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02/22/2007 12:04:56 AM · #1 |
| just for kicks i wanna make a mini-spud gun this weekend, anyone ever tried making one? How well does it work? Pics? warnings? |
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02/22/2007 12:38:10 AM · #2 |
Made one a long time ago, launched a potato 100 yards on a good shot, give or take a little. It's a really satisfying thing to shoot potatoes like that, just don't go shooting them at your friends ;)
Use a small enough piece for the barrel that you don't have to worry about getting mondo-sized potatoes. For the igniter we used a screw-on cap on the back of the thing with one of those long kitchen lighters stuck through a hole and glued in place. It gives you a nice trigger looking thing too.
It's not really too hard to do. I think the only problem we had with ours was the screw on back getting stuck so maybe grease it up a little. Use some PVC glue on any pieces you don't want blowing apart on accident. |
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02/22/2007 12:51:44 AM · #3 |
I made a monstrous one when I was in college. It was about 6 ft long and would shoot a whole large apple a few hundred yards.
Be warned, they are illegal in many (all?) areas. In some places there's no legal distinction between a spud-fun and an actual firearm. Here's my advice if you decide to proceed.
* It's louder than you think.
* The flame when you shoot it at night is impressive, but also attracts attention.
* WD-40 makes good propellant
* Use some kind of wadding behind your projectile. (Do not use paper towel, it catches on fire in a bad way.)
* Don't shoot the head off of the plywood Santa that's sitting on top of the sorority house 1/4 mi away. (There's a whole host of bad consequences that I won't go into, just don't do it. My college friends could be idiots at times)
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02/22/2007 12:55:31 AM · #4 |
i might make a super-mini one, for shooting like tatertots or grapes, What would happen if i got a small barrel the size of (like i said) a tatertot or grape and then had a larger combustion chamber like 2" or 3"?? Would it make it go really far, or would it just be a waste of combustion? Im not good at the science behind this lol.
edit: i was also considering making a Phneumatic(sp) one, it might be a little "safer" than the one that explodes lol. Some guy has one with 2 15" chambers that can fire a 1inch wide, 7in long steel rod through a 1 1'2in slab of concrete lol, little overkill but hella cool
Message edited by author 2007-02-22 00:58:11. |
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02/22/2007 01:03:25 AM · #5 |
I'd taper the larger chamber down to the barrel size for efficiency of propellant transfer.
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02/22/2007 01:06:13 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by Delta_6:
I'd taper the larger chamber down to the barrel size for efficiency of propellant transfer. |
ah good idea. |
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02/22/2007 01:51:56 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
* WD-40 makes good propellant
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Not so much, anymore. They've added fire retardants to the mix.
Cheap hairspray (usually the cheaper the better) makes for good propellant though. I think Aquanet is probably one of the better ones. :-)
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02/22/2007 02:02:40 AM · #8 |
Here you go, enjoy
Mini Spud Gun |
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02/22/2007 05:06:46 AM · #9 |
When we were kids we used to make them and have wars with the neighbor kids. I can't believe my mother let us do it, I would have never let my kids use one!
We would take about 5 or 6 (I think) pop cans and cut the tops and bottoms out leaving the bottom on one of them. The one with the bottom left on was the end piece. Then duct tape them all together. You would then make a small hole, smaller then a dime in your bottom can. We would then squirt a little lighter fluid in the end and kinda swirl it around. Then stuff a tennis ball in the open end, lay the gun on the ground with the open end (tennis ball end) propped up a bit. Once you have it aimed, stick a match in the little hole you made. I can't believe how far the tennis ball would shoot and like I said, I can't believe my mother who is the biggest worrier I know, would let us do it. |
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02/22/2007 06:23:43 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Foolish Ice:
Here you go, enjoy
Mini Spud Gun |
haha thats too cool! Im making one right now lol, mini one and a big one muahaha
Message edited by author 2007-02-22 18:23:59. |
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02/22/2007 07:27:33 PM · #11 |
| You'll shoot your eye out! |
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02/22/2007 07:42:31 PM · #12 |
When I was a kid (many moons ago LOL) we used to buy spud guns that did the same thing as this does, but it was shaped like a small gun, you poked the end into a potato and it took a chunk out and you shot it. Also remember those cap guns. Gee this has brought back memories.
