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Assembling a potato cannon. How to make a potato gun out of plastic pipes. Installing the ignition system on the Apple Gun

Shooting potato cannons is an idea that has been in the air for a long time, as they say. And she flew to us, different sources, either from overseas, like the potato itself, or from the old woman of Europe. No, there are also enough Kulibins on Russian soil with domestic bulb throwers, but potato artillery received the format of “mass psychosis” in the West.

"Potato cannon", "potato gun", "spud cannon", "spudzooka", "kartoffelkanone" - there are a lot of names and varieties of potato guns and pistols in different languages and countries. In its most common version, the potato gun is a muzzle gun that is powered by compressed air or by the energy from the ignition of a mixture of combustible gas and oxygen. Potatoes are most often used as a projectile, which is why the name appeared. At the same time, apples, tangerines, tennis balls and other objects that can be put into a cannon are used with the same success in shooting.

The most interesting thing about using a potato gun is the “wow effect” from the shot itself, for which, in fact, everything is started. With a low cost of 1000-1500 rubles, a gun about 1.5 meters long is obtained, which can shoot at a distance of 5 to 200 meters. Advanced specimens, according to the stories of experienced potato shooters, are much more impressive in size and send the vegetable even further - 300 meters. Impressive is not only the flight range, but also the shot. You don’t expect such a loud pop from several plumbing fixtures fastened together. The ballistics are also impressive: it is quite difficult to predict with accuracy in which direction the potatoes will fly.


Potato guns have gained popularity all over the world due to the simplicity of their design. Cannon components can be purchased by visiting your nearest plumbing store. Numerous authors of video tutorials on the Internet tell how to assemble a "potato shooter" or "potato bazooka" in just half an hour, using a PVC drain pipe, a coupling, a revision with a lid, an adapter from a drain to a riser, a plug, a lighter piezoelectric element, adhesive tape, glue and a few screws. Like a construction set that even a child can master, in a few minutes a real cannon is assembled with a muzzle, a combustion chamber and an initiator. After filling the chamber with gas, hairspray or toilet freshener, screwing on the lid and stuffing the vegetable with an impromptu ramrod into the muzzle, with the help of a piezoelectric element, the shooter submits a claim into the combustion chamber - and a shot follows. Yes, such that it is better for others to keep their distance - from a close hit on the target, the potatoes are broken soft-boiled.

If in Russia shooting from potato guns is mainly regarded as weekend pampering and hooliganism, then in the USA there have long been communities of “potato-gainers”. Shooting enthusiasts come from different parts of the country to special training grounds and hold competitions, playing cash prizes. The winner is usually chosen according to three criteria - the range of the potato, time in the air and accuracy. At the same time, the participants constantly upgrade their guns. There is no limit to the imagination here. The design can be complicated by adding several barrels, make automatic charge supply, install auto-dosing of gas, create automatic blowing of the combustion chamber with a fan, and, in the end, improve the ammunition itself, giving it more dynamism.

The method of setting the vegetable in motion does not necessarily occur with the ignition of the fuel. The shot can be fired either by compressing air (pneumatic catapults), or by exploding a bomb from dry ice or compressing an air-fuel mixture (hybrid type of gun). No self-respecting potato shooter is complete without accessories: straps for carrying ammunition, pens, potato cases, etc. In many ways, the popularity of potato shooting among Americans is spurred on by the TV screen. Scenes using potato guns and potato-shooting devices are found in films such as Tremors 3, " iron Man 3", in the TV series "House Doctor", the cartoon "The Simpsons" and so on.


