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Building a better [spud]gun...

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Hey, this looks like fun. Let me suggest something for you guys to check out. PVC will shatter if enough pressure is applied. I once worked at a plant that manufactured large PVC pipe. Our pressure testing shop had holes in the metal roof. A lot of holes.

What I'd like to suggest you check out is what is called "clear PVC". I bought some 1" clear PVC from a local industrial supply for a project at work. I'm not a chemist, but the clear stuff, I think, is actually Lexan. It machines the same and has the same blueish tint. It won't shatter with hammer blow like white PVC does. The 1" piece I had was shedule 40. I think it would make a safer bore for one of these things.

I read above that some of you shoot "patched" golf balls with your spud guns. What is the best size for shooting golf balls. The reason I ask is that a local charity outfit sponcered a "golf day" for the local school. Our building and grounds was pelted with over 200 balls that they left here.
 
Lycanthope

Plans? I have a buddy that loves to do projects with me. This looks Ideal for a good weekend project and hours of fun. Plus the guys at the range will drop jaw when I stroll up with one of those! :D
We have alot of guys at the outdoor range here in Columbia (actually its past newberry) that are alot of fun and always share their toys. this looks like one that'll be a hit all day long with them ;)

The only ones I have experience with currently is combustion. Your pneumatic looks top shelf!
 
My best "spud" creation so far was built around a PVC pipe that was sized just right for SQUASH balls; when I had the mixture right, it would launch those things straight up out of sight so far that I had to find a huge empty parking lot to fire it in. I also tried oxyacetylene as a propellant once, but it started making sounds that made me nervous about the prospects of picking PVC shrapnel out of my body.
 
Hrmm..... I have some largish steel tubing, some plate, and an arc welder.... wonder what kind of mayhem I could do making that into a pressure vessel?

My air compressor only supplies 250psi before auto cutoff.... I think that'd be a safe max test on anything I weld, go hook it up behind the garage and outbuilding and hit the valve on the compressor, maybe have something heavy ring on it a bit to make sure it wouldn't explode from brittleness...

Or I could just use PVC. :)
 
A thought just struck.....

.... anyone want to try a paradox-style rifling system? That should be easy enough to cut *by hand*.... just draw it out and use something sharp and/or hot to dig out a rifling. I'd strap the barrel below it with duct tape though, but the rest of the barrel would be just as strong as normal.

As soft as a potato is, you could also make an insert like a shotgun choke, maybe of soda can thickness, with grooves bent into it....

...thinking too much, headache.... :D
 
Mine was powered by an onboard paintball CO2 tank, repeating, and fully velocity adjustable. I took the reg off for use on a paintmarker, though. RIP

I'd post a pic, but it's already attatched and I can't find it.

It made a wicked water cannon too.
 
From what I've seen on THIS SITE my stuff is pretty tame. Since pic's aren't an option for me, I'll describe the design that I've had success with. NOTE: The requisite disclaimer is appropriate here: I MAKE NO GUARANTEES WHATSOEVER. USING THESE CONCEPTS IN WHOLE OR PART IS TO BE DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

5th Generation design:

Using SCH 80 (Grey) PVC throughout:
(1) 3" cap
(1) 3" weld socket to 3" male adapter
(1) 18" stick 3" pipe
(1) 3" weld coupling
(1) 1.5" weld to 3" weld bushing
(1) 4" stick 1.5" pipe
(1) 1.5" weld union
(1) 48" stick 1.5" pipe

Additionally,
(1) Coleman-style lantern lighter
(1) piece of wood, no larger than the bore of the 1.5" pipe, 40" long (used as a ram-rod)
(1) can of propellant of choice

I like a brushed finish on my tubes, so I axially sand everything but the fittings with 150 grit paper to get a nice even finish. Looks much better, almost two-tone, this way. Also, the markings (printed) on the tubes are gone...
 
Some pics of my 2" ...... the 1 1/2" and 1" are essentially the same but scaled down. It's nothing fancy .. but it was cheap to make, goes ''bang'' most times and is a hoot! Not got the range some of you guys seem to have but .. it is a lotta fun.

Ignition is by a piezo igniter .. not a Coleman ... one I have several of from back when I did Gas fire R&D. It is mounted to a steel bracket .... and from the mounting bolts one piece of music wire is taken to center of combustion chamber. The piezo earth lead is carried under some duct tape to another bolt, which holds electrode #2 .... the two wires form a cross and the gap is crudely adjustable.

My own experimentation has shown that the bend forms a better combustion chamber than straight tube. The propellant charge is introduced by unscrewing the threaded access plug .... and quickly re-installing it.


spudgun-01-s.jpg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a view looking into comb'n chamber to show electrodes .. they are almost centered in there. You can't see gap but I keep it quite wide ... probably 1/4" nearly. Lot of crud despuite a wipe-out! Ignition is pretty reliable.

spud-sparkwires-s.jpg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is muzzle ... as I mentioned before, the chamfer is about 90% external and 10% internal ... this means the ''piston'' gets cut slightly over size and when rammed down is good and tight.

spud-chamfer-s.jpg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A question .... ref been made to ''sch 40'' .... what is it? I plead ignorance! :p I do find a miniscule squirt of starter spray works pretty well .. as long as it atomizes enough.
 
The abbreviation SCH = 'schedule' Beyond that, the basics are, the higher the number, the thicker the wall. For the most part, more thickness = more strength, and cost.
 
wooo hooooo!!

Thanks Lycan! Those plans are great!

Now it's time to build. Watch out SC! :D

Spudzilla II is on the way!
 
just so happens a package from spud tech was waiting for me yesterday

3 feet of rifled PVC Sched 80

the grooves are not that deep

but they should work

:cool:

my current project is a piston valved pneumatic
the valve is encased by the pressure chamber

the main "issue" is PVC is not concentric or perfectly circular
so i need to open the schedule 80 up to sched 40
so my Orings work

a 125psi pop off keeps it from going kaboom
 
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