Aside from the obvious, what hobbies are you guys involved in?

 

I'm an amateur tinkerer and I've been building all sorts of fun things for a long time. For the past few months I've been building 'Nerf Blasters'... just like the toys sold in stores, but with my own twist.

 

Here is one I made a while ago that has since been dismantled:

 

 

 

http://s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad31 ... IM0936.mp4

 

http://s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad31 ... t=rspe.mp4

 

http://s919.photobucket.com/albums/ad31 ... IM0939.mp4

 

(The above videos are dryfires... I tend to lose darts quickly. I will upload a video with actual darts soon.)

 

The blaster (no, I do not refer to it as a gun) uses an air cylinder and a simple pneumatic circuit powered by compressed air to propel harmless foam darts as well as operate the mechanism which chambers preloaded tubes and ejects them from the blaster prior to firing the dart. The darts weigh about 1 gram and are made of 0.5" diameter low density foam cord. The input pressure is completely adjustable with a regulator system. Adjustment of input pressure translates to adjustment of muzzle velocity. The blaster's operation is semi-automatic and from testing it seems capable of cycling at any rate I can pull the trigger.

 

 

Before building this I checked New Jersey laws to see if it was even legal. N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1(f) reads:

 

"Firearm means any handgun, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, automatic or semi-automatic rifle, or any gun, device or instrument in the nature of a weapon from which may be fired or ejected any solid projectable ball, slug, pellet, missile or bullet, or any gas, vapor or other noxious thing, by means of a cartridge or shell or by the action of an explosive or the igniting of flammable or explosive substances. It shall also include, without limitation, any firearm which is in the nature of an air gun, spring gun or pistol or other weapon of similar nature in which the propelling force is as spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, compressed or other gas or vapor, air or compressed air, or is ignited by compressed air, and ejecting a bullet or missile smaller than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, with sufficient force to injure a person."

 

 

So, compressed air powered "weapons" are considered firearms unless they fire projectiles above "three-eights of an inch in diameter" and do so without "sufficient force to injure a person."

 

My darts are .5" in diameter which well exceeds the sub .375" limitation. And, thanks to calculations done by a fellow engineering student, the Kinetic Energy Density (kinetic energy divided by impact area, or in mathematical terms: [0.5 * mass of projectile * velocity of projectile^2] / [pi * radius of projectile^2]) of an unmodified store bought Nerf dart fired from an unmodified store bought Nerf Blaster is approximately 0.015 J/mm^2. Given that my darts are of comparable mass and my blaster's muzzle velocity is adjustable, the Kinetic Energy Density of the darts it fires can be dialed to or even below that quantity.

 

In plain terms, it's legal! It matches the specifications of fully legal, store bought Nerf Blasters in both areas. It's also quite a bit safer than paintball guns and even airsoft guns. To top everything off, the mechanism and the volume of air used to propel the foam darts is inadequate to fire anything but those darts. The whole system is extremely safe.

 

 

Well I thought you guys might find that interesting, back to the original question - What are some of your hobbies?

My car & racing (Legal of course):

 

And Airsoft:

I like doing this:

 

and this:

 

which occasionally results in this:

 

and this:

Homebrewing beer/mead/cider, playing guitar, photography business, drag racing my 92 Mustang, tinkering around the house with various electronics projects, training my dog, growing hops/tomatoes/herb in the back yard... probably forgetting a few. I keep busy.

I rent and fly Cessna's.

She has been sitting for a while, but i miss wheeling her. I may even sell her. I wanted to keep it for my son, but we shall see. I have so much work into it

I Dig the truck!

I Dig the truck!

 

 

Thanks. I really wish i had more time with her.

Pots & Pool

 

 

 

My GF and I have been collecting SW Pottery since 1993 and she also collects American Art Pottery.