However, it is worth remembering that if in the United States, where the citizens of the country are allowed to freely carry weapons, potato guns are perceived as an innocent hobby, then in Russia, the idea of ​​​​opening a potato shooting range or organizing the mass sale of potato guns will almost certainly cause problems with the law. As negative example we can cite the experience of Germany, where the insanity with potato guns by local teenagers a few years ago had to be actively suppressed with the help of the police. Potato cannonade sounded on the outskirts of almost all German cities. Soon the news was full of reports of the first victims. So, a teenager from Göttingen lost part of his ear when, when the trigger was pressed, the “chamber” was blown. In Bavaria, a 55-year-old woman, walking her dog on the edge of a forest, was seriously injured: a potato shell hit her in the thigh. Another man nearly lost an eye, another shooter was burned by a hairspray explosion while refueling, a third suffered fractures, and so on. As a result, the authorities of most lands decided to out of harm's way equate potato guns with firearms. Now in Germany, the creation and possession of "kartoffelkanone" is prosecuted by the police. The same ban applies in Austria. So the fears of craftsmen regarding the organization of vegetable shooting ranges can be understood. So far, potato cannons in Russia can only be officially seen as exhibits at rare popular science open-air festivals.

Probably few people do not know what a potato gun is:

Potato cannon (eng. "potato cannon", "spud cannon", "spudzooka") muzzle-loading gun powered by compressed air, or due to the energy generated during ignition of a mixture of combustible gas and air to give projectiles high speed. Designed mainly for recreational shooting with potato slices or other objects.

Attention!!!

This device is very dangerous if used inappropriately.Never shoot at live targets, and generally use common sense.meaning. No one but you is not responsible for your own actions!!!

On the Internet there is a lot of information on the subject of potato guns. There are also many descriptions of how to make it (from pocket to huge). But, almost all of them lack a fuel dosage system, which affects its power, or unreliability appears in operation. Ideas how to make a simple but effective system fuel supply There were not many, but among them was one that came up in all respects. After tests on a small scale model and then on the main gun, it showed good results. And so, I present to your attention the main detail of my upgrade:

Some of you may have guessed what it is. If not, then this detail from a gas turbo lighter(only without ceramic tube) :

It mixes the fuel with air, which then burns with a beautiful blue flame 🙂 In other words, the fuel, passing through a small hole, captures air with it, forming the correct fuel-air mixture. Because it suits us. In theory, any gas burner with this principle of operation should be suitable (depending on the scale of your gun). I chose mixers from turbo lighters because it the cheapest and most affordable option.

My cannon is made from ø30 and 50 mm sewer pipes.

Not done very neatly, but everything works fine 🙂 I used two mixers from lighters (two were enough, the combustion chamber is completely filled in 7-8 seconds).

Important:

  • liquid must not enter the mixer (liquefied gas in liquid form), otherwise it will cease to function normally (the proportion will no longer be the same)
  • you need to watch that the air intake holes of the mixer are not clogged with dust and other debris.

Small-scale model (from a reinforced cardboard tube from cling film, a lighter and a piece of tube from a dropper; the projectile is a cardboard cork, the range is ≈ 10 meters)

The advantages of this system:

  • increases the power and reliability of the gun
  • the piezoelectric element began to work the first time
  • no need to ventilate the combustion chamber after each shot

Well, how about without cons

Minuses:

  • it is necessary to supply a gas-air mixture before installing the projectile, which is not very safe (it is solved by revision - to make a small hole in the barrel near the combustion chamber, the power will drop a little, but what can you do for the sake of safety)
  • use only the gas with which the gas burner worked

P.S. I did not conduct normal full-scale tests of the range of the big potato-cannon projectile, but the correct mixture of fuel and air is 100% the key to success. As soon as I test it, I'll write it in the comments.

If you have any suggestions, questions about this system or the potato gun itself, write in the comments or in a personal message to me.

Thanks for attention))

potato gun

Manufacturing difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Production time: Up to two hours

Materials at hand: ████████░░ 80%


One day I noticed a large foam canister in the garbage heap. At that time we were fond of potato guns and I decided to make myself a small gun from this balloon, and the brand of foam, as it were, hinted at making something similar - "Gold Gun". A silencer was immediately made for the gun, but the article turned out to be too large and I took out the silencer. At the back of the gun, a bottle neck with a cork for purge and refueling is inserted. The design turned out to be quite complicated, but absolutely calmly done at home.


