Repairing an Assassin Phaser (2)

I acquired the first of two prototype "Shorty" or miniaturized versions of the ST:VI-inspired Assassin Phaser Rifle - or, in this case, a Carbine - on Monday, the 18th of November.  When I first got it, I noticed that the silver portion of the pistol "barrel" had been attached to the dark charcoal grey "prefire chamber" of the pistol assembly using what looked like one screw.  The muzzle brake or "silencer" of the prop was still extremely heavy, and I also noticed that it was beginning to droop a bit due to its weight, causing cracks and, eventually, some up-and-down "wiggling" of the silver portion.

I dealt with that "wiggling" issue by using Aleene Fabric Fusion fabric glue applied in small, viscous drops to the pointed tips of common household "round" toothpicks to form a "plug" in the gapped areas between the silver portion of the barrel and the charcoal grey areas of the prefire chamber.  As for the actual cracks in the wooden parts of that silver "barrel" near the screw itself, I secured those by using regular Krazy Glue with a bottle-brush applicator.  I then repainted the entire assembly in metallic silver and figured "that was that."

However, about 30-45 minutes ago, I was inspecting the prop, slipped, and accidentally thumped the muzzle brake on the top of a chair.  That caused this more serious mess to occur: although the multiple layers of glue and paint holding the silver barrel assembly to the prefire chamber did indeed hold without incident during the ruckus, the entire muzzle brake came off instead - as you can see in the photograph here.  While I tried to figure out how to reattach and re-adhere the sections together, my scientist's curiosity set in and I also decided to take a look at how the assembly was put together.  I even whipped out my camera and took a number of photos of the damaged prop before attempting repairs.

It appears that the tube forming the silver-painted "barrel" section of my prop was attached and secured to the prefire chamber on one side with a large screw, but also had a sort of bent nail on the top side.  This was popped into the muzzle brake assembly itself, which looked largely like it was made from one piece of wood with sticker-capped felt extensions added to it for additional texture.  The "tube" portion of the "barrel" tucked into a round "hole" in the "muzzle brake" and this looked like it had all been sealed with some kind of wood glue.  

I don't mean any offense to the Triple-Fiction Productions staff, but I have had breakage issues with three props I've gotten from them now; my TWOK Phaser Rifle had one handle come off after it took a tumble that was repaired using a powerful cobbler's glue called "Shoe Goo" while my ST:VI Assassin Phaser Rifle Prototype had experienced somewhat similar "cracking" and "sagging" at its own silver "barrel" portion (which isn't secured using a screw the way it is on the "Shorty" Carbine), and that was fixed surprisingly well with regular Krazy Glue.

Therefore, the best explanation I've got for this situation is that while the design and construction of the rifle prop itself is sound, the wood glue - or whatever the adhesive that's being used - may not quite be strong enough for the job.  Thankfully, I wasn't too concerned because, having re-glued and repaired two TFP-made rifle props in just the last couple of months, I knew exactly what to do with this one.  I brought out both the Aleene Fabric Fusion, which is viscous, but easy to work with because it dries slowly (the stuff dries to waterproof status in 48 hours) as well as the even more powerful (but much messier, far more viscous and all but downright uncontrollable) Shoe Goo and used both "Super Glues" to coat the inside of the muzzle brake's hole before jamming it back onto the barrel assembly.  I'll just let that sit for 24-48 hours and that whole thing should never come off again.

This second photo shows an alternative full-on angle view of the broken prop before I brought out my "super glues" and attempted repair and reattachment.