Long Pistol

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.

Is this a half decent first combustion

Yes
22
79%
No
4
14%
I could care less
2
7%
 
Total votes: 28
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jor2daje
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Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:39 pm

This is my first post and my first attempt at a combustion gun. I had a bbq sparker and I already have a large pneumatic so I i decided to try a little combustion gun that i could use for shooting airsoft bb's or spit balls around my house.

I think it turned out pretty good it serves its purpose and if fun and simple to use. I used some scrap pvc i had lying around for the chamber, then i glued three bic pen tubes together and supported them with a section of golf club shaft. I didn't want to buy any screw caps so i just epoxyed water bottle pieces to the ends of my pipe so i can unscrew my barrel and my sparker. To make the grips more comfortable I covered them in bike inner tube. I cut some sights out of some black plastic I had lying around then glued the back one on but let the front rotate around the barrel so i can adjust it every time i take the barrel off.
Attachments
This is a piece of water bottle I used to connect the barrel and sparker.
This is a piece of water bottle I used to connect the barrel and sparker.
This is the gun with the barrel and sparker unscrewed
This is the gun with the barrel and sparker unscrewed
This is the gun fully assembled its about three feet long.
This is the gun fully assembled its about three feet long.
Airsoft bb as ammo
Airsoft bb as ammo
This is spit balls going through both sides of a cup, its not too impressive but a fun target.
This is spit balls going through both sides of a cup, its not too impressive but a fun target.
My new pump and barrel
My new pump and barrel
This is the battery pack and switch for the chamber fan I just added.
This is the battery pack and switch for the chamber fan I just added.
Last edited by jor2daje on Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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burke_a_lot
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Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:23 pm

Very nice work! looks good for a first! have fun!
"I ran.... out of.... ammo.... thats never happened to me before...."
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CasinoVanart
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Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:32 pm

Sweet, if my first combustion looked like that i would be very happy:) I like the way you used the bottle top too. Is there any chance of seeing some damage pics?

Nice work using what you had available.
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jor2daje
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Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:51 pm

Thanks, I just added a new barrel on and increased the range and speed by a lot, might try posting damage pics in a little, but I'm still working out the kinks so it could be a day or two
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littlebro05
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 3:13 am

Hmm lovely... it's must be an awesome plinker :D

Damage pictures? I want to see a video rawr!! Funny, I use bic pen tubes as my barrel to in all my BBMG's haha
It's Nerf or Nothing.

Don't start crying when I play this as my hobby, Paintball, Airsoft and Nerf are equally good hobbies, except you can play Nerf in public. Good day! Hmph!
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jor2daje
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 2:58 pm

Is there a fuel that works best for a small combustion gun? I have used butane, hairspray, and axe as the fuels and they all seem pretty similar.
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jonnyboy
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 4:47 pm

Nice first combustion. You should try propane in it. As far as your above post butane should be the best. It won't gum up the electrodes.
mobile chernobyl wrote:I can shoot a Canuter Valve off my '82 Chevy Ram F150 AT LEAST 3/4 Mile with 'ma cannon made of soup cans duct taped together, then I just squirt some bacardi 151 in the chamber and hold up my cigarrete lighta and WHOOSH! That thing flies at least 3/4 mile
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jor2daje
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:05 pm

I just put up some damage pics, they're not too impressive but I am shooting this thing in and around my house so it cant be lethal.
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LCTChamp
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:11 pm

Looks good for a first. I like the way you used what you had instead of buying things. I agree with jonnyboy butane is your best bet for fuel but it would be interesting if you used propane on such a small gun.
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jrrdw
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Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:28 pm

Sometimes less = more power. Experiment with the amount of fuel your using, put some bb's in your chamber so you can shake them and mix the fuel better. Your only limit is your imagination! :D

Welcome to Spudfiles.

P.S. I voted yes!
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elad311
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Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:45 am

Cool!
looks very good for a first one! :D
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starman
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Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:37 am

Not bad for a first. Are you metering fuel in some way or just giving it shot and hoping for the best?
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jor2daje
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Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:42 pm

I am working on a way to meter the fuel, i just added a pump to clear out the chamber, and I am waiting to find an old lighter or something to make a attached fuel source.

I also just made a different type of barrel that is easily my favorite, its basically just a film canister connected to a water bottle cap, you screw the cap onto the end of the gun and the cap pops off making a really loud bang. Its also fun to fill the film canister with airsoft bb's and make a nice little shotgun.
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VH_man
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Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:28 pm

Film Can Cannons!

Im making 5 of them for an end-of-season present for my Crew boat. Ill post them, along with a How-To, they make great gifts.
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jor2daje
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Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:32 pm

Ok so I decided to lose the pump because it was a waste of space and effort, instead a put a very small fan inside my handle and added a battery pack and switch.

Are there any suggestions on a cheap easy way to measure out a consistant fuel supply.
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