  • Large can of polyurethane foam
  • Plastic bottle
  • steel wire
  • wires
  • Piezo lighter
  • Small aerosol can
  • PVC water pipe with a diameter of 35 mm and a length of 500 mm
  • Hacksaw
  • Screwdriver
  • Drill
  • File
  • self-tapping screws
  • Pliers
  • Gypsum or alabaster
  • Sandpaper
  • small nails
  • Scotch
  • Insulating tape
  • Gas stove or industrial hair dryer

    How to make a small potato gun


    The foam bottle has a large plastic mount at the very top, you need to get rid of it. Make a few cuts and use pliers to remove it

    You can melt plastic with a hot knife



    Cut off the neck of any plastic bottle


    Drill two holes in it right above the rim and insert a piece of steel wire into them, bend the ends slightly down


    In the bottom of the bottle, you need to make a hole along the diameter of the neck of the bottle. To do this, drill a hole in the center with a drill and expand it with a file.

    Don't forget to bleed all the air out of the cylinder before drilling it!


    The upper part of the can must be opened, the tube and everything superfluous pulled out and the hole widened.


    Mounting scheme


    The scheme of fastening the neck from the bottle to the cylinder. It turned out a little difficult, but 100% reliable.
    The neck is inserted into the hole


    1 - balloon
    2 - Gypsum
    3 - Neck wire
    4 - Bottle neck
    5 - Screw or self-tapping screw

  • We drill holes and screw in screws. Next, insert the neck of the bottle into the hole and fill everything with plaster



    barrel mount


    The barrel of the potato gun will be removable, for charging and purging it is simply removed from its mount. The mount is the body of a small aerosol can, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the barrel. The extra parts are cut off, and the sealing ring from the cycle chamber is glued inside


    This tube will also be attached to plaster, so you need to insert pieces of steel wire crosswise into it




    I decided that this was not enough, and resorted to a little trick. A plastic bottle tends to shrink when heated. Let's use this. A cylinder from a plastic bottle is put on the barrel mount, with an overlap on the combustion chamber. Also part of the bottle should stick out outside the mount


    Heat evenly, try not to overheat the plastic. Also avoid touching the plastic with an open flame!



    The barrel at the point of contact with the mount is sealed with adhesive tape and electrical tape

    I advise you to sharpen the edge of the barrel from the outside to facilitate the "cutting" of vegetables and fruits that the gun shoots



    Ignition system


    Inside the gun there should be two electrodes at a distance of several millimeters. We have a metal case, this creates small problems. I protected one nail electrode with three layers of heat shrink and glued it into the hole. The second electrode is just a self-tapping screw screwed into the gun body. Accordingly, the spark from the piezo will be fed through the wire to the first electrode and through the gun body to the second


    We connect and attach a piezo lighter to the body

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potato gun

The potato gun is such a national American entertainment. A cylinder of slightly larger diameter is attached to a strong pipe with a diameter slightly smaller than a typical potato and a meter and a half long. A potato is inserted into the pipe “from the muzzle” (at the same time, since it is larger than the pipe, when stuffing the potato is peeled off and turns out to be tightly ground, and the juice acts as a lubricant), and an “active element” is introduced into the cylinder on the other side - a little gas from the cylinder or some kind of aerosol. A cover is screwed on the back, on which a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter with a button on the outside is fixed. Further simply - you press the button, the gas explodes and the potato flies away. Depending on the type of "active element" the flight range will also change. With ether, the potato flew almost 200 meters!

