I'm wandering if im the only one who's intereasted in making a potato launcher...

As a disclaimer, id like to mention that this wont be fired in the neiborhood, this will be fired at my friends 40+acre farm. I'll wear safety glasses, and use good common sence... bla bla bla, that sorta stuff



I'm in the process of building one... Estimated cost is around $30

I'm using a 3 foot long 2" sch40 pvc pipe for the barral, and a 1.5 foot long 3" sch 40 pvc pipe for the expancion chamber... The end is threaded female, with a male companion (so i can add the fuel). Theres also a 2"-3" adaptor in there. Ill be using purple primer, and glue to join them together...

Anybody see a problem? the sch 40 has a working pressure of 330 psi at 73 degrees. The ignighter is a $10 coleman quickspark...

I've got a few questions...
How far apart should I put the screws, for the ignitor?
Did I get the right sizes for the barral and expantion tube right?

Whats a good propelant? I'll try with a small shot of hair spray, but ive got some carb cleaner, but im kinda scared of it (so ill try small amounts first).

DO you think that I'll melt the threads??? That would be a bummer...




Tks alot, I hope the moderator realizes that theese arent illegal, as theyre not fire arms. They dont use black powder, or any other high explosives. Legal in 49 states (except CA, because the glue causes cancer, apparently)
~Nate

 

why dont you try compressed air?

 

No air compresser, and its more expensive

~Nate

 

should work fine sounds like the one I made.

 

Me and a buddy built one the same way, cept the barrel was 4 or 5 feet. We used a BBQ ignitor switch, about 5-6 inches from the adaptor in the expansion barrel. We used hairspray and it worked awesome. Took a 3 second shot af hairspray then quickly screwed the male plate on. Not sure if you thought of it, but we used a broom handle to push the potatoe down the barrel, so it was about 4 inches from adaptor.

If used at night (preferably towards an open field or trees, a nice flame can be seen coming out of the end.

Have fun with man, they are a blast!

 

i got 3 of them i got a picture of a huge one in my gallery under other crap (please excuse my cousin). that thing will be more of a mortor than a high speed one. the one in the picture has a 2ft long 6" chamber and a 5ft long 2" barrel and will shoot taters farther than you can see. i have another one with a 16" long 3" chamber and a 33" long 1.5" barrel and i have one with a 30" long 2" barrel and a 13" 3" chamber. for the fuel i use old spice red zone. it is the only spray deoderant that works that i have found. axe will work rarely and really aint worth tryin redzone works every time. for the spark gap i would try 1/8"-1/4" i use propane grill igniters and shove the long probe in it and then put a screw on the oppisite side and the gap tunrs out about right on a 3" chamber. if you have them right next to each other the spark will just jump on the outside and not on the inside. yours should go pretty good. i have thought about useing ether in mine but i aint sure about it cause ether is some crazy stuff.

 

Yeah, i do too... ive got paint, carb cleaner, seafoam... all sorts of hazmat crap...

Its kinda spooky, i know what either does also... wow...

I wont try that right away tho, ill stick to what I'm comfertabal with
~Nate

 

cool...

I just did a dry fit test fire, and it was pretty awesome... 3 sec of spray using pledge, and it blew the gun apart... went "WOOF", and shot flames... Pretty damn cool imho

I'll have fun with this thing, now ive gotta clean it up, and glue it together

~Nate

 

Actually the moderator thinks they are way cool! I used them at camp one time. We were launching potatoes into the forest to see how far they could go. We ran out of potatoes really fast. So, we got people in our camp to donate their socks! FUN!

-Matt

 

a golf ball wrapped a few times in duct tape fires very very far. I started building spud guns 10 years ago. I just use a "y" forr the chamber / ignition area, I always used bbq ignighters. Aquanet works great, but propane works the best, but you gotta have trhe right air/propane mix.


be sure to let the glue cure before using it

 

Yeah, id love to use a golf ball... except i guess ive accually got a 1 1/2" barrel... A regulation sized one is 1.68... OOPS
I can do lead work, ive got all the equipment... its just thats kinda borderline.........

Heres some crappy pictures of it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../Potato%20gun/


Thats just the first coat of black... Ive got some red laying around also, so i might try some flames (or not, cause I'm not so good with them)

Two colors, red and black. I've got a black base coat, anybody got any ideas on what a crappy painter can do next?

I'm really bummed that I cant shoot golf *****... BUT I might beable to get another adaptor, and chop off the barral. U know, that might accually keep the golf ball or potato from sliding into the chamber.

I might do that, but I need to save up some more funds first
~Nate

 

i camoed my big one. flat black, "rusty metal primer", and marine core green that my dad had laying around then i slapped a confederate battle flag sticker about half way up the barrel and called it good. you are going to want to clear coat it becuase the paint scratches off. i thought about slevein a 2" piece with a 1.5" piece and then boreing it out to the right size but it is a little to small but you can bore out a 1.5" piece but it makes the wall a little thin. i think some real tree duct tape might give it a little strength and make it look good to.

 

i had a spud gun a few years ago, simple design, black pvc, 3 foot barrel 2'' pipe, with a 4 inch chamber, just under a foot. i started off using hair spray, but wasnt very impressed...i found that the right mixture of ether and propane works great! sounds like a shotgun, with almost the same kickback. im not saying im recommending it, because after about 6 shots, the chamber exloded. It was worth it though! just need a stronger design.

 

why dont u get some steel tubing, maybe exhast scrap, and make you one out of that. Some places will give you scrap exhaust tubin and if u gotta welder then all ya need is the fuel n ignitor. Then you aint gotta worry about blowin it up lol sure itll be heavier but aint cannons supposed to be haha THATS IT SPUD CANNON NOT LAUNCHER lol i want to make a home made come and take it type cannon for those of you who know what it is. Durin the texas revolition some townsfolk had no cannonballs but they had this cannon, when the mesicans came they stuffed forks n nails n knives in the cannon and fired it off at the mexicans winnin the battle. Now i could gimme some punkins n melons n set em in a field n launch a buncha forks n nives at em, THATD BE FUN!!

 

^ you might wanna work on your spelling... mesicans, mexicans, or musicians.

Ok, fine, i know its nit picky, but wow.


Anyways, with the steel pipe, that would be capibal of higher pressures, and more destructive. With the PVC, it will break before its able to kil someone, i hope...

Any more ideas on what to do with the paint, and what to use for propellant? I'm almost out of pledge, and its leaving a pretty thick residue.

Mabey a cheap spray deoderant? I wont be using propane either, scares me... Same with either

Mabey a small shot of brake cleaner? Its on sale for .99 at farm&fleet... normally like 3 bux a can.


Tks alot, I'll be putting on another layer of black tonight
~Nate