TRON JOYSTICK HANDLES (Recasting) PART 1

[Fozzy The Bear]

Any updates on this recently?

Not really... I've just not had time to get to it. I'll try and explain why...  I've been out of the loop now for about four or five months. partly because we're only just coming to the end of tourist season and the arcade has been an absolute nightmare to keep running this year. On top of that I'm having major contract hassles with my employer, who is treating me absolutely appallingly.  That really has to take priority over anything else at all right now.

It's kind of kept me out of the forum for quite a while 

Fozzy - I was able to get the right urethane and make the restrictors for the Tron stick. I made a conversion doc here. I'm selling the restrictors if you know anyone that needs one. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=71229.0

Very cool indeed!! Nice work on those restrictors.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[facesmiths]

man you and brax sound a tiny bit like those tv commercial peeps for the home fix ups and stuff (hope this does not insult cause it is not meant to) like tim allen from home improvement but with out all the catastrophies heh heh.

to bad you guys have to have real jobs and such to get in the way cause a tv show version of this would be awesome

[shardian]

Way to drag up an old thread for no apparent good reason!

But since you didn't I will.

Fozzy, you took too long on this project. A guy has been selling repros on ebay recently based in the U.S.
Tron repro handle

Ebay user name:  specialtyplastics1

[ChadTower]

$60 shipped!  Great deal. 

[rbarr110]

Is this a dead project?  Been a long time since any updates.

So.... since it has been ABOUT 2 years from when I asked this question the first time, I figure an ample amount of time has passed to avoid the ridiculous amount of flaming for simply asking the question ......


Is this a dead project?  Been a long time since any updates.

        

[CheffoJeffo]

Can we lay off of Fozzy, please ?

Whoa ... deja vu ...

* CheffoJeffo checks the calendar and hoses his response down with the fire extinguisher

No more flames from me on this one.

 

[stan2323]

Way to drag up an old thread for no apparent good reason!

But since you didn't I will.

Fozzy, you took too long on this project. A guy has been selling repros on ebay recently based in the U.S.
Tron repro handle

Ebay user name:  specialtyplastics1

I got one.  They look great and are an exact match from what I could tell.

Stan

[rbarr110]

Can we lay off of Fozzy, please ?

Whoa ... deja vu ...

* CheffoJeffo checks the calendar and hoses his response down with the fire extinguisher

No more flames from me on this one.

 

back at you. 

[facesmiths]

sorry I found this after I already made another thread about getting a decent image of the internal form of the stick (lay half with flat side down on flatbed scanner and scan) so I could replicate it in a hard wood like coco bola or ebony. I am worming on a couple steam punk based cabs and would like some info to start from. eventually I will try to ge tot a star wars yoke made steam punk as well.

I just did not seem to find any reason to repost that info here then and they really do strike me as that sort. a youtube video of this process with them bantering would actually be as worth doing as anything else that has been done entertainment wise as well as being a bit educational on the casting process for those whom wish to know

[Fozzy The Bear]

GUYS!!!! PLEASE!!!

I never made you any promises that there was  ANY Time-scale on this..... I made it quite clear from the start that I wasn't making those sort of promises.

NO! It's not a dead project... It's a shelved project, until I actually have free time to do it.

Right now I'm in the middle of a huge Court battle with my former employer who at this point in time owes me something in excess of £7,000 GBP (the equivalent of at least $14,000 USD)  Not to mention significant additional compensation... This has been ongoing for a very significant amount of time and I'm under huge amounts of stress as a result of it.

So I really don't appreciate the negative comments!! OK!!   No promises were ever made to you!!! In fact quite the opposite.  So basically anybody who wants to whine about it can go stick it up their arse!!! 

Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[shardian]

Holy crap Fozzy. I had to look back and make sure we were reading the same thread. Take one of these and call me in the morning.

[Fozzy The Bear]

Holy crap Fozzy. I had to look back and make sure we were reading the same thread. Take one of these and call me in the morning.

Yeah! well I'm not chilled right now.... You try living under the cloud of struggling to survive for the last year and a half and having to go through the Courts just to get what's right and fair to you, from some total dirt bag, that's tried to abuse every legal employment right that exists and then has the absolute damned nerve to try and fight it to the last inch!!!! and still hasn't paid me what he owes.

It blights everything! Which is why I've not been on here a hell of a lot for the last few months.

Life's a ---smurfette--- right now... So don't be surprised when I bite peoples heads off, when they make stupid comments about a project that would dearly have loved to have finished long before now.

Excuse me while I just go outside for a second and beat the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of something with a large hammer......

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

 

[mountain]

Holy crap Fozzy. I had to look back and make sure we were reading the same thread. Take one of these and call me in the morning.

Excuse me while I just go outside for a second and beat the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of something with a large hammer......

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

 

Best of luck with all of that. Hopefully when the dust clears it will have been worth the fight.

[HoopstarsGarage]

..and you guys wonder why individuals are reluctant to take on such projects!!

I am ---smurfing--- appauled at certain individuals.

Fozzy - I wish you the best of luck with your battles and hope your personal life works out for you - something that is FAR more important than some stupid arcade hobby..


Hoops

[shardian]

Well I sure hope that you get what is rightfully yours. Good luck.

[moloch]

I am not trying to hijack this thread I just have a quick question.

I have a Satan's Hollow trigger which I know is basically the same as Tron.
Can you use that to make a mold and then just color it?
Would anyone know or be able to tell the difference?

[SavannahLion]

I am not trying to hijack this thread I just have a quick question.

