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The LOVE GUN was created as a wedding gift for a loving couple that was to be married; originally I was just going to do the ubiquitous gift of money or some 70’s fondue set, until inspiration struck. Hiram, the groom, in addition to many things was a published fantasy writer. All though a classic ray-gun is more science fiction then fantasy, a love gun falls into the fantasy range. Instead of shooting lasers, it shoots love, existing love that is. The gun just amplifies it a little, or so I would like to believe. It was designed for the times when your loved one needs, well… a “shot of love”.
Most of this build, should you wish to proceed will most likely go a little different for yourself. This will almost always be the case when using recycled materials. Think of this Instructable as more of an example of how different parts can be manipulated and assembled into something that looks like it always was.
The LOVE GUNS electronics are kept to a minimum, using just a automotive el-wire kit kept it easy. All though it was meant to run off a 12volt automotive battery, you can run it off a variety of lower voltages. Initially I was going to use a 9 volt battery which lit the el-wire just fine, but soon discovered even a 9 volt battery was too big to be incorporated into the handle how I wanted. Instead I found 12 volt batteries at the dollar store that were about half the size of a double “AA” battery – perfect.
I was toying with the idea of lighting up the tip of the barrel, but opted instead to make it be a single pass through from the rear of the gun. Reasons being two fold,
1. You could simply slip any light source into the barrel by removing the cotter pin at the back. This could accommodate small thin led flash lights, glow sticks or even a laser pen
2. I’m a bit of a softie, so the idea of rolling up ones vows, and inserting them into the barrel just sounds so romantic, heck you could even still insert a light source after and beam your vows to each other.
The only thing that would make this better would be to have the ability to laser engrave a motif over the brass, polycarbonate bowl, and Wooden handle. Imagine Roman mixed with Celtic lattice like lace engraved in exact swirling patterns, lit up from within like edge fiber optics, oh man. It would like fractal engravings of the gods, sadly you can really only get that with a Epilog Zing laser cutter... Maybe one day I will win one, or if Santa's feeling particularly generous - Ho-Ho-Ho? Truly though, one day i would love to have one of these, gone will be the days of clumsily cut out parts, or Dremels spinning wildly out of control. They have been used extensively on this and other sites cutting out everything from wedding dresses to laser tattooing finger nails. Myself I would use it for all my delicate work and finishing touches. Check it out, and be amazed - http://www.epiloglaser.com/zing_home.htm
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Signing UpStep 1Collect your bits, and ready your tools
PART/BITS
- Poly carbonate reservoir bowl
- Air tool handle
- SPST push button switch - something akin to a trigger
- Battery terminal spring and connection terminal salvaged from other battery driven device
- 12volt or lower El wire kit complete with power unit
- Thin gauge wire
- Thin brass sheet – I used brass sheet used for shims
- Alert switch lens and switch guard
- Various bits and pieces that will be unique to you, of course this more or less applies to all the above
- Various screws, bolts, nuts – these will be dependent on your particular needs
- Wood for the handle
- Paints, stains, varnish - whatever you want to use to finish your handle
- A case to house your love gun - optional, but part of the fun
Tools
- Drill and bits
- Something capable of cutting a variety of metals – abrasive discs, saws, tin snips
- Small hand tools
- Soldering gun and solder
- Electrical tape
- Standard household ammonia
- Paints
- Adhesives – variety
- · Thread-locking glue
- · Quick set epoxy
- · gorilla glue
- · Hot glue
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Awesome!