SpudFiles

This is the only thing holding me back from making a pneumatic. Is there an alternative route to making a pnuematic? I guess i could go with a bike pump or something. I'm more of a combustion guy myself so i have no idea how to make a pneumatic. Besides the air compressor, is the gun as expensive as a combustion? If i did make a pneumatic it would be over the top and I would go with pvc...Any suggestions?

A good bike pump is more than enough for a medium sized pneumatic.

The price of a pnuematic depends on the type of valve you use to fire the cannon. A piston valve is the cheapest as you can make one for next to nothing, and they perform very well.
QEV valves are a bit more pricey, but are built by profesional manufacturers and therefore are very durable and will always work as long as you have it set up well.
Sprinkler valves are cheap ($10+) but need modding in order to make them actuate pnuematicaly.
Burst-disc is the most efficient as it has no choke-effect on the barrel/ammo, but can be a pain to make if you don't have a union-valve at hand.

Filling a pnuematic is easily achievable with a suitable bike pump. However, if the chaamber is huge, then a compressor will be needed.

The basic route to a pnuematic is a fill-valve, chamber, "trigger" valve and a barrel. Most important of all is to make it air-tight.

I have no ecperience with the useofPVC as in the UK copper pipe is more readly avaliable. but I'm sure many American folk can help you with that.

once you go pneumatic you wont go back... I must be addicted to them they're so reliable and so much more satisfying to build, Ive got a piston and a sprinkler cannon and I still find myself planning new guns in my head as I drift off to asleep haha

watto wrote:once you go pneumatic you wont go back... I must be addicted to them they're so reliable and so much more satisfying to build, Ive got a piston and a sprinkler cannon and I still find myself planning new guns in my head as I drift off to asleep haha

I hear ya man...When i was building my combustion I could barely sleep at night and i would wake up early just to continue building it. I might just make a mini pneumatic with a bike pump and see how awesome it is. Thanks.

So I am not the only one who "dreams" about future guns and keeps making plans in the head?

Cool
I thought I was the only spudder in dream-land.

It must be some kind of weird instinct that keeps us all going. Kind of like back in the caveman days where they had to make inventions to stay alive.

lol yeah, the obsession of building. what i've noticed about building a pneumatic is that you can literally make it as cheap as you want.

my 4" chamber GB co-axial with a piston valve charged to 60psi can get the same amount of power as my adv combustion. (ggdt on the co-ax says 400fps) and this cannon only cost about 30$. when you compare this with my adv combustion, its 30$ to 90$. so it really depends on what you can do and what materials you have and their price. lol

Do you have a local harbor frieght? they make decent quality compressors with lots of cfm's and a big tanks go to there website

http://www.harborfreight.com/

wangpushups wrote:Is there an alternative route to making a pnuematic? how to make a pneumatic. Besides the air compressor

Just letting you know an air source doesn't make the pneumatic, you make the pneumatic, the air source provides compressed air

It's true you really wont go back to combustions, but you really need to get a compressor eventually. I've got 4 or 5 pneumatic paintball guns I can get up to 100psi in no time with a shock pump, but the compressor is faster and easier.

Oh yeah, done the not sleeping thing when building. I've designed whole parts in my sleep - I may be too into this.

This hobby is addictive, eats money, and destroys things - it's almost like a drug habit, but it's less bad on your health (unless you drink the PVC cement, then it's very bad.)

Cost of Pneumatics against combustions... a pneumatic may cost less, may cost more depending on the valve - probably a little more on average, but still, pneumatics have a huge lead on power.

It's taking over my life...

haha ive had dreams where I finish my newest cannon, fire it, and get all happy.

then i wake up and realize its not even started.

^^ HAHAHAHAHAHAHA thats just too funny. never had that happen but that is just funny.

i've been there already.