Introduction: Mini Nerf-compatible Blaster

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About: I make stuff, or at least I try. When I'm am not making things, I enjoy learning what I can in the areas of history, religion, electronics, and 3D printing.

Hi All.

I've wanted to draw-up a printable Nerf-compatible blaster for a long time. When I finally made some time to work on the idea, I decided to start as small and simple as possible with a single dart blaster. In the pictures above you can see the size comparison of the blaster to my hand and a Pez dispenser.

As you can probably tell, I modeled this blaster after the Nerf Jolt. The simple, single action, spring-powered piston mechanism functions pretty much the same way it does in the Jolt. I did not go as far as to include an entire air-regulator assembly that most Nerf guns feature at the end of the barrel or to include the dart guide on the inside of the barrel, but I think the blaster's performance is at least comparable to Blasters in the Nerf Micro-shots series.

Because I wanted this blaster to be as printable as possible, I avoided using any screw connections to construct the assemblies. Instead, the blaster is put together using printable pins. The only non-printable parts of the blaster are the springs for the piston and trigger, and the piston o-ring.

Step 1: What You'll Need

Tools Needed:

- 3D Printer with minimum build capacity of 4.5 in x 1.5 in x 4.5 in (150mm x 40mm x 150mm)

Materials Needed:

- Plastic Printer Filament (I used PLA)

- Small Compression Spring (like from a click-pen)

- Large Compression Spring

- Rubber O-ring (16.7 mm x 1.9 mm)

- Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly

For the large compression spring I used a 3 in long spring with a diameter of 1/32 in because I had one lying around, but I think a 2 in long spring with a diameter of about 1/16 in would be a more suitable spring for the blaster and could increase performance.

Step 2: Print the Parts

Download the STL files below and configure the gcode with your favorite CAM software. I used the following specs for my parts:

Infill: 58%

Shells: 2

Layer Height: 0.15mm

The Main Body will need some additional support material, but the other parts will print fine on their own. Because of their small size I found it easier to print the Pins in halves and on their sides, but potentially they could also be printed in an upright orientation.

Attachments

Step 3: Assemble the Blaster

Watch the assembly video above and snap together your blaster. Make sure you lubricate the inside of the piston and the Piston Drum before you assemble this part.

You may want to file or sand down the inside of the barrel to allow the bullets to slide more smoothly.

Step 4: Be Safe and Have Fun!

And there you have it, your 3D Printed Mini Nerf-compatible Blaster is now fully assembled and ready for action!

Have fun with the thing, but please remember some common sense. Only you can be responsible for what you do with the blaster. It's a good idea not to point or fire this thing at other peoples' faces, potentially causing some injury.

That being said, thanks for reading this post, and enjoy!

jlaake

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