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02/22/2007 07:57:57 PM · #13 |
We had one of those that shot full sized potatoes back in college. Boy, those were fun times. Shooting it straight up into the air and scattering hoping none of us got nailed in the head. :)
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02/22/2007 08:11:24 PM · #14 |
| Please take some photos of yourself, so that you can do a before and after series with and without eyebrows;) |
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02/22/2007 09:18:56 PM · #15 |
 - Like this? :D |
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02/22/2007 10:44:07 PM · #16 |
here...may I offer a safer alternative?
My mom and dad have hand made these for my nephews out of pvc piping and I'm not sure what else. I hear they are even more fun when you let the ammo dry out a little lol.
Enjoy and don't shoot your eye out. |
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02/22/2007 10:59:55 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
- Like this? :D |
Wouldn't the combination of hairspray and baby powder cause some really serious fouling in the chamber and barrel? |
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02/22/2007 11:15:14 PM · #18 |
I think these are even neater...
Rubber Band Machine Gun
And here is a video of another one in action:
Lego Rubber Machine Gun
Mike
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02/22/2007 11:17:58 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by TechnoShroom:
Originally posted by glad2badad:
- Like this? :D |
Wouldn't the combination of hairspray and baby powder cause some really serious fouling in the chamber and barrel? |
The baby powder went in after the projectile, which fits snugly. The hairspray goes in the bottom combustion area, under the projectile, and the hole between the combustion and barrel areas is quite small.
Long story short...hadn't noticed any side effects, but then again, we only did the baby powder a couple of times. :D |
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02/22/2007 11:18:56 PM · #20 |
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02/23/2007 01:35:03 AM · #21 |
Check out this bad boy on Youtube. I gotta make one.
I've never built one, but my buddies and I used to have a giant slingshot made from 1/2" rubber surgical tubing where two guys would hold each end of the looped tube and another would grab the middle with a pouch in it, walk back about 10 feet, put an orange in and launch it about 2 blocks. Those were the good old days. |
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02/23/2007 02:22:45 AM · #22 |
Google "Melon Musket" in quotes.
Melon Musket on BBQTV, Jan 1st 07
I recommend using air, as it is a lot easier to control. A ball valve will work fine. The biggest drawback is that you also need a compressor, or a compressed gas supply, as the ones used for paintball guns.
If you are wanting to make a small one, just get a paintball gun and make it longer, and reduce the pressure. Or make an add on muzzle loading barrell, to shoot whatever sized projectiles you want, up to about lemon sized.
Message edited by author 2007-02-23 23:06:48.
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02/23/2007 02:43:24 AM · #23 |
Its handy to use the igniter off a gas BBQ as your starter
You can set them in place firmly and avoid risk of any blow-back
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02/23/2007 11:05:11 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by Stiger:
We had one of those that shot full sized potatoes back in college. Boy, those were fun times. Shooting it straight up into the air and scattering hoping none of us got nailed in the head. :) |
We used to do that with watermelons. We called it "Redneck Roulette." "Hey! I Got It! " (Splat!)
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02/23/2007 11:09:03 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by rayz1:
Its handy to use the igniter off a gas BBQ as your starter
You can set them in place firmly and avoid risk of any blow-back |
ya im gunna pick one of those up tomorrow, i made a mini one like in that video but it didn't work, i think cuz i made teh case out of a metal tube i found. The spark seemed to just go into the whole case rather than jumping from nail to nail. Gunna try it with pvc tomorrow. Making a semi-small one, just big enough to fire something like a marble or grape. |
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