The Original Potato Cannon - Matt

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Original-Potato-Cannon/

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The Original Potato Cannonby matt on July 25, 2006

Table of Contents

intro: The Original Potato Cannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: The Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2: Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3: Install the ignitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 4: You are finished; firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9


intro: The Original Potato CannonHow to build the original hairspray powered potato cannon. Takes about an hour and $30. Shoots potatoes over 100 yards!!!

Video

step 1: The MaterialsBuilding Materials-5 feet of 1.5" ABS (DWV) pipe-2 feet of 3" ABS pipe-A 3" to 1.5" reducer-A 3" threaded adapter-A 3" end cap-A BBQ ignitor (+1 Screw)-ABS cement

Consumables-Cheap aerosol hairspray-Potatoes or similar legumes

Tools-Hacksaw-Drill


step 2: Assembly-Cut the 3" pipe to about 13" or a size you prefer (the larger the combustion chamber; the more gas; the more boom)-Make sure the reducer fits over the pipe-Spread some ABS cement on the inside of the reducer and outside of one end of the pipe, slide the reducer onto the pipe with a twisting method-Repeat this for the threaded adapter-Repeat this for the barrel (5' of 1.5" pipe)Make sure your gluing is done properly, you dont want it to explode.


step 3: Install the ignitorYou probably saw in the last step a silver BBQ lighter attached to the side of the pipe, I tried using this, but it wasnt working, so I bought an $8 ignitor.Drill a hole in the 3" pipe for the metal lead from the ignitor to fit, mount the ignitor using screws provided, you can slop some glue around the hole to make sure therewont be a gap where the flames will shoot out and burn your arm......

In order to create the arc (spark) to ignite the gas, there needs to be a metal contact between the lead from the ignitor and the metal chasis of the ignitor.If you mounted the ignitor with bolts into the pipe, bend the metal lead to be within 1/4" of the bolt to make a spark,I however put another screw in from the other side, but had to run a piece of wire from it to the metal chasis.Both methods will work.


step 4: You are finished; firingLet the cement cure for a couple hours.

Firing:-Unscrew the end cap-Force a potato into the barrel (this is easier if you sharpen the end of the barrel with a file)-Pack it down with a broom, make sure its still inside the barrel, and not the combustion chamber-Spray some hair spray into the 3" pipe for 2-3seconds-Quickly screw the end cap back on-Point it at a 45 degree angle to maximize range and push the ignitor


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Mini Spud Gun,ClassroomNemesis by Grim

How to build aPOTATOLAUNCHER(video) byChappyShowcase

Mini Spud Gun(slideshow) byPetervG

mini potato gunby recyclebin

Making an AirCannon / PotatoCannon (video)by crazybuilders

AdvertisementsCustomized Instructable T-shirts

Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 216 comments

PainKillaX says: Jan 27, 2009. 12:12 AM REPLYI'm interested in making one for the purpose of shooting Nerf Pocket Vortex Rockets, for MilSim events. What diameter pipe should I use at the end, andwhats an estimated velocity? I don't want to uh "accidentally" hit a friend at 200 feet and shatter bone...

PainKillaX says: Jan 27, 2009. 12:23 AM REPLYTook the time to read through all the steps, and I have some technical questions now. What's the verdict on PVC/ABS? Best fuel? Will a shorter barreljust make it louder and less accurate, or pose a safety risk? Is this safe to set on my shoulder and fire like a real rocket? Lot's of questions, I know, butI'm a veteran of things exploding on me and I find that the more I can learn BEFORE things explode, the better.

itak365 says: Jan 12, 2009. 5:12 AM REPLYHow would one make one of these so that it is like an M1 bazooka (trigger pistol grip at front of launcher, and arm support?)

stevemasc says: Jun 15, 2008. 8:24 AM REPLYI was wondering can ABS handle air presure or does it shatter or something?

Rayzorblade says: Jan 3, 2009. 8:48 AM REPLYin the cold, it goes boom, in the heat, its ok for low pressures 20-80psi, i wouldnt go higher than that

Rayzorblade says: Jan 3, 2009. 8:45 AM REPLYHmmm, all the controversy about shattering chambers..... just wrap it with about 20 - 30 layers of duct tape/gorilla tape and it will only tear, not explode

jhecker123 says: Dec 30, 2008. 8:49 AM REPLYIs it better to use a 1.5" barrel and 3" chamber like in this Instructable, or a 2" barrel and a 4" chamber like other designs? And is it better to have a long 5'barrel or something slightly shorter like 4'?

skuitarman says: Dec 29, 2008. 8:16 PM REPLYdo you have to use abs pipe can you just use pvc instead


madaradio says: Mar 12, 2008. 11:26 AM REPLYhere's a tip that I used when I made my potato gun.

***Do not glue the barrel to the chamber*** This is important for two reasons.

1) It makes it easier to load the potato. Instead of having to use a broom handle or stick to jam the potato through the barrel, all you do is jam it in the top andput that end next to the chamber.