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Popular Mechanics has 2 tutorial articles on making potato cannons: and Hooligan Inventions: Cheap & Fun. Here is one of them:

Vegetable artillery: We are preparing a cannon

Our readers are very fond of weapons. Among them are many people who are familiar with various types weapons: designers, testers, military, as well as those for whom sports shooting, hunting or studying gun history has become a favorite hobby. However, among the hunters to read and talk about weapons, there are also those who have never in their lives held anything worse than a water pistol in their hands. This, of course, is a mess. We decided to arm all the faithful fans of "PM" to the teeth. Every month we will tell you how to create something with our own hands from available materials that shoots far, flies high, burns well and pleases those around you with a deafening roar and festive fireworks, having previously tested each recipe on own experience. We decided to start with an artillery piece that has long become a classic in America and is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world - the potato gun.


artillery gun is a complex engineering structure designed to decide the fate of people. Of course, it should not look like an extra detail from the sewer. Decorating a cannon, giving it a look that inspires fear and awe, is an obligation

Pressure deficit

The first and, perhaps, the most serious obstacle on the way to our own potato gun for us was the total absence in stores and on construction markets capitals of pressure water pipes made of polyvinyl chloride, the main building material for homemade artillery. The only PVC products, presented in abundance everywhere, are sewer pipes and fittings of any diameters, configurations and even colors. You can’t shoot from them - these pipes and their connections are not strong enough to work under pressure. The nature of the general concern of sellers with problems of sewerage with a complete disregard for the water supply remained a mystery to us.

In our area, water pipes are often laid from metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes. In terms of their properties, they are not inferior to PVC, the only difference is that polypropylene pipes and fittings cannot be glued together; welding machine with a whole arsenal of special attachments. Do not succumb to the persuasion of sellers who assure that polypropylene can be welded with a lighter. We have seen from our own experience that, even with a powerful gas burner, it is impossible to connect such pipes reliably and evenly, therefore they are not suitable for building a cannon. For the sake of the experiment, we made a carriage out of polypropylene pipes.

A week-long search led us to a specialized store, where we were able to purchase two three-meter lengths of pressure PVC pipes, designed for pressures up to 10 atmospheres, as well as all the necessary fittings. Let's make a reservation right away that the construction of a potato gun requires creative flexibility: the lack of the right materials on sale may dictate serious design deviations from the original design. In particular, based on the available parts, we equipped our gun with a removable barrel, and made the breech part non-separable. This design has an advantage over the traditional one, with a screw plug at the rear of a fixed gun: the gun can be loaded from the breech, rather than pushing the projectile through the entire barrel. On the other hand, screwing a heavy barrel into place is more difficult than a small plug. To ensure that gas does not erode from the breech during assembly, you need to act very quickly.

Finally, in obedience to the will of circumstances, our gun turned into a howitzer. Guided by the availability of strictly defined fittings on sale, we purchased pipes with a diameter of 63 and 90 mm (internal diameters of 55 and 80 mm, respectively). At the same time, the barrel length turned out to be equal to 18 calibers, which allows us to classify our gun as a howitzer.


Remembering the spring holiday, we dedicate our creation to beautiful ladies. Meet "Barbie from Hell", the most formidable weapon of emancipation in the spring/summer 2008 season! A lacquered pink cannon on a golden gun carriage will make you look stunning as if you were carrying it.

Working with fire

Together with the pipes, we purchased a special adhesive for PVC, as well as a solvent necessary for degreasing the surfaces to be glued. To say that these liquids smell bad is to say nothing. When working with toxic drugs, in no case should you neglect a respirator, goggles and gloves: PVC glue causes irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes and respiratory tract, direct contact may damage the skin. It is better to glue in a well-ventilated area. The rest of the assembly of the potato gun is very simple. Sawing off the necessary sections of pipes, one must try to make the cutting angle as close as possible to a straight line - then the joints inside the gun will turn out to be even, which contributes to uniform combustion of the mixture.

The ignition system of our gun was based on an ordinary kitchen piezoelectric lighter. This is the most affordable, but also the most capricious type of ignition. As its analogues, mechanical lighters from kerosene lamps are used, which we have not met on sale, and stun guns, which in themselves are weapons that are dangerous to use. The piezo lighter gives a very weak spark, which is not always enough even to ignite the gas mixture. The reliability of the gun depends entirely on the location and condition of the ignition electrodes.

