Some Star Trek Prop History For Inquiring Minds:

Most of these Prop Makers and Technicians have passed-on.

Below are old-timer accounts of convention conversations before conventions were really a fad. (all 2nd hand stories)

The persons quoted worked for; the studio.

Mr. Bob Stone was Star Trek's machinist and made all the metal prop parts for all three seasons of the show. Parts were made to order for each episode as in those times (the 1960’s) as machining was done by hand and there was no advantage to making short runs (and no studio funding either). Each episode had a specific budget. Speaking of budgets, Bob relied on his Star Trek friend Robert Archer (VP of Budgeting for the show) in getting a little leeway on the $ so he could do the best possible job. According to Bob there was no magic drum of Phaser Nozzles and every job was a mad-dash to meet the filming deadlines.

Because parts were made only to order, parts varied quite a bit. These variations can be seen in all the surviving examples of TOS hand props from Phaser to Communicators and Tricorders. Sometimes it was not that a new design was needed but rather that when one Wings it from a sketch, in a hurry using what is on-hand, you get an unintended-new-version of something (in the 1960’s the TV audience never could see that).

Robert Archer and Bob Stone worked closely together so when the show was cancelled suddenly in season three, Robert Archer ended up with a nice collection of hand props.

Richard Heimer made the molds for hand props. He also did all the casting and forming. This included; Vacuum form bucks, Fiberglass molds and, urethane molds. Again, according to him most work is done in the normal Hollywood maddening rush. He shared with his convention friends that there were many molds made from molds when the production schedule demanded this. He also shared that when the show ended he rescued the molds from being discarded by putting them in his garage.

James Ruggs (b. 1919) was the director of special effects for the show. He handled and repaired many of the props on-set. When the show was cancelled in season three he rescued many hand props and even some models from the scrap heap. Dick Ruben, Prop & Art Assistant on the show, got his Set-Used Klingon disruptor from James. Mr. Ruggs held on to his rather large Star Trek collection for many years. It is widely known that Greg Jein got his Holy-Grail Hero Phaser from James.

In closing a nod to Mr. Ruck, a prop technician, who reported that he repaired some hand props hundreds of times as they were often damaged during filming. He had also shared that the fiberglass Mid-Grade’s, and some other props often used basswood strips between the seams to establish uniform dimensions. Watch some YouTube Star Trek TOS bloopers to see what he was talking when it comes to repairs and hand props flying apart.