2) For safety reasons. If the potato jams and the barrel is glued, there is no where for the explosion to go, possibly causing an explosion of the chamberwhich would cause hundreds of plastic shards flying all over th place. If the barrel isn't glued and the potato jams, all that happens is the barrel will pop offfrom the chamber leaving your face free of plastic.

This is how I made my gun and it works perfect. It fires just as if the barrel was glued. ***The barrel does not fly off every shot*** I've had the potato jam afew times and I'm glad I made mine the way I did.

clemsonguy1125 says: Dec 15, 2008. 3:41 PM REPLYwouldnt the barrel get shot off to

FriedRiceFreak says: Jun 22, 2008. 7:44 AM REPLYthats never been a problem for me. it sounds cool tho. the pressure rating on my chamber is 280psi and 100psi on my barrel. the peices in between haveeven higher ratings. the most a potato can hold pressure in that barrel is no where near 280 psi unless u put in like 10 huge potatoes in one shot

plus if you see "Hammer Testing" from different forums, they are all wrong. when you shoot a potato cannon the pressure is not on one side with ahammer, its equally distributed on all sides of the inside of a circle (one of the strongest shapes for pressure behind a sphere). i wish i could showeveryone what ABS does when it explodes from too much pressure, its much more than PVC. my Dad and I tested this. PVC cracks open and splits butthats about it. ABS shatters into hundreds of pieces and as the guy from spudtech.com put it "will find their way into you somehow"

Now all of this is my opinion. If your design works enjoy it!

microman171 says: Nov 21, 2008. 1:28 AM REPLYActually, AFAIK PVC shatters and ABS shears. Try hitting PVC on the ground and watch it shatter.

FriedRiceFreak says: Nov 22, 2008. 3:14 PM REPLYyes i know about the smash test but thats not equal explosive pressure on all sides. I've exploded PVC and ABS and i know that ABS isextremely sharp, small, and abundant when it comes to shards finding their way into you. pcv will break, and into pieces, but only a few. you justhave to trust me on this.

microman171 says: Nov 23, 2008. 9:48 AM REPLYOh okay. I always thought ABS sheared... Too bad, I cand find ABS in NZ anyway.

sasmith11 says: Jun 30, 2008. 6:01 PM REPLYHey, were do i get PVC 3 inch? and how much does it cost per foot?

FriedRiceFreak says: Aug 4, 2008. 4:49 PM REPLYyou can find all your supplies for PVC at Home Depot and Lowes and Tractor Supply if u have one near you.

Pvc is not that expensive if you buy them in standard sizes (which is 10 feet i believe) sometimes home depot will sell 2 foot long segments, but irecommend buying the 10ft peice its cheaper for the length you get. you can get they come in many diameters so experiment around. I justrecently made one that goes from a 3inch chamber to a 1.5 inch barrel which is smaller than the standard 2 inch barrel, thus more pressure ispushed through the smaller barrel

i've seen people go from 4 to 1.5 though its harder to do.

Dr. Explosion says: Jun 19, 2008. 12:39 PM REPLYThat also works well with pneumatic style spudguns

fishyfish777 says: Jul 6, 2008. 12:55 PM REPLYfor pneumatics, no. His idea works because combustion style guns release a powerful shock + pressure wave. Pneumatics just let air out, and themost pressured the pneumatic would be is when the pneumatic is pumped.


nibbler125 says: Oct 14, 2008. 10:23 PM REPLYI use a propane tourch in my cannon I just put the nozzle right into the combustion chamber and open up the fuel it makes a loud bang and shoots blueflames out at night time

LancePenney says: Jul 6, 2008. 11:12 AM REPLYFirst of all you really should let the glue cure for at least 24 hours. Better safe than full of ABS shrapnel. Also, I made one similar to this before (the only realdifference is the length of the barrel and combustion chamber). I also put a 3 inch bolt through the bottom of the barrel to prevent the potato from falling intothe combustion chamber.For fuel I use butane. Just take a can for re-filling lighters and place the spray top to an aerosol can on the filling wand. Works just like a can of hairspray. Itmakes a bigger bang than hairspray and it burns cleaner so it won't gum up the inside of the combustion chamber with residues.

garrettmikesmith says: Oct 7, 2008. 8:49 PM REPLYeverything you just said is genius

LancePenney says: Jul 6, 2008. 11:18 AM REPLYOne more thing... I just watched the video and the butane makes a WAY louder bang than that hairspray. Butane makes it sound like and actual cannon,you can hear it from kilometres away. At night you can see flames shooting out the end of the barrel when its fired.