The second critical factor in tool performance is fuel. First of all, we tried the hairspray recommended in one of the recipes. The heads of the screws screwed into the plug of the breech of the gun acted as electrodes. Tests were carried out in a barbaric way- vertically setting the breech in the middle of the editorial office and trying to set fire to the gas injected there. The first portion of varnish flew into the air in the form of a large fireball, making a long howling sound. The audience was impressed, and the second time the cannon fired an encore. But the third time did not happen: after the combustion of the propane-butane base, the unburned part of the strong fixation hairspray covered the inner surface of the combustion chamber and the electrodes with a thick layer. The ignition stopped working, the varnish showed its complete failure as a fuel.

Tests of the deodorant also did not give the desired result. Finally, in a sports shop, we came across the perfect fuel - a pure propane-butane mixture in canisters for a camping stove. Such fuel burns completely without contaminating the electrodes. We managed to achieve truly stable operation of the gun only by sharpening the electrodes for better sparking and moving them to the center of the combustion chamber. For a weak piezoelectric lighter, sharpening the electrodes and fine-tuning the optimal distance between them is not only desirable, but a vital procedure.

Goodbye potatoes!

Finally, the day came for the first field trials of the potato howitzer. We set up a firing position in a wasteland, about a hundred meters from the metal fence, to which we hoped to throw a potato. We dismantled the gun, tightly installed potatoes cut into the barrel, cut with a special caliber - a piece of pipe identical to the barrel with sharpened edges (by the way, if you make the gun non-separable, you can sharpen the barrel itself), generously injected gas into the breech, wrapped the barrel, optimistically plugged your ears and pressed on the lighter button. “Zilch,” the cannon whispered plaintively and languidly moved the projectile half a meter along the barrel.

It was all about mixture. The combustion of gas requires oxygen, which is contained in the air. Only a combustible mixture with an optimal ratio of gas and air can ignite. The situation got worse cold weather(in the yard it was -5 0 C), at which gases mix worse. Our personal experience showed that for a good shot, a second press on the canister button is enough. After each volley, the combustion chamber of the gun must be purged to remove combustion products and refill the chamber with air. For purging, we specially took with us a pump with a long hose.

IN printed edition it is impossible to quote the comments with which we saw the potatoes flying through the sky far beyond the fence into the unknown. According to our estimates, the projectile flew at least 200-250 m. Judging by the lack of response comments, nothing vital happened behind the fence, and we did not deny ourselves the pleasure of firing a few more volleys. Therefore, we consider the above scheme to be fully functional and boldly recommend it to readers! We ourselves sit down to design an advanced gun with metered fuel injection, multi-point ignition, forced ventilation of the combustion chamber, a quick reload system and a silencer in order to talk about it in one of the future issues of the magazine.

A safe volley is our choice!


We remember well one instructive story. The breech for test purposes stood vertically in the editorial office. The ignition electrodes, located at the very bottom of the combustion chamber, could not ignite the combustible mixture - apparently, the gases were mixed at the bottom of the last turn. Many of us have repeatedly approached an idle cannon and, looking inside, looked at the spark. At one fine moment, after numerous "idle" ignitions and without the slightest refueling, the gun suddenly worked, spewing a ball of burning gas. Fortunately, no one admired the spark at that moment. Since then, we have lost all desire to look inside the gun without goggles and the use of a full arsenal of protective equipment has become mandatory.

Glasses. In the process, anything can happen, from getting glue or spray in the eyes to the explosion of a loosely assembled cannon. Gloves. Hands must be protected from toxic glue, electric shock from a piezo lighter, burns from burning gas. earplugs. The potato gun can shoot very, very loudly. Insure against damage eardrums earplugs help. Respirator. PVC adhesive irritates the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

Editors are not responsible



When work on the howitzer was in full swing, we learned that several of our readers, each of whom ate a dog while making the real military weapons, also tried their hand at creating a potato gun. One of them made a working apparatus, but quickly lost interest in the vegetable hobby, because the tool was unstable. The second received burns, trying to fire from a gun with a poorly fixed chamber plug, resting it on his stomach, and then, when setting the ignition, he lost his eyelashes and eyebrows, trying to see a spark in the combustion chamber with gas residues. The experience of our readers suggests that building a potato cannon is not an easy task. engineering task, fraught with a number of dangers. When creating a weapon, you do it at your own peril and risk. Safety rules are the first thing to consider in the process of work.