 

I've been playing pool since I was 13, but semi-seriously for the last 20 years. I also collect Brunswick cues from the mid-60's to the mid-70's and have a dozen full-out custom cues that I have played with at one time or another. Currently have a weekly game at my house and play with a Brunswick Titlist cue converted by Mike Capone - not that that means anything to anybody here.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Loud pipes saves lives ........... so do loud guns !!!!!!!!

 

Last pic is REALLY old but its my live steam engine. it can pull 2-3 people and runs on coal. Theres a local club with a track

Fishing, camping, Kayaling, anything otdoors related. Gardening and buliding/tinkering with my hands.

Sailing, piano, bass, singing, computers. That pretty much sums it up.

Sailing, piano, bass, singing, computers. That pretty much sums it up.

 

You know, I thought you were a musician.

Haha, spot on man. How'd you know? Some kinda *vibe*

The shoes, pants and shirt. Call it the "grunge" look!

Glennp and edge are my new best friends!

(don't think I don't know where you got edge from )

 

I just picked up a bass guitar 2 weeks ago after years with a guitar. Great fun

The shoes, pants and shirt. Call it the "grunge" look!

 

Sweet, now I just need to move to Seattle, pick up a drug habit and become famous! (because everyone knows the look is more important than playing skill)

 

I just picked up a bass guitar 2 weeks ago after years with a guitar. Great fun

 

Nice, what'd you get?

Guitar, video games, tennis, guns... I think that's it. Guitar is definitely my most serious one though. I'm trying to get into a music school like Berklee in Boston.

The shoes, pants and shirt. Call it the "grunge" look!

 

Sweet, now I just need to move to Seattle, pick up a drug habit and become famous! (because everyone knows you don't actually need to know how to play)

 

I just picked up a bass guitar 2 weeks ago after years with a guitar. Great fun

 

Nice, what'd you get?

 

oh, Ibanez. Always Ibanez. I play lefty so there is never to much to try before I buy.

 

This friend of a friend had been trying to sell the lefty bass forever and decided he had had enough. Gave it to me for $50. Right handed models are going for $300 So I think I got a bargain

Sailing,

 

I may be contacting you soon as I am in the market for a sailboat and could use some direction.

 

I've been into cars, offroading, rc-boats, cycling, etc etc. But now my only hobby is guns and I hope to add sailing to that as well.

Sailing,

 

I may be contacting you soon as I am in the market for a sailboat and could use some direction.

 

I've been into cars, offroading, rc-boats, cycling, etc etc. But now my only hobby is guns and I hope to add sailing to that as well.

 

Sure, let me know. I have a 27' sloop sailboat. The NJ required boating safety course is super easy and pretty much has nothing to do with sailboats. But you gotta have it

Winemaking and drinking, hiking, camping, bird watching, coin collecting, carpentry I guess those are the big ones

oh, Ibanez. Always Ibanez. I play lefty so there is never to much to try before I buy.

 

Ibanez always makes incredibly sweet guitars and basses. I've had one for two years now and I'm saving up for a higher end prestige model. 8-)

Sailing,

 

I may be contacting you soon as I am in the market for a sailboat and could use some direction.

 

I've been into cars, offroading, rc-boats, cycling, etc etc. But now my only hobby is guns and I hope to add sailing to that as well.

 

Sure, let me know. I have a 27' sloop sailboat. The NJ required boating safety course is super easy and pretty much has nothing to do with sailboats. But you gotta have it

 

Already have my boating and pwc license so I am good to go there. I would like to get my coast guard certification one of these days but not on the top of my list. Will drop you a pm tomorrow for some further information. Trying to narrow down to a starter - towable boat at 1k pounds and under.

Glennp, that steam engine is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. I'd love to have something like that. How much does it weigh?

Glennp, that steam engine is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. I'd love to have something like that. How much does it weigh?

 

 

Locomotive itself probably weighs about 140 pounds assuming your talking about the little one. The big one is "light" at about 80 tons dry (+ 8 tons coal and 6,000 gallons water {25 tons})

I'm a HomeBrewer and an avid Motorcycle enthusiast. Between those two plus guns, home renovations and work all I have time for is sleep.

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