Something you normally don't do with a potato

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Ok guys keep the young eyes away from the computer screen when reading this thread cuz they'll want you to make one too.Its a potato cannon, but not your typical pvc pipe one that uses hair spray , this one of sch40 pipe uses mapp, acetylene or equivilentI only had a few sucessful launches at about 100+ yds because the cheap bbq lighter I got a dollarama dicked out on me.  Attached ImagesCharlesThunderbolt AC/DCRed Flames BWELincoln sp-135t
Reply:NICE!!That brings back some memories of an evil childhood!  - Paulhttp://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:I want more info...Havent heard of a potato gun before, and am quite interested.ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabNICE!!That brings back some memories of an evil childhood!  - Paul
Reply:About 6 or 7 years ago I had the oppotunity to teach welding classes at a local trade school in the evenings, fun gig really, I kind of miss it. But anyway one of the stundents was a really good kid, but lacked the dediacation to really learn a whole lot.  Anyway he comes to the shop one morning with a peice of 2" heavy wall pipe & explains to me he'd like a peice of plate welded to the end "REAL GOOD", after that a small hole drilled in the end of the pipe near the plate.  Seemed like an interesting design he had goin there, so I explained to him that if I "knew" he was planning on firing projectiles out of it I wouldn't feel right about doing the job. (small town & his dad was big in politics).  After his assurances that he had no intentions of the sorts I recommended some good stakes be attached to it so it would'nt fall over as he was running for cover. Fortunatley he was ahead of the curve & planned on burying the bottom half in the ground. The report I heard was it worked wonderfully.  Last I heard the kid was back from Iraq, and planning on running for city council. Lord help us all!
Reply:Trash the grill igniter idea and get yourself a furnace igniter.  The type that create the constant arc for starting oil furnaces.  You'll be able to wire it so you just have to flick a switch...no more mis-fires-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:Thanks for the tip i'll look into that.CharlesThunderbolt AC/DCRed Flames BWELincoln sp-135t
Reply:I did the ABS spud launcher with a flint igniter and propane as fuel. The propane flame kept making my flint igniter all wet and sparkless .. Went through two five pound bags of spuds in one day and then put the thing up. I still stumble over it once in awhile moving stuff around in the shed. Fun.
Reply:One of those is why my hearing sucks.An ear of corn works nicely, OR  point it straight up and set an empty beer can on top.  It will be flat as a pancake.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I used to have one..... except it was all PVC with a grill button for a spark..... the barrell was clear plexi.... firing that at night was the best._________________Chris
Reply:cool!  I got to have a long discussion with an engineer that designed a mortar for launching explosive charge up onto the mountainside to initiate avalanches.  He obviously had great fun.   It used a receiver that was charged with nitrogen and had a dump valve.  The system is still used today.  There are concrete tables set around five feet high with mounting points for the mortar.  The truck drives up and the crew sets the mortar.  The high pressure comes from cylinders on the service truck.  They work their way through the pass regularly.  The explosive is set off by a .22 blank when a small pin strikes it as it hits the snow.
Reply:May not be a potatoe gun but it's still fun! Attached Images
Reply:I'm in the middle of rebuilding a cannon for my brother..He dont launch stuff out of it.. He likes the NOISE!!He uses black powder tightly wrapped in tin foil..Shoves it down the barrell..And uses "primercord" for the fuse..Goes off every time..I think this years July 4TH bash on the lake will be very LOUD!!May even shatter a few windows... I'll take some pics of it tomorrow..Its at the shop... ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Here is a good site for spud guns.http://www.spudtech.com/Enjoy.BrianLincoln Mig 215Miller 211Victor Torch SetMiller Maxstar 200SDMiller Syncrowave 250DX Tig runnerMiller Trailblazer 302 running on LPMiller Extreme 12 VS SuitcaseEllis 1600 BandsawMiller xmt350 CC/CVLincoln Vantage 300
Reply:Cool Zap love to see it!
Reply:Originally Posted by Dipper Welder64Cool Zap love to see it!
Reply:Originally Posted by grahamtheengineerTrash the grill igniter idea and get yourself a furnace igniter.  The type that create the constant arc for starting oil furnaces.  You'll be able to wire it so you just have to flick a switch...no more mis-fires
Reply:I didn't remember to use a dime but look closely at the fuse holder it's a brake bleeding fitting for disc brake caliper. The bore is 54 caliber and is 11 inches.
Reply:Originally Posted by BSOKHere is a good site for spud guns.http://www.spudtech.com/Enjoy.
