Arctic Blast modifications

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SSCBen
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Post by SSCBen » Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:39 pm

Last year I bought an Arctic Blast solely for the purpose of modifying it. I've completed and documented a few modifications I did on it. I did Colossus (and later undid it), a custom pump handle, changed the flood nozzle into a real nozzle, and did a PC expansion modification.

Guides to all I did will be on the new website. The only one I need to write is the PC expansion one, which I did today. All the modifications were pretty straightforward. The Arctic Blast is pretty easy to modify, but you won't get great performance out of it because it's so small. PRVD is easy because you don't have to do any cutting. All you have to do is seal off a hole. Changing the flood nozzle is as easy as removing the case and sticking a 1/2 inch male threaded adapter onto the nozzle (this was too weird of a coincidence). PC expansion wasn't that hard, but it was more involved than the other modifications. I cut a hole in the case to let a longer clear PETG pipe stick out the end. This allows the PC to expand fully for once. The PETG tubing is clear, so it also acts as a PC gauge. Another side effect of PC expansion modifications is improved power. Here the PC can expand more in length, and a small increase in pressure will be seen. If I changed it so the PC expanded more in diameter, a more noticeable increase in power would be seen.

Another great thing about PC expansion is that I don't have to worry much about pressure cracks. Pressure cracks usually only occur in CPS water guns when the PC has expanded fully and has nowhere else to go. The PC can expand pretty long now.

I haven't tested the gun out yet due to the cold, but I'm sure it'll work nicely. The nozzle and PC expansion modifications were the most worthwhile, so much that I would like to see them become more common.

Some pictures are below.

Image

Image

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isoaker
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Post by isoaker » Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:42 pm

That's a nice, slick modification! I'm curious what sort of power enhancement you're getting from opening up and letting the PC expand further. As a thought, though it might wreck some of the aesthetics, might you consider adding a mesh or screen of some sort at the end of the clear PETG pipe just in case of PC failure? I figure that since the PC can expand farther lengthwise, that would also mean it would be easier for it to reach breaking point as well.

:cool:
:: Leave NO one dry! :: iSoaker.com .:

SSCBen
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Post by SSCBen » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:20 pm

I was thinking about putting something on the end, but I wasn't quite sure what to put. Some sort of mesh held in with screws would work. Now that I think about it, I have some leftover plexiglass that would work and won't ruin the aesthetics.

As for any power increase, I think it will make a little difference, but I'm not sure. I noticed that there is some drop off with LRT, but it is very limited, so I think the range will be increased by a few feet near completely full. I'll need to test on a warmer day. Even if the power is kept the same though, I'll be happy.

As for the aesthetics of the blaster, I think the clear PC improved them a lot. It looks cool and has a functional purpose. It wasn't my idea though. McMaster-Carr only had one pipe in the right size (and price range), and I realized when ordering it that it would be clear, which I thought was absolutely perfect. Weird that things can work out that well. I might do something similar in my future homemade water guns.

I'd also like to add a strap. The end of the PETG tube would work good for that, especially with some sort of cover/strap mount point on it.

Someone's bound to ask why I unColossused the water gun, so I'll explain. Colossus involves putting bike tubes over the pressure chamber. When the pressure chamber expands more, it increases in length. I've seen what sort of weird things happen when bike tubes move while pressurized, and it can go bad. One part bulges out, and if you keep pumping it will only fill the lower pressure area, bursting a tubing clamp off before it will fill the other areas. So I opted to reduce the power. I think the Arctic Blast/Flash Flood design is more suitable for straight PC replacement than Colossus. A 35 PSI tube would be a power-up. I might do that later, but I like it as is.

SSCBen
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Post by SSCBen » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:21 pm

I just tested my Arctic Blast. I could get more water in the PC than it could normally, but I wasn't sure where to stop pumping. The larger ID tubing here worked a little different than the small ID tubing I am used to. Perhaps Hasbro has a different type of latex here, but it looks and feels the same. I got about 30 to 35 pumps in before I stopped, which would be about 600 mL of water in the chamber.

The range with the new nozzle was pretty good. I got 15 strides until the end of the puddle, which would be about 45 feet. That's a great improvement, especially without Colossus.

Having a pipe as long as I had isn't necessary. I'd cut the pipe off two or three inches after it leaves the gun. I don't know how long of a pipe that would be for those who want to buy a shorter one. It would be about 7 inches from my guess though. I'll have to measure.

With an optimized nozzle and Colossus, some more range might be possible as well. The only other thing I think this style water gun needs is more water capacity, but Aqua Flash said he'll work on that. The Flash Flood would be an ideal candidate to upgrade the capacity.

Jim likes SS's
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by Jim likes SS's » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:56 am

looks good!

