How to Make the Umbrella Gun From Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Background:

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? is a play that is based around exploring the complex relationships between two married couples. The play centers around an older middle-age couple, Martha and George, who invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, to their house for drinks following a university faculty party. Soon after the young couple arrives, George and Martha begin showcasing their tempestuous relationship to Nick and Honey via crude jokes and verbally abusive conversation. Eventually, after Martha tells a humiliating story about George, George exits and reemerges with a rifle. He points the rifle towards Martha’s head and pulls the trigger, however instead of a bullet, parasol (a umbrella) emerges from the barrel as it is a trick rifle used to scare Martha, Nick, and Honey.

Project Overview:

For this project, the umbrella's release mechanism will be 3D printed using a pre-made 3D file. The print will include the receiver for the rifle and components to assemble a mechanism piece that will be housed in the receiver that triggers the umbrella's release.

The mechanism piece will feature a slot for a rod to be inserted. The umbrella will slide onto this rod and the rod will be used as a way for the umbrella to move back and forth inside the barrel (PVC pipe). The base of the umbrella will be modified to fit the rod inside of it, allowing for it to move on the rod, and a stopper will be placed on the end of the umbrella.

A spring will be placed at the back end of the rod, behind the umbrella, and the compression of the spring will be used to propel it forward once a lever holding the stopper on the end of the umbrella is activated. The lever will be controlled by the mechanism inside the receiver. When the trigger is pulled, the mechanism will tip the lever, releasing the stopper and propelling the umbrella forward.

The 3D-printed receiver will have a slot for a 2” PVC pipe to be inserted, which will act as the barrel. It will also provide spaces for the stock and forestock, both of which will be made of wood using a printed pattern, to be attached and screwed into the receiver.

General Build Overview:

Build Time - 14 hours including dry and printing time

Budget - $100 for all materials total

Skill Level - Beginner to Intermediate (requires some carpentry experience)

Material List

1. ³⁄₁₆” Bolts - 1” (2)
2. ³⁄₁₆” Bolts - ½” (2)
3. ³⁄₁₆” Nuts - 1” (2)
4. ³⁄₁₆” Nuts - ½” (2)
5. ³⁄₁₆” Solid Steel Rod (4’-0”)
6. ½” Self-Drilling Screws - #8 (7)
7. 1” Screws - Wood or Drywall (6)
8. 2” PVC (3’-0”)
9. 2 x 6 Wood (8ft)
10. Compressed Springs - 10mm x 305mm (3)
11. Chrome Spray Paint - Combination Paint and Primer (1 can)
12. J-B WELD Plastic Bonder Brown Epoxy Adhesive (1 tube)
13. Ext. Spring - ⁵⁄₁₆” x 1 ⅛” (1)
14. Wood Glue
15. PLA 3-D Print Filament (209 grams)

*Optional Materials:

1. Acetone
2. Thread Locker
3. Wood Stain

Tool List

1. 3-D Printer (if you don’t have a personal, a local public library will most likely have one)
2. Aviator Snips (or rotary tool)
3. Compound Miter Saw (or Ratcheting PVC Pipe Cutter)
4. Drill
5. ¼” Bit
6. Jig Saw
7. Bi-Metal Jig Saw Blade
8. Printer
9. Orbital Sander

*Optional Tools:

1. A Ratcheting PVC Pipe Cutter
2. Rotary Tool with a cut off disk

Sourcing Umbrella: When sourcing an umbrella, there are several things to look for. First, look for one with a plastic hook and one that has the closing mechanism at the bottom of its shaft, not a push button on the handle. The umbrella should also be auto-opening but not collapsing.

Umbrellas with hooks typically have a hollow shaft, making it easier to modify the umbrella to fit onto a rod. An umbrella with a button on its handle, makes it much harder to remove the bottom and the closing mechanism. Additionally, an auto-opening umbrella is required as, once the closing mechanism is removed, it naturally remains open. This means it will only stay closed when inside the "barrel" and will open once it pops out. Furthermore, we want an umbrella that doesn't collapse, as this would make it harder to make it come out from the barrel.

1. Start by printing the 3-D files for the receiver and trigger mechanism.
2. These should be two separate files, with a total estimated print time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. One file will take approximately 3 hours, and the other around 2 hours and 30 minutes.
3. If you take the STL and place it in your own 3-D printer setup software, make sure to adjust the support settings so that the supports are only placed on the build plate. This will support the foundation of the printed elements while preventing supports from being placed in holes that will later be used as connection points or slots. If you download the G-Code, this should not be a problem.
4. Once the files are printed, you may need to take a piece of pliers to help remove the supports.
5. Once the files are printed, begin assembling the mechanism piece.
6. These pieces should include a trigger, a lever, and a flat wall piece with two holes.
7. Attach the lever and trigger to the right side of the wall using one inch ³⁄₁₆" bolts..
8. Insert the trigger into the first hole and the lever into the second hole.
9. The extension of the trigger should be positioned under the cutout in the bottom of the wall, while the lever should extend beyond the wall, with its end positioned directly in front of the wall.
10. Secure the screws with nuts.
11. Do not fully tighten the nuts to the screws as we still want the lever and trigger to move freely.
12. Once secure, you can use thread lock to secure the nuts in place on the screws.
13. This step is optional but if using the prop for an extended period of time this step is highly recommended.
14. Attach a small extension spring to the top of the lever.
15. Hook one of the holes at the end of the spring onto the extruding circle hook on the top of the lever.
16. Attach the other hole at the end of the small extension spring to the extruding circle hook on the wall.
17. Once the mechanism wall is assembled, cut your ³⁄₁₆” rod to the length of your altered umbrella + 11 ½”.
18. Twist the ³⁄₁₆” rod into the hole at top of it
19. The rod is slightly too big to fit into the hole without twisting — this was intentional to help secure the rod in place.
20. Continue twisting the rod until 3 inches of it are inserted into the top of the mechanism wall.