Reply:I like it!!!  You are right, the young boys (which I have two of) should not see this.  Better yet, I will not let my dear wife see this. (Lol). At least until I make one then it is too late.
Reply:Potato guns are cool.Check out what this maniac did. http://youtube.com/watch?v=aMRsxNUOt-oCraftsman 230a Buzz-box,  Lincoln 140T & 180T, Century K2789, PUROX W202 O/A14" cheapo chop saw that cuts straight and square!A toolbox of the cheapest Chinese tools money can buy"Real" tools all old reliable Husky/Craftsman/Proto stuff
Reply:Sigh, and believe it or not even spun guns are regulated by the BATF. You are supposed to submit the drawings and get permission before you build one! A friend of mine has an 81mm Mortar that has BATF papers as demilled and written permission to make and fire a firecracker like charge for Vietnam reenacting, but got in a pinch in the great state of New York and was invaided  by the feds, lost all his guns and $10,000 worth of lawyers later was charged with misdemenor manufacture of fireworks. Ya just have to be careful these days, even when you are right.Not a beginner, not a pro !
Reply:Sigh, and believe it or not even spun guns are regulated by the BATF.
Reply:Originally Posted by richcharlesOk guys keep the young eyes away from the computer screen when reading this thread cuz they'll want you to make one too.Its a potato cannon, but not your typical pvc pipe one that uses hair spray , this one of sch40 pipe uses mapp, acetylene or equivilentI only had a few sucessful launches at about 100+ yds because the cheap bbq lighter I got a dollarama dicked out on me.
Reply:This past fall close to Halloween the wife and I took a few of the grandkids to a pumkin patch some people have set up for the Halloween season. A couple of the neat things they had there was a pumkin launcher, and then a few corn cob launchers. The pumpkin launcher would shoot a pumkin of about 8 lbs close to 1/4 mile. They had the barrel for it riged up on an old fire truck. Both the pumpkin launchers and the corn cob launchers worked off of air. The Pumpkin launcher had a piece of aprox. 20" pipe about 10-12' long rigged up to supply the blast to propel the pumkin. The corn cob launchers used a small tank of air of about 2-3 gal size for supplying enough air to lauch the corn cobs. They had a trigger mechanism made out of an air gun. You  could pivot the gun around and shoot it towards targets about 100 feet or so away. They hit the targets with a lot of force. They were a lot of fun for the kids to shoot. I even shot one of them a time or two. I don't have any idea where they came up with the design for them.We used to make them with compressed air when we found out the expansion properties of most gasses as they burn/explode isn't that high.  Schrader valve on a tank, then an automatic sprinkler valve hooked to a 9 volt battery to the launch tube.  Shot a ripe plum through a garage door and broke the grill of a car on the other side of the door, huge mess too.  Never got much above 100 psi as the valve would leak a bit when you got that high.
Reply:As promised..Here is the cannon barrell I'm rebuilding for my brother..21 Inches long1 1/4 bore...Its gonna be LOUD when I get it done......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Hey, where's the dime!!??  http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabHey, where's the dime!!??
Reply:i made a silencer for my potato gun.  worked well.  our gun launched spuds 250 yards.  they are not considered firearms by the govt and suprisingly...md.  propane has been our staple fuel=)
Reply:Originally Posted by LSX89RSi made a silencer for my potato gun...
Reply:I brought this thread back up instead of posting a new one..Seeing as the July "4th" fireworks around the lake is tonite mu brother brought the cannon over and made some noise..Here it is done finally..(Weight 100 lbs)..See the dime?I had the barrell in my lathe and machined out the bore for some 1/8" wall DOM 4043 tubing and tigged a cap on the end then we inserted it into the bore and drilled and tapped the casting for set screws to keep the sleeve in place so the fuse hole would not rotate out of the picture...Man this thing is LOUD!!2 Film containers of cannon powder and a little tin foil for packing..BOOM!!! ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I live in a city.  No potato fun for me.  BATF is small potatoes here.  Local Philadelphia's finest would have me in cuffs before you could say "spud."   Favorite right now is a Miller Syncro 200.Tons of tools and I blame at least one of them when things don't go right.
