New Potato Gun User, Please Help

Boom! The classic potato gun harnesses the combustion of flammable vapor. Show us your combustion spud gun and discuss fuels, ratios, safety, ignition systems, tools, and more.
nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:42 pm

oh and really... what is better lantern lighters or these sparkers...

i find these ones too expensive

well anyways.. if this one dies on me ima try a latern lighter and see how that goes which seems a lot easier to install, so i'll leave the screws that's been screwed on so i could chose to use a lantern lighter or bbq sparker =]
Deadeye
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:47 pm

I assume by your question, you have now identified the second terminal.
Assuming it looks like the photo I sent (of the two in the middle) that is your ground terminal.

So YES is the answer and follow the directions DYI gave you.

One option would be to use the provided hardware and afix it in your combustion chamber in such a way that the spark gap is shielded from your spray but not the chamber gases.
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SpudFarm
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:57 pm

hmm i could not read through it all about the spark gap so hang me some slack if it has been said.

the spark gap has nothing to do about it working or not, i can ignite poor hybrid mixes with a 0.25mm gap.
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nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:14 pm

oh seems my spark isnt that strong but i think it'll do

and i shuoldnt spark it all the time right?

i realise that if i keep pressing it like crazy the spark gets weaker untill no spark

so ima not press it so hard since i wasted 15 bucks for this sparker, want it to last

if not lantern lighter

and btw, i soldered a wire towards the embedded metal wire on the side

worked great =]

Thanks alot guys, ima go test this baby out

and btw which fuel is best ?

p.s how big of a spark should we be talking about?

p.ss any other ways to make lid more easily to spin on?
Last edited by nosebleedXD on Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:53 pm

Here is my spark, its small as hell... will it do?

[youtube][/youtube]
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FishBoy
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:03 pm

yes, it will work, if it doesn't spark consistently, either it's jumping through the insulation somewhere, or you should make the gap smaller.

o btw, i find your overuse of "rofl" very annoying, other than that, welcome to spudfiles :)
nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:07 pm

only used it 6 times =[.. ROFl oh there now 7

anyways what type of fuel should i use to spray in it? axe?

and exactly how close should they be ?
nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:17 pm

so pro

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Last edited by nosebleedXD on Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BigGrib
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:27 pm

i prefer propane meself, but ether, aka starting fluid, axe, hairspray, blah blah really anything hexane or propane or butane in it will burn. look in the wiki under fuels for more anyswers
Yea, that's definitely going to get you at least a tazer.
<a href="">DONT TAZE ME BRO.. DONT TAZE ME... AHHHH</a>
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DYI
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:44 pm

I already posted an answer here... WTF?!

Anyhow, the spark degrades as you hit the crystals together more often, the best easily accessible fuel in this case would be MAPP gas (sometimes called MPS), the spark needs to be at least a few millijoules, and you can make the cleanout easier to spin (and also more difficult to handle :roll: ) by putting vegetable oil or similar on the threads.

Also, hexane is a liquid at room temperature, so it might not work too great :wink:
Spudfiles' resident expert on all things that sail through the air at improbable speeds, trailing an incandescent wake of ionized air, dissociated polymers and metal oxides.
nosebleedXD
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:54 pm

so is my spark fine right now? ima try a lantern lighter so i can go 2 way spark later, drill a big hole in it, and any idea where to buy, i checked walmart no luck =[

so whats mapp and wher can i get it

and wtf is a millijoules
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starman
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:30 pm

nosebleedXD wrote:so is my spark fine right now? ima try a lantern lighter so i can go 2 way spark later, drill a big hole in it, and any idea where to buy, i checked walmart no luck =[

so whats mapp and wher can i get it

and wtf is a millijoules
The spark you showed on your video is plenty. A joule is a measure of energy....look it up. Mapp gas is usually sold in a yellow canister in the welding department right next to the propane in the blue canisters.

You've already got a BBQ ignitor working...you don't need to fool with a lantern lighter.

Also, please take more time to punctuate, spell and captialize. This isn't an AIM chat session.
Deadeye
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Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:12 am

Dude, snap out of it!

I appreciate your anxiousness and how you don't have time to read (to understand) everything but unless you are doing this with unlimited funds, you might want to.

As you will soon learn, mistakes are money.

You conquered the spark gap and have what appears to be a formidable weapon. You have only to tweak the fuel (whatever you decide on) and you will be scaring the neighbors and making us all proud.

I don't know if you have to have this done by the morning so you can bean your (ex-) girlfriend in the head with a potatoe as she comes out of her dorm or what but there is a better way... The way most of us learned.
We read everything we could find and then we asked questions.

You seem to be cutting out the middle man.
Sorry to be the bad guy.

In addition to Wiki (which you haven't read) Here are a few websites:
http://www.burntlatke.com/index.html
http://members.tripod.com/potatogunwarrior/index.html

Take a breath and spend a couple hours reading - whatever is over your head ask about - We'll be able to tell your at least trying.
nosebleedXD
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Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:02 pm

Thank you to all who helped =]

Anyways, currently I am waiting for my mom to come with a new can of axe.

So once it arrives, I will record my first potato gun shot into one of the new houses in my new area.

Btw, about the cap situation, as i mentioned before, it was too tight to close...
Am i suppose to tighten the cap all the way? or ...

anyways i've been taken a sand paper to sand in between the threads of the cap and its getting a little big looser and looser.

If i shouldn't do this, please tell me right now and i'll stop

Well thanks anyways, WISH ME LUCK =P
sirspuddest
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Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:41 pm

nosebleedXD wrote:Thank you to all who helped =]

Anyways, currently I am waiting for my mom to come with a new can of axe.

So once it arrives, I will record my first potato gun shot into one of the new houses in my new area.

Btw, about the cap situation, as i mentioned before, it was too tight to close...
Am i suppose to tighten the cap all the way? or ...

anyways i've been taken a sand paper to sand in between the threads of the cap and its getting a little big looser and looser.

If i shouldn't do this, please tell me right now and i'll stop

Well thanks anyways, WISH ME LUCK =P
I would tighten the cap about finger tight. Not so much that you can't get it off, but not so little that the cap shoots off.

I would stop sanding it, though. Just put some baby oil on the threads, which is what I do, and it works fine.

Also, when you spray in the aerosol, try not to get any in the threads. That tends to jam up your threads pretty quickly.

Good luck (and don't shoot houses!) 8)
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