1. Once the receiver is assembled, take your umbrella and cut off the end of it, right where the bottom release mechanism is.
2. You can either use aviators snips or a rotary tool with a cut off disk for this
3. Now that the bottom of the umbrella is cut off, you should be able to easily remove the release mechanism on the bottom.
4. With the release mechanism gone, you should be able to fit the rod inside the umbrella.
5. Now that the alterations are done on the umbrella, take the stopper that was printed with the rest of your 3-D prints and use the J-B Weld Plastic Bonder Epoxy to attach it onto the end of the umbrella.
6. The stopper is the circle piece with the hole in the center of it.

1. Now that the rest of the rifle has been assembled, it’s time to prepare and attach the barrel (PVC pipe).
2. Take your 2” PVC pipe and cut to the length of your umbrella + 8 ½”.
3. You can either use a miter saw or Ratcheting PVC Pipe Cutter to cut the PVC.
4. Take one of the ends of your PVC pipe and sand until it can slide into the pipe holder.
5. You are just wanting to sand the end for now, do not insert into the pipe holder just yet.
6. Do not sand enough that the PVC pipe is loose in the pipe holder, just enough that it can be inserted into the pipe holder.
7. Use your forestock and receiver to figure out where the lever extension will lie on the PVC pipe.
8. Cut a hole in the PVC pipe large enough to allow the lever extension to move in and out of the PVC freely.
9. You can either use a drill and jigsaw to make this hole, or if you have access to a rotary tool, you can use a rotary tool with a cut-off bit.
10. At the opposite end of your PVC, drill two small holes on opposite sides of each other to fit your half inch ³⁄₁₆" bolts.
11. These bolts will be used to prevent the stopper from exiting the barrel.
12. Lightly sand the entirety of your PVC pipe.
13. This sanding is to help the paint stick to the PVC better.
14. Spray paint PVC pipe.
15. PVC pipe is notoriously hard to paint, the sanding should help but if you want to take extra measures you can also apply acetone or nail polish to the PVC pipe prior to painting.
16. Place J-B Weld plastic bonder epoxy on the sanded PVC pipe end and insert it into the pipe holder.
17. Insert PVC pipe to pipe holder prior to assembling pipe holder to receiver.

1. Print the patterns for the stock pieces on 8.5” x 11” printer paper.
2. There should be two patterns. One for the stock and one for the forestock.
3. Cut out the outlines of the patterns.
4. Both patterns have multiple pages. Take the corresponding pieces of the patterns on these sheets of paper and tape them together.
5. Take the stock pattern and cut two pieces of 2 x 6 to the length of the pattern.
6. Glue the facing of both pieces together.
7. Once the glue dries, take the stock pattern and outline on the wood piece.
8. Once the piece is cut, use an orbital sander to round out the edges so the piece is rounded with no sharp edges.
9. Exclude the square extension on the front of the stock as this will be our connecting piece to the receiver.
10. Take a jig saw and cut out the outline.
11. Now that you have the stock, take the remainder of the 2x6 and cut it to match the length of the forestock pattern.
12. Once it’s cut to length, trim the width down to 2.5”.
13. Next, place the forestock pattern on the wood and trace the areas that need to be removed.
14. After marking the cut-out areas, use a jigsaw to cut them out.
15. Then, use an orbital sander to round and smooth the edges of the forestock.
16. I recommend cutting a small piece of scrap wood to fit into the cut-out section while sanding, this will help temporarily reinforce the area and prevent it from breaking.
17. Now that both the stock and forestock are built, you can stain or paint them in the color of your choice.
18. This step is optional, however it will go along away in making the prop look more realistic.
19. Once dry, insert the extension pieces of the stock and forestock into the receiver and use the holes in the receiver to screw them into place using drywall or wood screws.

1. By now, the receiver, barrel (PVC pipe), stock, and forestock should all be attached.
2. Take the umbrella and slide it onto the rod, inside the barrel.
3. Take your two bolts and place them in their respective holes at the end of the barrel and secure them with nuts.
4. Push the umbrella back until it clicks behind the lever.
5. The next time you release the trigger, the umbrella should shoot out of the barrel!