Reply:At college we used a pneumatic spud shooter. One night we realized that a can of corn would fit down the barrel... A couple hours later we found out that at ~100 psi said can of corn would blast its way through a 2x6 on end... Kids, don't try this at home.-Cory
Reply:I´ve build several...first it was a bbq lighter one...it was made of SCH40 pvc... the lighter was duct taped into a pistol grip and then taped into the barrel...it looked amazing...used hair spray and vegetables... it was amazing, pretty loud too...then I built a pneumatic with a std valve, it had a 2" wide and 1.5 m long chamber then reduced to 1" for the barrel...pump it up to 80 psi and then shoot...amazing too and what I would do is put a carrot (it fitted really tight) then a lot of BB´s or pellets then a little of newspaper. It would kill anything that you put in front of it...I also built one with a 2" inch wide chamber and about 50 cms long...then 60 cms of 3/4 barrel... also PVC... we would use that one for having some fun with animals or shooting paintballs...pneumatic too...Waiting to make another one...this one all steel with a stun gun.... I´ve seen those work great, awesome spark and easy to adapt...Last edited by elvergon; 07-07-2007 at 09:55 PM.My Babies: HF Drill pressHF Pipe Bender3   4.5" Black and Decker angle grindersLincoln Electric PROMIG 175that´s it!
Reply:ok we just built one with pvc.4" chamber and 2" barrel i had bbq lighter but it suckes butt so we put flint type lighter which works preatty well,goes through alot of flints though.with hairspray ive launched taters over 600 feet and man is it loud.....and fun as heck but really need a better ignition system
Reply:when i was younger i was told by my next door neighbor that if i shot one more potato at his barn that he would come over and insert the said gun into my body through my anal opening. he seemed to be in a highly agitated state of mind and gave the impression that he meant every word that he said. to this day i have not shot a single potato at his barn even though he has been deceased for ten years now. to this date my anal opening has been potato gun free.
Reply:I hate to date myself, but before PVC : ) we used 4 tennis ball cans with the bottom cut out and taped together and lighter fluid (Ronsonal) for fuel.  The tennis balls probably launched about 50 to 100 yards.Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:I recently made an pneumatic potato gun with pvc,air valve, and a sprinkler valve.It looks like this one
Reply:Is it UL tested and certified?Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:Cashier at lowes looks at you funny when a 19 year old kid is checking out a piece of 1 1/2" pvc pipe, an 3" to 1 1/2 inch reducer, a 3" clean out plug, and some pvc glue.
Reply:how does the valve (blow gun) work? needs some splainin
Reply:Originally Posted by Rick MoranI hate to date myself, but before PVC : ) we used 4 tennis ball cans with the bottom cut out and taped together and lighter fluid (Ronsonal) for fuel.  The tennis balls probably launched about 50 to 100 yards.
Reply:I think the anti terrorist squad in this country would shoot first and ask questions later ,therefor my potatoes will be boiled and served with a healthy serving of butter .yours behind the barricade Marky
Reply:%#^& had a long reply all typed out and it just disappeared.Zap, seriously bad idea.Unknown vintage and condition and material cast barrel sleeved with 1/8 inch 4043 aluminum?That's just an invitation to metal pieces flying all over the place.And that's serious trouble with the making of something to go boom.  Those three-letter (and now one is a four-letter) agency have -no- sense of fun or hobby creativity.  Read back to page one of this thread about someone else's problems with said agencies.Pull the sleeve out and TIG the touch-hole closed.  Leave it as a decoration.
Reply:Unknown vintage and condition and material cast barrel sleeved with 1/8 inch 4043 aluminum?
Reply:Even cro-moly DOM 4130 at 1/8 inch wall thickness is understrength.Once you welded the tube to cap it, you made a HAZ.  Unless you anealed it, you have a material property change in the HAZ.  Pressure spike plus non-uniform material property is bad.And even without the HAZ, that wall thickness is way too thin.  Think more like 1/2 inch wall thickness minimum at the breech.I think about the only thing that has helped to keep that barrel together so far is the only resistance to the powder has been the column of air in the barrel.  Even then, you are looking at pressure spikes and fatigue.Yank the sleeve out and TIG the touch hole closed.  The fun is not worth the risk, both body and legal.  IMHO.Like I said, those agencies have no humor and no sense of hobby creativity.
Reply:We put 3 pounds of powder thru it last weekend..I'll pull the sleeve out and look at it..The ultimate stress test..I'll post pics!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by riceburnerhow does the valve (blow gun) work? needs some splainin
Reply:Attachment 11209Attachment 11206Attachment 11207Attachment 11208http://www.metacafe.com/watch/379930...ll%20launcher/Last edited by denrep; 10-06-2008 at 11:25 PM.