Basic safety rules

  • All work must be done by adults or in the presence of adults.
  • Use only combustible liquids recommended by the instruction. Stay away from gasoline, alcohol, ether, liquid oxygen, "quick start" - these liquids can easily tear the gun's plastic casing.
  • Use only the building materials prescribed by the instructions.
  • Be as serious as possible about any changes in the design of the gun.
  • Follow label instructions for adhesive, solvent, and other chemicals carefully.
  • Keep all containers with flammable liquids (glue, thinner, propane-butane, paint) at least 10 m from the gun test site.
  • Before each shot, make sure there are no people or animals in the line of fire.
  • Warn others about the planned shot.
  • If your local hardware store didn't get the exact parts delivered, don't worry. You will probably be able to use multiple parts (e.g. gearboxes, couplings, etc.) to achieve what the listed parts do.
  • muzzle-loading firearms uses " packaging material"are patches of fabric to wrap projectiles and form a good seal with the barrel. The same concept can be applied to potato weapons if other ammunition is used that cannot be cut. The possibilities are endless.
  • Try new ammo! Potatoes are plentiful, but if you live near a walnut...
  • After cutting the pipes, remove the burrs with sandpaper or a file.
  • There are many instructions on the internet, just google "Potato Tool Instructions". There are many uses for this weapon, so have fun and experiment, but be safe and smart!
  • The screw is inserted into the barrel where it connects to the combustion chamber, and will interfere with the cartridges, causing it to ram too far and enter the chamber.
  • The volume of the combustion chamber is proportional to the force of the shot, a long chamber produces an inefficient compression wave, make the combustion chamber small and thick.
  • If you've never worked with PVC, buy some scrap PVC and some cheap connectors so you can practice connecting before you build your grenade launcher. Rotate each glue line a quarter of a turn, as if you were pushing it together.
  • Too much propellant gas is just as bad as not enough. If too much oxygen is moved, ignition will not occur. Through trial and error, you will learn how to use the optimal amount of fuel in your individual design.
  • Pipe terminology is often confusing. Here are some of the abbreviations used: FIPT - Internal thread; MIP - External thread; JACK - slip socket; Slip - non-twisted pipe, use glue to protect the joint; PLUG - a man puts on a sleeve, etc.; Bust - outside the diameter; ID - in diameter (measurements pvc pipes usually measured in ID, so the bust will be larger than 2 inches).
  • If something needs to be sealed tightly, use duct tape. It starts out like tape, but after you've used the gun, the tape turns into a very sticky adhesive that keeps things closed.
  • The world of plumbing can be confusing and disorganized, so don't be afraid to ask the store staff for help.
  • The initial ignition in the combustion chamber must be close to the center of the chamber in order to form an effective compression wave and transfer the energy of the explosion.
  • To get maximum flow through the valve, read the directions of the valve. This is often associated with turning a knob or cuff on the valve.
  • Follow the instructions on the adhesive, and apply generously on both the pipe and socket. Do not use glue or adhesive solution on threads; wrap in a couple of layers of Teflon sealing tape.
  • The longer the barrel, the more the combustion force will accelerate the projectile. A barrel that is too short will take away power. However, if the trunk too much long, expanding gases begin to lose pressure and the friction of the projectile in the barrel begins to slow it down. Find the optimal length for your own configuration by trial and error.
  • The Christie glue recommended below is a strong one step glue but requires you to work quickly. Plan carefully and be ready to join as soon as you apply the glue.