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07-30-2003, 02:31 PM
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#48 (permalink) |
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Crazy
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An illegal's a sick bird, but don't get caught with him, either.
Try newspaper or Bounty for wadding, then pecans, ballbearings, marbles, whatever. My goal is a flaming meteor. Maybe a Nerf ball with a little alcohol on it. And no, I haven't tried it, so don't kll yourself. P.S. I have no doubts that the ballbearings would seriously maim or kill any living thing, so please use your head. The time I tried it, the 1/4" shot went about 200 yards onto the tin roof of a building, which is as far or further than 00 buckshot would travel. Last edited by soopadoopa; 07-30-2003 at 05:44 PM.. |
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08-04-2003, 04:53 PM
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#52 (permalink) |
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Insane
Location: Learning to Fly...
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I've been into the whole spud gun thing for a few years now... I started out with a very simple PVC gun like the one described in the first post... used a coleman lantern ignitor instead of the bbq thing though... i was a bit low on funds at the time. For fuel I use Right Guard in the aerosol can - contains butane, propane, and isobutane so it has a decent rate of combustion at the least...
The best fuel I've found so far (without use of oxygen gas as well) has been calcium carbide - it comes as little rocks which release acetylene gas when they come in contact with water... you can either put a couple rocks in the square impression in the endcap with some water and screw it on/wait/deal with mess later, or you can put a bunch into an old fire extinguisher (empty and with straw removed) with some water, let that react for a while, and turn it upside down and squirt out the water when it's done. If you do the fire extinguisher method, a small release of acetylene will do the job... it's really strong stuff. After the first PVC one I made a real monster out of ABS: 2.5-3 feet of 3" abs pipe, then a 3" to 1.5" threaded reducer, then a 1.5" to 3" threaded reducer and another section of 2.5-3 feet of 3" abs. The choke in the middle of the whole thing really increases the power... a 6" section of 3" pipe just wouldn't do anything :/ This gun also has a barbeque ignitor in the cap, though I might try the screw method some time soon. I also constructed a pvc pneumatic spud gun in a U shape with 4 feet of 2" pvc threaded into a 1" solenoid sprinkler valve and a 4 foot long 2" diameter pressure chamber... wedged between both chambers is a battery pack of three 9 volt batteries linked together to switch the solenoid - one thing to remember about solenoid valves is they can require a lot of volts to make them open properly, some as much as 18-24 volts. Both the ABS combustion gun and this PVC pneumatic shoot pretty comparatively, though there are drawbacks to both... the ABS one is sometimes sensitive to cold when using right guard, though with acetylene it will fire almost no matter what. The ABS gun also sounds like Hiroshima all over again, and the PVC pneumatic sounds a bit like the sound a goose being strangled by a 240 volt power cord would make. There is also the drawback of mobility when you have to use an air compressor, as the ABS one will go just about anywhere, especially while in the 3 foot long segments. Hope this helps... or is at least a testament to my insanity! woot! |
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08-27-2003, 02:12 AM
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#56 (permalink) |
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Tilted
Location: Midwest
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made several different versions as a kid (while back) so these things aren't new at all....however what is has been mentioned several times is law enforcements view of this and the publics tolerance. Used to be viewed as "teenagers being teenagers" or whatever, now it will get you fined if not worse
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08-27-2003, 11:51 PM
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#58 (permalink) | |
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Insane
Location: Learning to Fly...
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Quote:
It all really depends on what parts/dimensions you use when making the spud gun... Basically, when it comes to about standard size spud guns (ranging from 1" to 3" barrels or length from about 4' to 8') I find there to be about four classes: 1) Large combustion chamber directly connected/reduced to a smaller diameter barrel - These are about the cheapest to make, and have about the smallest range and projectile choice. They're a good type to try when it's your first time building one. 2) Large pressure chamber directly reduced to barrel size, using a manual ball valve and air pressure from bike pump or air compressor. These offer a bit more functionality and power while sacrificing mobility...with higher pressures the projectile(s) will shoot much farther, so it is usually best to have a compressor rather than a bike pump when using these. 3) Large combustion chamber with a choke - at the end of the combustion chamber, a choke reduces the diameter to 1-1.5" (usually) and then widens to a larger diameter pipe than the choke for the barrel. These guns are much more powerful than standard combustion guns, and when built properly they are usually more powerful than the ball valve pneumatics. Another plus is that you can fire larger projectiles, but they are a bit more expensive to build due to a bit more fittings. 4) Large pressure chamber using an electronic solenoid to release air into a barrel which can either be as small as the valve's fittings, or up to 3-4" - these along with the choked guns are about the most powerful.... pneumatics being a bit more expensive. They are also the most versatile - you can even load them with water to have a large portable splash. The downside is reduced mobility and cost... though they can use a bike pump, an air compressor is definately more desirable, and sometimes the solenoid valves and batteries to power them can get fairly expensive. There are probably a bit more designs than this... these are the ones I've personally dealt with, though. |
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10-31-2003, 09:27 PM
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#59 (permalink) |
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Psycho
Location: Tampa
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How do I Make the Best Potato Gun?