I have a Satan's Hollow trigger which I know is basically the same as Tron.
Can you use that to make a mold and then just color it?
Would anyone know or be able to tell the difference?

The same thought occured to me as well. I have a Gorf stick and Happs sells a "replacement" stick which, for most intents, seems to be a drop in replacement.

Just looking at the pictures of the plastic handle itself, it looks like something like that is possible. I'll let you know once I find a Tron and/or SH stick to do a direct mold comparison. 

[ChadTower]

Are you thinking of starting a project to make some?  I have a NOS Satan's Hollow stick I could be persuaded to lend out if it were a viable project.

[SavannahLion]

Are you thinking of starting a project to make some?  I have a NOS Satan's Hollow stick I could be persuaded to lend out if it were a viable project.

I'd like to, it would be an interesting project to do. Except I have serious doubts I could do it any cheaper than what that guy is selling them for on eBay.

Until someone can make new or locate the original metal injection molds for this stick and set up a small run plastic injection business, this is a situation we're always going be in. 

[Fozzy The Bear]

Are you thinking of starting a project to make some?  I have a NOS Satan's Hollow stick I could be persuaded to lend out if it were a viable project.

I'd like to, it would be an interesting project to do. Except I have serious doubts I could do it any cheaper than what that guy is selling them for on eBay.

Until someone can make new or locate the original metal injection molds for this stick and set up a small run plastic injection business, this is a situation we're always going be in. 

The answer to your questions are that the Satan's Hollow and Tron sticks are more or less 100% identical... The trigger on the happ stick is also the same but they have made internal mods to the stick design to take modern switches. Externally they are the same stick.  The answer here is that Happ own the original molds that were used. So there is not a cat in hells chance of ever getting access to them.

It would require new tooling to injection mold sticks at a cost exceeding about $3000 USD for the mold alone. So the cost is not justifiable in the sales to recover it. But if you could find a market for 3000 sticks, then the price would come down.

The resins involved in making these as a one off item are where the cost comes in, and the equipment. You can't just pour these resins. They have to be de-gassed under vacuum while in the mold and take over 24 Hours to cure. so you can only mold one a day in the mold! slow and expensive.

The other problem is that until they cure these particular resins are extremely toxic. Skin contact for any period can cause illness and even death. Once they cure they become inert.

These are the problems that I was kind of hit with while working on it. There is a solution but it wouldn't produce them for much less than those on e-bay. They are just, well, expensive to make and until I get the rest of my time sorted out I don't have time to further develop a solution.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[facesmiths]

@Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
I to hope all goes better than it has already for you and know exactly what you are going though. thank god you are not dealing with a mending broken lower leg at the same time keeping you from doing what you normally do for a living. (CNC operator/programmer) I have a  small home mill that can work on stuffs even like mild steel and up to 2 inch cut depth on the end mills them selves (total from tool tip to bed is 6 inches so stock that thick can be used) and building a small injection mold unit has been a dream of mine for some time. Who knows. and yes I know how it is with people being impatient especially on things they have wanted a loooong time but have not been able to locate, at least at an affordable level for their budget. so I see both sides on this one.
you being on the other side of the pond I don't know what legal recourse you have but I have seen people whom lost a lawsuit take for ever and even say they were not possibly going to pay up once they knew the judgment did not decree that they had a time limit or set stipulations on what sort of compensation the winner got based on time it took to pay the courts decision. the good news is if you know how to you can file an injunction here on the looser if they take more than 6 months and seize all of their assets. in the case of a company where they stop making money the second the sheriff shows with the paper work and kicks everyone out locking up the companies doors, they tend to change their mind and open up those bank accounts fast! I hope you have some similar recourse available to you there.

*edit*

oh yeah fozzy is there any chance you could scan out one of those sides? pretty please?

basicly the best way for me is to lay it (the side used as I only need one side since the other usually is a mirror and I can figure out any differnces my self) inside down on say a flatbed scanner and scan at a decent resolution (high res is not nessacary as I am just going to use it as a guide to trace it in coreldraw and print it out to trace it by hand on the wood then I can make two one as a mirror and do the same on the other piece of wood. the out side I am going to wing it with what info I have already as I am planning on embedding brass on the sides and the top and maybe even a ring of brass at the base around the widest point all to make it very steampunk. (the brass inlay may get dumped if I can find some scrap marble to carve up with a dremel and Tungsten bit and just use a brass washer in it to spread impact for the brass bolt/nut assembly to hold it together. and finally tagula nut (is something people use as a substitute for ivory) for the trigger and possibly a back button so it can be used for discs of tron as well )

[Fozzy The Bear]

oh yeah fozzy is there any chance you could scan out one of those sides? pretty please?

Thanks for the support.....   I'd love to help you out with the scan, but I borrowed a stick to make the molds from and that's long ago gone back to Canada.

The molds being a negative of the stick and being made of rubber are a bit difficult to scan.

A cheap alternative for your application would be to buy the black stick shells from the Happ trigger stick. They do sell the shells as a separate item.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Spyridon]

I have a NOS Satan's Hollow stick I could be persuaded to lend out

Can you be persuaded to sell it to me?   

I have a Satan's Hollow with a Tron joystick and I'm looking for a Satan's Hollow.

[ChadTower]

Can you be persuaded to sell it to me?   

I have a Satan's Hollow with a Tron joystick and I'm looking for a Satan's Hollow.

No, because I've been looking for a lonely Satan's Hollow like that for myself.  It will eventually end up on an original cab.  I just haven't come across any.