Pinned version of Simplified Mandalorian Pulse Rifle

thingiverse

I decided to build the simplified rifle posted by Straeker as a friend's costume prop, but: - I did not trust myself to be able to align and glue the parts together without issues - I wanted to make some of the parts a little easier to print and assemble I had seen the parametric snap pins posted by emmett a while ago, so I thought I would experiment with mixing the two. This set of files is the result of my efforts. I have identified this post as "A Work in Progress" because IF I was going to be making more of these rifles myself, I would probably want to rework some of the files that I actually used in my own build. I have successfully assembled precisely one rifle using these parts. The hard part was figuring out which type of glue would hold it all together. As it happens, I do not presently expect to ever make this thing again, so I am offering these files with a few cautions for anyone tempted to use them. - Assembling and finishing this model will likely require using a 3D pen and/or a soldering iron to fill/weld the joins or putty to hide the joints and painting to hide the putty. (I suppose that is also true of the original model, so not a con of this design.) - I did successfully print and assemble the parts you see here, but that work was not done completely without issue. (e.g. In some cases, I had to shave the tips off the pins a little, to get the parts to fit flush against each other.) It may be worthwhile to check out emmett's other snap pin designs, which I did not. - I did not change the dimensions of any of the mating faces, so these parts should be completely compatible with the original thing, if you just want to use a subset of these files together with the originals in a single assembly. - the snap pins alone will not hold this rifle together tightly. You will still need to glue the joints. - I first used superglue, then gorilla-brand superglue gel and finally JB Weld Plastic Weld (two part epoxy putty) to assemble these parts as a rifle. In the end, the JB Weld did the trick, but the superglue and gel both seemed to work for a while and then let go. The pins may help prevent shear forces from shattering the glue if the rifle is dropped, but there is just too much leverage on anyone joint to stop a joint from ripping apart If you bend the rifle and gravity seems to cause superglued joints to fail by doing just that. In retrospect, a metal rod down the inside of the assembly is definitely the better Engineering approach than using these snap pins, especially for the joint in the middle. If you are prepared to go that way, check out this excellent make by TheMazeEcho: [https://www.thingiverse.com/make:787318](https://www.thingiverse.com/make:787318). I am surprised and disappointed that even the Plastic Weld has not proven strong enough to hold these joints by itself for my build. Probably because the plastic weld is not bonding well to surfaces which are now coated smooth in superglue residue. I finally drilled out the pin sockets between sections 06 and 07 and inserted a metal drinking straw to add strength at the middle of the assembly. In this case, 10% infill proved an unfortunate choice since it left nothing for the straw to hold on to. I packed epoxy into the hole, to anchor the straw into epoxy which in turn is bonded to the infill. The cured joint in the morning did seem solid, so problem solved I think. I recommend that anyone building a rifle from these parts should only use the Plastic Weld and should skip the superglue. If you print with the mating face on a raft, that face should be rough enough to bond well to the epoxy. Mating faces printed as the top of a part should be roughed-up with a file or coarse sandpaper, to help the epoxy bond. You may want to print 06 and 07 with 20% infill or more, if you plan to drill a hole in each piece and fit a rod down the center, as I did, though you might try just the epoxy and pin first. You may also want to weld the joints with your soldering iron, as I did, to add a bit of insurance, at the cost of some of its "good looks", if you plan to use yours as a costume prop. Let's face it, Mando is living from paycheque to paycheque and his rifle likely gets a lot of DIY repairs & battle damage. I figure all defects visible in this build are like scars on an expensive leather jacket, they add interest and authenticity.