I was thinking this weekend to try and make a potato gun using some pvc pipe and a charcoal grill ignitor but im not sure what diameter/length I should get for the pipe. Also does anyone have any innovative ideas for easily charging it (adding gas)?
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11-02-2003, 12:21 PM
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#61 (permalink) | |
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Psycho
Location: Tampa
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Quote:
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11-15-2003, 11:15 AM
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#66 (permalink) |
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Psycho
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For those who have built a pneumatic one what did you guys use for a valve? I just used a simple lever but I really doubt the cannon is releasing as much pressure as it can in that instant.
Yeah I like to call it my cannon for some reason... Nice to walk up to someone and tell them you have a homemade cannon.  |
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11-18-2003, 11:32 PM
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#69 (permalink) |
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I'll be on the veranda, since you're on the cross.
Location: Rand McNally's friendliest small town in America. They must have strayed from the dodgy parts...
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As far as pneumatics go, I've used a solenoid sprinkler valve, and I've also used a ball valve. For me, both worked equally well.
My ball valve was made of plastic, and had a fairly large handle on it. a quick flip of the wrist worked very well for me. The soleniod valve was picked up at my local hardware store, cost about $15, and also worked very well. As a matter of personal taste, I preferred the ball valve to the sprinkler valve because it's smaller and less obtrusive. No worrying about wiring or figuring out where to put the battery/batteries. propoganda, if you run a search for "sprinkler valve" or "anti-siphon sprinkler valve" on homedepot.com you should find what you're looking for. hope this helps. good luck!
__________________
I've got the love of my life and a job that I enjoy most of the time. Life is good. Last edited by monkeysugar; 11-18-2003 at 11:42 PM.. |
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11-21-2004, 06:49 AM
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#71 (permalink) | |
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Upright
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ginger on fire
Quote:
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11-28-2004, 08:55 PM
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#72 (permalink) |
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Upright
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I built a spud gun a while back. used a Sch. 80 chamber and a spark plug with remote ignition for saftey. Gassed it up with an oxy/acytelene mix from some welding tanks. That thing could fire a potato. After a while I got bored and built myself a flamethrower.
I've got some pics somewhere if anyone wants. |
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12-17-2004, 11:21 AM
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#73 (permalink) |
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Tilted
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i have a 4.5 ft barrel and 1 foot chamber using hair spray and grill sparker to light the thing, i built it when i worked at a golf course, it would shoot around 300 yards. lots of fun i have seen the compressed air guns on tv for pumpkin chuckin but never knew you could make them as small as a normal spud gun
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12-17-2004, 02:24 PM
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#74 (permalink) | |
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salmon?
Location: Outside Providence
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Quote:
__________________
"Lick my frozen metal ass!" |
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12-23-2004, 06:45 PM
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#76 (permalink) |
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Tilted
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i think that some propellants are corrosive to plastic pipe...maybe i'm wrong, but i think white gas and propane might weaken the pipe. If i'm wrong feel free to tell me...I can't remember where i heard that. I mean gas in your car goes through plastic, maybe it's the heat thing...eh, i don't know.
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01-04-2005, 10:47 AM
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#78 (permalink) |
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Upright
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me and my buddies came up with this design... (only a true Iowan can build a good spudgun, we know how to use our newly harvested fields well
 gun design: 3" pvc; 4 feet 5" pvc; 1.5 feet one of those 3" to 5" cone connector things glue and tape to seal it all off real nicelike, and file off the tip of the gun, so when you put a spud in there it cuts off excess making a nice fit fueling system This part is where we became engineers for a day we used one of those cup holders you can buy seperate to put on say a bike or something, to hold on to our can of hairspray. this was attached to a long rectangular plate, which was part of the sliding mechanism we came up with. i can really only describe it in a picture... http://s93558501.onlinehome.us/pictures/spud.jpg see, you slide the hairspray, held in the cupholder, to the left, and the 2 holes meet up, opening up the inner cavity of the chamber anyway, load the potatoe, about 2 inches in, spray the hairspray, THEN pamp the potatoe allmost into the fuel chamber, this compresses the hairspray, AND adds the oxygen stored in the barrel of the beast, pop the trigger and bang. right into the shootin' car. |
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08-18-2006, 01:56 PM
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#79 (permalink) |
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Upright
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spuds are us
was just wondering if anybody else has attached their fuel cans (right guard)
direcly to their burn chambers as stevemcfloyd has done. I've built many from using a wd40 straw into chamber to having a right guard actuator installed into the chamber. would like to hear from those who have attached theirs as well |
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| guns, spud |
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