing. I was looking for the angles of both GB1 and GB2 versions hooks. I found 20° and 30° respectively to be what is considered the correct angles. My plan was to incorporate both for an adjustable v-hook angle.
During this period of enlightenment I held up the hook to the screen with an image of julz' renderings of the GB1 elite plans. I squinted an eye and marked where the center of the two mounting holes were. I then measured that distance from top and bottom. The top hole center, according to my squinty eye, is 7/16" from the top. Bottom hole is 5/8" from the bottom.
I also idealized the placement of the four block mounting holes. These are different for every pack as they just drilled willy nilly and screwed, those heathens! I wanted them to fall in the center of the ribs and be equidistant from the sides. I marked four dots 3/8" in from the sides.
After the hour of angular research, the glue had set enough for clean up. Cleaned up the four sides of the block and top and bottom of the hook.
I then drilled out all the marks of the hook and base on the drill press. I tapped only the hook screw holes as I was still needing the base holes for later.
I loosely screwed the hook to the block through the bottom hole. Put a pencil in the top hole and drew a curve while rotating the hook.
I clamped the base block in place using a scrap piece of styrene to keep it in line and level with the gun mount face. Then I screwed the holes into the gun mount. Removed the base and widened the holes on the gun mount.
Tapped and cleaned up the base holes.
I made marks at 20° and 30°. I then used a ruler and "connected" the marks to an eyeballed center of the hole. Then I extended the lines so I could see them past the hook top.
I loosely reattached the hook and made a pilot divit for each angle while lining up the center line of the hook to the angle lines on the base.
Removed the hook and drilled out the GB2 hole in the base. I started with this hole as I'd rather have more ergonomics. This would be the only thing glaringly GB2 on this pack. The hole accidentally was a bit under 30°, which brought it too close to the GB1 20° hole. So I didn't even drill the other hole. Great thing is, if I end up not liking the GB2 position, I can always remake another base for 20°. I might just do that anyway to have the option.
Decided to make recesses for the heads of the screws that hold the hook to the base. These screws were all extra and perfect size, so I didn't want to have to get more. This will also greatly aid in attaching the base to the gun mount. Speaking of which, I loosely attached the base to to gun mount using only two screws just to hold it in place. Then transferred the hook mounting holes to the gun mount. I drilled these out incrementally widening by 64th" at a time.
Lol, I have to use pliers to get screws into the furthest holes. I also tightened them with pliers going at a maddening pace of a quarter turn at a time! The internal gun mount brace means I'll have to buy two 6-32 5/8" screws as I only have these 1/2" guys left over. Only a few threads make it into those corresponding base holes. I'll get them when I buy my paints and motherboard material. Got the hook attached and couldn't help but...
Hook the thrower onto the pack! Woo! Seems like a crazy angle but it looks just like GB2 screen captures. I just have to figure out if I can get the barrel tip mechanics in the gun with the added electronics of the plasmas tube. This will help having such s protrusion behind me. Originally was just planning to fix it in the extended position. Maybe I will make the GB1 20° base after all if I wack too many things or people while turning.
I like how this came out overall. I feel the v-hook screw head recesses in the gun mount greatly improve the process of attaching the base. Lines up so smoothly.
In hindsight, I wish I made the hook with two laminated pieces of styrene and rubbed it down 1/16". Also should have added 1/16" to the hook and spacer width. Still might just remake this whole part, hook and base. It's a super easy piece to fabricate so I'm not too worried about it. Time will tell as its fully functional now as is. I'll just have to see how it is in the wild while wearing it.
That's all for Saturday, September 23rd.