Quick Craft: My $2 Steampunk Raygun

I've been challenging myself lately to come up with cheaper & easier crafts that still look amazing, since I know John and I tend to get a little (or a lot) crazy with the power tools and complicated builds.

SO, even though this is hardly new territory in the craft world, I thought it'd be fun to show you guys a simple, mega-cheap raygun build that just about ANYONE can make, no power tools required.

In fact, if you already have the paint and glue, this build will only cost you two dollars.

Yep, just two bucks to go from this:

and these:

 

... to this!

Want one of your own? 

Then head to your local Dollar Tree and buy that pop gun and mini trophies. Plus,

 You Will Also Need:

- hot glue or epoxy putty (available at any hardware store or Wal-Mart), plus E-6000
- Plastic spray primer, preferably in black
- Rub N' Buff or other metallic wax in both gold and silver
- sparkly nail polish in your choice of color(s)
- (optional) Bead In A Bottle craft paint, for rivets

First use some small cutters to cut the trophy handles away from the top of the trophy. As luck would have it, these clamp perfectly over the barrel of the pop gun:

See?

Now cut the bottom stand off the plastic trophy, flip it around, and glue it back in place. This will act as the ray gun barrel's tip:

This gun has a plastic rod sticking out of the barrel that held the foam ball, so you can glue the  trophy cup to that rod by filling it with either epoxy putty or hot glue.

Cut apart a second trophy and use its handles to make two more brackets on the front barrel.

If you're able to cut the second trophy's upper rim off, you can use that for the "dial" on the side of the gun, and the rest of the body as the little cap on top. 

(I say "if you're able," because the plastic is quite thick, and requires some serious sawing. A small hacksaw works great, or of course a dremel or scroll saw makes quick work of it.)

 Glue everything in place with E-6000 EXCEPT the "dial"; it's easier to paint that separately.

Spray the gun with a plastic primer, then a black base coat, if the primer isn't already black.

Now the fun part: Rub N' Buffin'!

Start by covering the whole gun in a rough coat of gold wax. A small stiff paint brush works great for all those nooks and crannies.

Next accent some of the raised sections with silver, and use nail polish to paint a few of the rivets to look like gems or indicator lights. You can also add some rivets to the handle with Bead In A Bottle Paint. This is the fun artsy part, so go nuts!

The only extra material I used was a small strip of brass mesh around the top cup, since it looked a little plain. You could use craft foam, string, or even paper for a similar accent.

   

 

This raygun is perfect for steampunk cosplay, of course, but I think it's pretty enough to also be a display piece! Hang it in a shadowbox frame or on brackets on the wall, or maybe later I can show you how to make a simple cardboard display stand, so you can set it up on a bookshelf.

 

 I hope this gets some creative sparks flying! And as always, if you do try this, please share pics on the Epbot FB page so I can see!


(Psst. Want more? Then check out my Crafts Page to see ALL my geeky projects in one place!) 
 

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