@Ben: How would you go about increasing the Flash Floods capacity? I'm going to buy an Aquapack (£3.40 off amazon) but was wondering if it would be a more fun and exiting experience to mod it myself.

Jim
Armoury:

Flash Flood [everyone's got to start somewhere :)]

Soon to include:

Arctic Blast
Sneak Attack
Aquapack

SSCBen
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by SSCBen » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:27 pm

The main advantage to using a homemade backpack is the added capacity over everything else. The AquaPack's Hasbro sells are pretty small, but they might be adequate for you, so I would suggest going for one of them if you don't need over 64 ounces extra (I think that's how much they add, but I'm not completely sure).

I wrote a guide to a backpack modification via solar shower bags: http://www.sscentral.org/mods/backpack.html

Previously people recommended these to me and I thought I'd try them eventually. A solar shower costs less than $5 (£2.5) and is modified with about $3 more worth of parts, less if you get a solar shower that has a long hose.

The main problem with backpack modifications is how to attach them to the water gun. You can drill a hole the side of the outer diameter of the tubing in the water reservoir, stick the tube in there and epoxy it on. You also could buy the AquaPack just for the part that connects to the cap and then making your own larger backpack. You might want to consider that, but it could cost more than you want. Some people have used rubber stoppers to replace the old caps. Here's a photo that shows a gun with a rubber stopper replacing the cap: http://artillery.snake.de/before_the_battle.jpg

Another potential option is reservoir expansion. Aqua Flash considered modifying his Flash Flood to have a larger water reservoir by cutting off the end of the reservoir and then gluing a pipe on there. I don't know if he did that modification or not, but that's another possibility.

I've also made backpacks from bottles and trash bags before that worked good too. For a while I considered making one from PVC drain pipe as well, but you might not be able to find PVC drain pipe in the UK. There are a ton of options, so don't feel limited to what my guide says. Below are a bunch of links you could check out for ideas.

http://forums.sscentral.org/t3538/
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/St ... /mods.html
http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/la ... pack.shtml
http://www.angelfire.com/sports/gng/ppb.htm
http://forums.sscentral.org/t632/

Jim likes SS's
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by Jim likes SS's » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:48 pm

after thinking about it, me and a friend are going to buy two Arctic Blasts from Argos and get a free aquapack, and i'm gonna get another Flash Flood. I'm def. going to do this mod, because after researching the AB and reading a bucket load of reviews, it seems it lacks a bit of power. I may increase the reservoir size on the flash flood by somehow combining it with the reservoir from my old one. I'll post pictures etc of anything i do on here and SSCentral.

jim
Armoury:

Flash Flood [everyone's got to start somewhere :)]

Soon to include:

Arctic Blast
Sneak Attack
Aquapack

Jim likes SS's
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by Jim likes SS's » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:14 pm

What is the diameter of the PVC pipe you used? When I get my hands on one of these I will be doing that mod. Thanks

-Jim
Armoury:

Flash Flood [everyone's got to start somewhere :)]

Soon to include:

Arctic Blast
Sneak Attack
Aquapack

SSCBen
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by SSCBen » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:16 pm

PVC pipe is hard to find in the 2.5 inch diameter size, so I went for some 2.5 inch diameter PETG pipe on McMaster-Carr. PETG also has the benefits of being clear and lighter.

There's a full guide to this modification here too: http://www.sscentral.org/mods/pc_expansion.html

Jim likes SS's
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by Jim likes SS's » Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:17 am

okay thanks a lot. I'll ask at my school if they can get me some, seems the easiest way to do it. How far does it go into the soaker, and how much sticks out the end??

-Jim
Armoury:

Flash Flood [everyone's got to start somewhere :)]

Soon to include:

Arctic Blast
Sneak Attack
Aquapack

SSCBen
Posts: 1616
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by SSCBen » Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:16 am

I don't have it in front of me to measure, but judging by the pictures in my guide it goes in about 5 inches and sticks out about 7. Look at the guide if you have questions like that. ;)

Jim likes SS's
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by Jim likes SS's » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:24 pm

okay thanks, i'll read right through it later, I've only briefly browsed through it so far ;)

jim
Armoury:

Flash Flood [everyone's got to start somewhere :)]

Soon to include:

Arctic Blast
Sneak Attack
Aquapack

The Legacy
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by The Legacy » Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:33 pm

You know, Arctic Shock's PC could in theory be used for a CPS pressure chamber replacement, in the case that the bladder fails.

Just an observation. Nice mod. :)

SSCBen
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Re: Arctic Blast modifications

Post by SSCBen » Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:43 pm

That's true, but the Arctic Blast's PC is a little weak. You can buy the right latex tubing for replacement if needed. Check out this guide if you haven't seen it: http://www.sscentral.org/repairs/broken ... adder.html

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