SPAC-1
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:22 am
<div align="center">SPAC 1
Provided By Fiebig - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... udguns/</a>
This is the SPAC1. It is a very simple steam powered spud gun I assembled from parts I had left over from various projects. Basically it's a pneumatic mini, and for its size, it's very powerful. The chamber is a 1/2" x 4" galvanized nipple. On the rear end is an end cap, on the opposite end is a 1/2" ball valve. From the ball valve there is a 1/2" to 1/4" bushing. Then comes the barrel, a piece of 1/4" pipe 11" long.
How the SPAC1 works:
The ball valve is opened and water is poured down the barrel into the chamber. I usually use about 2-3 tablespoons of tap water.
Ball valve is closed, ammo is but into the barrel, and the entire gun is put into vice grips
After about 2 or 3 minutes, the water (or at least most of it) has boiled inside the chamber creating a butt load of high pressure steam! Boiling the water really takes longer than it should, because the chamber is galvanized steel it doesn't heat up as fast as possible. If the chamber were copper the water would boil much faster.
The gun is picked up with the vice grips (since holding 200 degree metal pipe with your hands isn't pleasant) and the ball valve is quickly opened releasing all of the steam and launching the projectile!
Here is a video of the SPAC1 launching the screw at a block of styrofoam. I know its just styrofoam, but for a cannon this size, being able to lodge a screw 2 inches into a solid block of styrofoam and send it flying back 10 feet is pretty good.
For the video please visit
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... C1.html</a>
Provided By Fiebig - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... /</a></div>
Provided By Fiebig - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... udguns/</a>
This is the SPAC1. It is a very simple steam powered spud gun I assembled from parts I had left over from various projects. Basically it's a pneumatic mini, and for its size, it's very powerful. The chamber is a 1/2" x 4" galvanized nipple. On the rear end is an end cap, on the opposite end is a 1/2" ball valve. From the ball valve there is a 1/2" to 1/4" bushing. Then comes the barrel, a piece of 1/4" pipe 11" long.
How the SPAC1 works:
The ball valve is opened and water is poured down the barrel into the chamber. I usually use about 2-3 tablespoons of tap water.
Ball valve is closed, ammo is but into the barrel, and the entire gun is put into vice grips
After about 2 or 3 minutes, the water (or at least most of it) has boiled inside the chamber creating a butt load of high pressure steam! Boiling the water really takes longer than it should, because the chamber is galvanized steel it doesn't heat up as fast as possible. If the chamber were copper the water would boil much faster.
The gun is picked up with the vice grips (since holding 200 degree metal pipe with your hands isn't pleasant) and the ball valve is quickly opened releasing all of the steam and launching the projectile!
Here is a video of the SPAC1 launching the screw at a block of styrofoam. I know its just styrofoam, but for a cannon this size, being able to lodge a screw 2 inches into a solid block of styrofoam and send it flying back 10 feet is pretty good.
For the video please visit
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... C1.html</a>
Provided By Fiebig - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/fiebigspudguns ... /</a></div>