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Any fan of Steampunk or Nerf will eventually come up with the dilemma of "How to carry my gun when I am not holding it in my hands?" For some guns a leather holster works fine. In fact many people/vendors already make a standard holster for the Nerf N-Strike Maverick, a favorite gun of both Steampunk and Nerf fans. However, if you mod the gun too much, it won't fit, and many other guns would require a more custom holster. While a holster looks nice, I find them not so easy to pull from fast, and for Steampunk, it hides a gun you might otherwise want to show off!
So the requirements present themselves as how to show off my gun, while still making it easy to get to? And the answer, Magnets!
The idea is simple, you put a magnet on your gun somewhere, usually the handle works best, and then you attach a magnet to your person, such as your belt. And presto, any gun will hang at your side for everyone to see, while still allowing you to grab at a moments notice!
Even though this is a simple idea, I do suggest that you still read the rest of my steps so you can benefit from my insights, because after all, I've made this before, and you haven't ... yet.
So the requirements present themselves as how to show off my gun, while still making it easy to get to? And the answer, Magnets!
The idea is simple, you put a magnet on your gun somewhere, usually the handle works best, and then you attach a magnet to your person, such as your belt. And presto, any gun will hang at your side for everyone to see, while still allowing you to grab at a moments notice!
Even though this is a simple idea, I do suggest that you still read the rest of my steps so you can benefit from my insights, because after all, I've made this before, and you haven't ... yet.
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Signing UpStep 1Parts & Tools!
Required parts:
- Clip for attaching to belt of pants ( I find a generic carabiner works best)
- Scrap fabric (amount depends on magnet and clip size)
- 2x Rare Earth Magnet (see notes below)
Required Tools:
- Scissors for cutting fabric
- Pins for sewing fabric
- String for sewing
- Sewing Machine
- Star Screw driver ( if you are pulling magnet from a hard drive)
Now the hardest part to acquire for most people will probably be the Rare Earth magnets. Fortunately there is an easy place to get exactly two magnets of perfect size. All you need is a broken computer hard drive. You can find lots of them for under $10 on ebay, and chances are you might already have, or know someone who has, a broken computer with one inside. Once you acquire the hard drive, you will need to take it apart to get the magnets out. This Instructable here is best I've found so far at taking apart a hard drive: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hard-Drive-Disassembly-Samsung-Drive/ all hard drives are actually very similar in terms of taking apart, so you can follow it regardless of the brand you might have..
I would also like to stress the need for using only Rare Earth Magnets. They are extreamly strong in a small size. Twice as strong as the next strongest type of magnet. And using any other kind of magnet will run the risk of your gun falling off when you don't want it to.
For the sewing I would highly recommend using a sewing machine set to the tightest stitching setting it has. And I would make sure the string you use has some decent strength to it. The stitching and string strength is more important than fabric strength as you don't want this falling apart when you try to slide the magnets apart.
If you don't know what a Carabiner is, even after looking at the picture, then read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiner Today you can find decorative Carabiner's for holding keys, and they are usually cheaper than one's used for mountain climbing.
Finally, if you are having trouble with any other tools, or parts, for this Instructable, then I suggest you find someone with knowledge in that area to help you out.
- Clip for attaching to belt of pants ( I find a generic carabiner works best)
- Scrap fabric (amount depends on magnet and clip size)
- 2x Rare Earth Magnet (see notes below)
Required Tools:
- Scissors for cutting fabric
- Pins for sewing fabric
- String for sewing
- Sewing Machine
- Star Screw driver ( if you are pulling magnet from a hard drive)
Now the hardest part to acquire for most people will probably be the Rare Earth magnets. Fortunately there is an easy place to get exactly two magnets of perfect size. All you need is a broken computer hard drive. You can find lots of them for under $10 on ebay, and chances are you might already have, or know someone who has, a broken computer with one inside. Once you acquire the hard drive, you will need to take it apart to get the magnets out. This Instructable here is best I've found so far at taking apart a hard drive: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hard-Drive-Disassembly-Samsung-Drive/ all hard drives are actually very similar in terms of taking apart, so you can follow it regardless of the brand you might have..
I would also like to stress the need for using only Rare Earth Magnets. They are extreamly strong in a small size. Twice as strong as the next strongest type of magnet. And using any other kind of magnet will run the risk of your gun falling off when you don't want it to.
For the sewing I would highly recommend using a sewing machine set to the tightest stitching setting it has. And I would make sure the string you use has some decent strength to it. The stitching and string strength is more important than fabric strength as you don't want this falling apart when you try to slide the magnets apart.
If you don't know what a Carabiner is, even after looking at the picture, then read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiner Today you can find decorative Carabiner's for holding keys, and they are usually cheaper than one's used for mountain climbing.
Finally, if you are having trouble with any other tools, or parts, for this Instructable, then I suggest you find someone with knowledge in that area to help you out.
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If you read step 4, you will see I mentioned to wrap the holder magnet in fabric, and keep doing so until you find the right amount of fabric covering the magnet to still hold tight, but allow you to easily slide the gun off when you need it.
Mine holds tight that it can swing at my side and not fall off, but I can swing my arm down and pull it up and off the holder with ease. Also, it tugs just enough that I would feel it if someone else tried to pull it off without my knowledge.