How to make a Portal Gun

This is how I went about making my own Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device.

Ever wanted to run around a death chamber in an orange jumpsuit but never had the means to think with portals? Well now you can give it a go; perhaps. This is just one of the examples I hope to use to get into the Props and Special Effects industry *wink wink*. Rate it if you like it please.

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Step 1: Starting steps

To start this, I needed to do some research to get some good views of the Portal Gun other than the POV postion behind the device. These three pictures taken from the internet were the best examples I could find to get an idea of what the whole gun looks like. The first image is an artist's impression which is fairly accurate so I used it as my scale drawing.

Assuming the gun would be approximately 500mm in length, I scaled the first image up in Microsoft Word and then just drew lines to find measurements to get an accurate model. Then using the other screen shots, fill in the details.

robert2234 says: Oct 9, 2012. 6:14 AM

the cake is not a lie but on portal 2 it is

Jim Davidson says: Jul 20, 2012. 9:41 AM

Son, you made a nice Gun! Your use of metal mesh (metal Lathe) was brilliant! I'm thinking you may want to use 'Bondo' instead of paper mache in the future. With a bit of practice and experimentation, you'll find you get a much more durable part and a smoother paint surface using bondo. Also head over to your local DIY Center and check out the ABS and PVC Plumbing pipes and fittings...Study them and mess around with them a bit! Awesome amount of possibilities! All and all. pretty nice!

woweee1 says: Nov 29, 2010. 3:57 PM

This cakes no lie!

MetaRidley2 in reply to woweee1Apr 28, 2011. 3:01 PM

True!!!!!!!!!!!!!

coolwithpie in reply to MetaRidley2May 13, 2012. 4:12 PM

The cake itself isn't a lie. its a lie that GLaDOS will give you the cake

mcumings in reply to coolwithpieJul 11, 2012. 11:33 AM

cool as hell i made mine with your desine exept with pvc insted of wood it cam out perfectly

mcumings in reply to mcumingsJul 11, 2012. 11:33 AM

came*

gordonfreemanisalive 23 says: Jul 1, 2012. 8:46 AM

i want it

gordonfreemanisalive 23 says: Jun 30, 2012. 4:36 PM

can i buy?

zombies are annoying says: Jul 21, 2011. 12:33 PM

This is awesome! Here's mine:

kvnfln9000 in reply to zombies are annoyingMay 13, 2012. 2:04 PM

thank you for making the aperture extra-compact hand-held portal device

the_burrito_master says: May 13, 2012. 10:44 AM

At this point i'd recommend putting Bondo on there ,bondo is amazing for this type of work. you can sand it to be incredibly smooth then all you need to do is prime and paint it.

Suraj Grewal says: May 13, 2012. 5:04 AM

Looks like a camera I'll make this and fit a camera inside.:)

Dusk Shadows says: May 13, 2012. 12:32 AM

cool

mborley says: Apr 7, 2012. 3:07 AM

I'm not boing rude but the white bits are not smooth so u could use some white flexable fome ?or something like that

numpska says: Jan 29, 2012. 7:33 AM

Just wanted to say thanks for this tutorial. I made my own portal gun following your instructions and it turned out pretty good. Keep on making tutorials like this one. Detailed pictures of my portal gun can be found here: http://terno.1g.fi/kuvat/Aperture+Science+Handheld+Portal+Device+DIY/

William930 says: May 21, 2011. 9:38 PM

what is the clear plastic cylinder made of?

pastaking in reply to William930Aug 23, 2011. 9:18 AM

Umm... Plastic?

William930 in reply to pastakingAug 23, 2011. 7:53 PM

what do you mean? is it not plastic?

Liam Customs in reply to William930Dec 10, 2011. 9:56 AM

What he meant was that you said- "What is the clear PLASTIC thing MADE OF" which made no sense, because you just said the answer. It's like saying "Hey, what's your name, Joe?" I'm just stating that, I'm not trying to be rude in any way.

William930 in reply to Liam CustomsDec 11, 2011. 10:55 AM

I meant like a water bottle, a sheet of plastic rolled up, etc

Liam Customs in reply to William930Dec 12, 2011. 3:47 PM

OH, O.K, sorry.

chiok (author) in reply to William930May 22, 2011. 4:06 AM

A sheet of clear polypropylene (PP). 700 microns thick I think. Available in places like Paperchase or in the packaging of large gifts, like a large photo frame or an ornamental duck.

ahmad2117 in reply to chiokMay 24, 2011. 4:01 AM

can i use a plastic bottle instead?

chiok (author) in reply to ahmad2117May 25, 2011. 5:55 AM

Absolutely. It's a different material (PET, or HDPE) but it does the same thing, it's clear plastic. If you're happy with it, then go for it.

Interestingly, bottles made from PET like soda bottles, can be used to purify water if the bottle is clean and the filled bottles are left in the sun. Called "Solar Water Disinfection".

Aperture says: May 6, 2011. 9:46 AM

This is confidential information. We will be needing your version of the Portal Device...... Please.

Black Mesa east in reply to ApertureSep 20, 2011. 7:34 PM

No Please donate your handheld portal device to Black mesa East to help us defeat the combine. (a large reward of your choice will be provided, versus the cake of aperature which is obviously a lie)

PS GORDON PWNS CHELL

apelley in reply to Black Mesa eastOct 8, 2011. 8:45 AM

win

zhill says: Sep 23, 2011. 4:38 PM

could i posibly buy one from u i would pay well

jscrimale says: Jul 21, 2011. 10:58 PM

what are the claws made of card board right?

rashie123 says: Jun 7, 2011. 10:19 AM

Awesome!!!!!

werekitty13 says: Jun 3, 2011. 4:43 PM

This is awesome. I really, really want one now... If only we could make it work.

jb carter says: May 13, 2011. 2:19 PM

when you make a mistake will you have 2 start allover again 2 make it perfect?

netnerd01 says: May 4, 2011. 1:33 AM

Just a quick question.
How exactly is the front casing part (the white bit) held on?

chiok (author) in reply to netnerd01May 4, 2011. 4:48 PM

Hot glue, lots and lots of hot glue. MIG welding of the craft world.

Voltagecaek says: Apr 25, 2011. 8:20 AM

What are the sizes on the arms?

Wally_Z says: Apr 18, 2011. 2:58 AM

Wouldn't it be cool if it had a trigger and when you presssed the trigger the LED in the front part changed to orange and when you pressed it again it changed color to blue and then again orange?