FriedRiceFreak says: Aug 4, 2008. 4:53 PM REPLYi know what you mean! you can see some flames from Deoderant spray at night too, but i wouldnt know about butane flames.. that stuffs ment to beburned lol

sasmith11 says: Jun 30, 2008. 6:15 PM REPLYHey, were you get cheap 3 inch pvc pipe

sniper4life says: Sep 13, 2008. 4:10 PM REPLYim just gonna scavenge some cuz my house is getting remodeled

iammadmax says: Jul 3, 2008. 12:24 PM REPLYMenards has it, so I would guess that Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. would also be good places to try.

ccm117 says: Aug 28, 2008. 3:56 PM REPLYi made a potato cannon myself but it was differently desingned and i definetly like this design better

jasonckoval says: Aug 28, 2008. 1:55 PM REPLYOne way to keep the "fuel" from coating the ignitor wires (someone said this was a problem) is to put the ignitor into the end cap. Then the ignitor is not in thechamber when you spray in the fuel.

ADNNEW says: Jul 10, 2008. 6:15 PM REPLYhas anyone tried WD-40? it is flammable.

Jduffy says: Aug 10, 2008. 8:21 PM REPLYDon't use it, it will leave residual flames in your combustion chamber and barrel, melting the pvc.

blaird says: Aug 7, 2008. 6:54 PM REPLYuse propane it works way better and shoots further

werdbot says: Feb 8, 2007. 4:03 PM REPLYPropane works better.

Emankcin says: Mar 5, 2008. 5:27 PM REPLYWhy not an alcohol mixture? Perhaps put some everclear or rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle? Or you might be able to just pour the alcohol right in,and shake?


FriedRiceFreak says: Aug 4, 2008. 4:51 PM REPLYalcohols tend to dissolve the PVC or ABS cements. im sure you'd be fine, but Hairspray and propane work fine..

CameronC says: Jun 28, 2008. 5:55 AM REPLYi find that a capacitor discharge unit with at least a 200Uf capacitor on it works well albeit with some tweaking.this has been used in my special weaponsdalek project for school.

DELTAWOLF05 says: Jun 25, 2008. 11:35 AM REPLYSo is it better to use PVC or ABS

oshidutako says: Jun 26, 2008. 3:25 AM REPLYIt's better to use ABS since PVC explodes under pressure and sends sharp pointy shards of PVC flying everywhere and ABS only splits and lets thepressure escape, ABS also has a greater temperature tolerance than PVC. It's about twice as much the money as PVC, but it's definitely worth it.

minerug says: Feb 22, 2008. 12:57 AM REPLYdoes this have any/much recoil?

MadMechanicMike says: Mar 7, 2008. 9:31 PM REPLYyeah, sometimes a lot.

Dr. Explosion says: Jun 19, 2008. 12:40 PM REPLYEspecially if u use water as a projectile

dynamite boy says: May 13, 2008. 1:30 PM REPLYinstead of using electrodes i just put every thing that came in the BBQ lighter package together and then i made one hole and glued that sparker into it. then iput a piece of tine foil on the opposite side (inside the potato cannon) of the potato cannon so the spark would jump across the entire inside of it to get betterignition.

FriedRiceFreak says: May 25, 2008. 8:18 AM REPLYwhat you need to do is set up a dual spark circuit. easy enough, 2 sparks are better than one! thats what i do with mine. then again I also added uselessparts that make it look cooler haha.

its all about looks now haha

Colonel88 says: Jun 1, 2008. 5:43 PM REPLYIm sorry, but its better to have a pneumatic built in pump potato cannon or something...

FriedRiceFreak says: Jun 11, 2008. 6:49 AM REPLYyeah but pnumatic cannons are different. im talking about A pure Combustable cannon like the orignial potatoe cannon. plus pneumatic cannonsget dangerous. i almost got arrested because i used to have one. then again u can get arrested with a nerf gun nowadays..

zach911 says: Jun 19, 2008. 9:56 AM REPLYlol..... Nerf gun.....Arested... Thats funny! But it is true. Hees right. I shot this kid in the face right below his eye with my nerf N-strike and hewent to tell his mom and she called the sherrif then he came and hauled me into the travis county Juvinile Hall. Its not a nice place. Theycharged me with "assault with a deadly weapon". I was like WTF its a nerf gun!


FriedRiceFreak says: Jun 11, 2008. 6:42 AM REPLYthe best thing ever is to watch the Pumpkin Chuckin Contests. my friend's boss has a team that launched a pumpkin 2 1/2 miles. they usegasoline.

BUT THEY ARE PROFFESIONALS!!

coatesy900 says: Jul 28, 2008. 1:38 PM REPLY2 1/2 miles eh? Thats certainly beleivable...

nuBlet says: Jun 15, 2008. 4:01 AM REPLYi had a solid stainless steel one till the cops took it of me, i stole it from local engenerring firm lol

FriedRiceFreak says: May 4, 2008. 2:55 PM REPLYuse spray deoderants like Right Guard (as long as its flammable) and it works fine

afartinthewind says: May 3, 2008. 7:27 PM REPLYworks well, but need to use other fuel than hairspray. it covers the electrodes. i like starter fluid (just a touch)

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