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The diagram above is all of the parts and what they were made of.
Construction of My E-11 Blaster
**Danger**
You can get hurt using tools so take the time to read the instructions and safety manual before doing something that can get you hurt! I recommend to always wear safety glasses, because without your sight you couldn't watch Star Wars movies or finish making your blaster!!!
The Body
Step 1 - Take the 15" X 1 1/4" PVC pipe and cut it into two pieces one 3" and the other 12". Take the 3/4" coupler and cut it in half ( I used my dremel)make sure to cut it a little off center so the center block is only on one side of the coupler. The blocked half goes onto the end of the 3/4" X 8" pvc pipe, the other half sits about 1/2" back from the tip of the other end. Use silicone or some other adhesive to attach these pieces together, then sand them down. Go ahead and paint this piece now because it will be hard to do when it's inside the barrel.
Step 2 - At this point I am going to leave how many holes you drill up to you, because I had many pieces go to waste during this process. I will try to explain how I got my holes straight. First measure around the outside of the tube, i think it was about 5 1/4". Draw out a box on a piece of paper that is 5 1/4" X 9 1/2". Then block it into even squares. This helps you get your holes perfectly straight. Mark off the holes on the paper it should look like this:
Step 3 - Wrap the paper around the pipe keeping it back from the edge about an inch. Make sure it is on the pipe straight or the holes will be off. Using a small drill bit, drill pilot holes in the pipe, making sure to wear protective eyewear during the drilling. After you have finished take the paper off then go on to the next step.
Step 4 - Use a 5/16" drill bit and carefully drill the pilot holes to the larger size, making sure not to drill into the other side or worse your hand. After completing this step take the time to clean each hole with an exacto knife or a dremel tool. It should look like this:
Step 5 - You can now put the inner barrel piece into the body, you will have to wrap some electrical tape around the couplers to give it a tight noise free fit. Screws will later secure it into the body. Attatch the 12" X 1 1/4" & 3" X 1 1/4" together with the 1 1/4" coupler but do not glue them because you might need to remove a piece later!
The Hand Grip
Step 1 - I used a 3' X 3/4" piece of hardwood for my hand grip. You could use others I guess, but to me hardwood paints better and doesnt dent easily. Draw up a diagram of the grip on the wood. I drew mine from a picture of the real prop blaster.
Step 2 - Using a scroll saw, cut out the hand grip. Be sure to wear safety goggles and keep hands clear of the blade. Use a sander or dremel tool to even out the edges and take care of any rough spots. Take some time to make the grip fit good in your hand (It is your blaster remember!!!).
Step 3 - Get a piece of styrene 1/8" thick and big enough to cover both sides of the grip. Draw your pattern on the grip ( Use the wood grip as a guide), and using a exacto knife cut it out. Take your time with the measurements you want a perfect fit! Attatch the styrene to the wood grips with screws, this keeps it from moving during the next step.
Step 4 - Using your sander or dremel, make the styrene become part of the grip. Round the edges and make it fit your hand. You must also make the grip fit the Body and to accomplish this take a scrap piece of 1 1/4" pvc and glue a strip of sandpaper to it. Work the top of the grip back and forth until it fits the body snugly. This is an important step if you don't do it now it will suck when you notch the top later.
Step 5 - The grip must be notched to fit the 1-1/4" coupler and the trigger guard, then drilled to allow for a screw to be inserted that will hold the trigger guard in place. Holes must also then be drilled to hold the grip to the body as show in the diagram below.
Step 6 - The trigger is made of 1/8" thick styrene cut out and glued to the grip. The trigger guard is made from a 3/4" wide strip of aluminum bent to shape and inserted then screwed on the top and glued into the grip on the bottom.
Step 7 - You can now assemble the two parts using large screws to hold the grip to the body. This is what you should have so far:
