spud gun question ... UPDATED with pics

Sounds like a great Christmas morning --- after they figure out that the potatoes are not a way of saying they were bad. I think it's very funny.

spud guns...weapons of mashed destruction

I've had this website bookmarked for the long time
http://www.advancedspuds.com/gunplans.htm

It's pretty basic, but it'll give you an idea.

Tips and tricks to spud guns

I had fun with these as an "adult" when I was in the service in Virginia. My experiences were:

A coleman lantern igniter makes for good ignition system in the combustion chamber. The flint on knurled wheel type.

Right guard makes a good propellant. Doesn't displace too much O2 to burn. If you wind up using starting fluid (ether) blow into the chamber before replacing the end cap. This replaces some of the O2, ether displaces too much to ignite in an enclosed space.

If space is a concern (a good spud gun will toss taters a hundred yards) balled up masking tape works well if it's a hair larger than bore size.

Make your first shots with the spud not overly far down the barrel, until you get a feel for how much pressure your gun generates with your propellant of choice. Having to unstick a stuck spud is a real buzzkill.

Edit to add: Build it at home. The adhesive and hardening additive for PVC is best used in a clean environment. Read: Messy and generates heat.

Have the PVC pre-cut to avoid too much hassle Christmas morning. A good formula we found was to have the combustion chamber about nine inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 times the diameter of the barrel.
Our barrels were normally about 18 inches to two feet.

spudtech.com

Merry Christmas!
That'll put the proper spirit into them!
I love spud guns, the two web links above are the greatest. Read this one too:
http://tomacorp.com/ballistics/ABSvsPVC.html
But remember the guy is a little paranoid.

Another good "trigger" is a push-button gas grill lighter (pizoelectric).

There's actually not much to it. My roommates and I had one in college that was just a passed off old thing.

It was essentially like a bottlenecked rifle cartridge with 5" ABS pipe for the rear half, and 3" ABS pipe for the front half (barrel), totalling 6' in length. At the rear end was a screw-in plug, and about a quarter way from the rear were two pieces of stiff metal wire that entered the "chamber" from opposite sides, and attached to an electric barbecue igniter on the exterior.

We used a Lacrosse stick as our ramrod, and used aquanet hairspray with the best luck for propellant. I paced some shots off at 200 yards. We also tried apples and other fruit/vegetables, but potatoes work best.

(Something you DON'T want to tell your boys: Raquetballs worked well for "indoor" work. )

They are GREAT fun, but hairspray makes a sticky residue that has to be cleaned out every now and then... Of course, we were poor college students using whatever we had, could pilfer, or could pitch in to buy. Experimentation is a bit expensive for college kids, but for a family project, you guys should be able to find something that works well.

Wes

pax said:

The backstory: husband and I have five sons, ages 16, 14, 12, 11, & 10 years old.

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Five sons. Wow! I thought I was blessed with two!

Check www.backyard-ballistics.com. There's also a book called _Backyard Ballistics_ that has several good spud gun designs.

Michael Courtney

Here's a great link http://www.xinventions.com/main/spud/bipod.htm

Pax, i just want to say that your christmas idea is great! I would love to have experienced that when i was your sons' ages!

www.spudtech.com

You can build an exceedingly simple combustion (powered by Ether, hairspray, WD-40, or whatever) potato(e) cannon for not much money, time, or difficult thought. One key is that you make _SURE_ that everything is clean and dry before you go and start touchin' stuff off, lest there be trouble.

That's an awesome-fun idea, though, my parents never gave me a build-it-yo'-self potato(e)arm kit for Christmas! Can you be my mom, too? I want a an Auto-Ordnance Thompson!

~GnSx

After the rig is built, wrap the chamber and barrel transition areas with multiple layers of duct tape. This will help reduce the chance of a big KB if you get overzealous with the propellant

I really dig your plan. It should be great fun to keep your eye on the boys as they peel off the wrapping paper. But I bet they will be really fried when they find only potatoes in their stockings.

pax said:

One more question: are there any legal issues I should be aware of here in Washington state?

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If so, they are state/local only.

BATF FAQ: Are 'potato guns' or 'spud guns' legal?

Spud gun redux

While you do want to 'bottleneck' the device, that is, use a larger diameter for the chamber and a smaller one for the bore, keep the bore relatively small. Someone used 3" pipe here - and you have to buy *big* expensive taters to fit that bore. Keep it small, like 1 1/2" or so with a 3 or 4" chamber, and use cheper projectiles. ABS (schedule 80) pipe is best, but expensive and hard to find. Schedule 40 PVC works OK.

WD-40 doesn't work anymore. They changed the formulation when the company discovered knucklehead kids where 'huffing' the propellant.

It really is great fun. A friend from a gun-unfriendly county in CT had one, and one of his snooty neighbors called the law on him. When the cops showed up, they threatened to write him up - unless he gave them detailed instructions to build their own. They hung around for an hour or so launching spuds 'til they were all gone....

BTW, Lemons, oranges and apples work as well.

At night we shove a glow stick in a lemon, shoot it into the air and then make the kids go recover it. They sleep so well those nights!

Someone used 3" pipe here - and you have to buy *big* expensive taters to fit that bore.

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Actually, I was thinking a little more about it, and I think it was 2.5", but still, you're right. We did have to get bigger potatoes for really good shots. The small ones worked, but the bigger ones that "sealed" better shot farther.

I would say 2" would be optimal.

I am so envious, Pax. I want a potato gun again now!

Wes

Sounds like you could use a copy of Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle...

big hint, do not put the igniter button on the end cap. Coleman lantern lighter with the flint is better than grill igniters because the flint always lites if it has flint. it can be wet with spray and still ignite, where a grill igniter does not always.

I wonder if I ever told you the story of the night my wife met my parents? Dad was being his usual taciturn self, and Missy was a little worried, until she mentioned puppies for some reason. "That reminds me!" dad exclaimed, and excitedly told us the story of how he and his buddies at work had been launching potatoes across the street onto the roof of the large outdoor shed at the lumberyard across the way that day.
Why did puppies remind him of that?
Because when they ran out of potatos and apples, the only projectile they could think of was a small stuffed "Pound Puppy" toy someone had left in one of the trucks. They rolled his ears around his head and rammed him down. Dad reported that it was a sight to do the heart good to watch that brave little puppy, his ears unfurling like magnificent wings, soar across the street, over the power lines, and disappear over the horizon (in this case, the lumber yard building.)

who is this firing the spud cannon?

I hereby humbly request and all that robe and powdered wig stuff...

pax has got to do a video of this , at least pics

Do I hear a second?

Seconded and Thirded with a hell yeah tossed in.

Hey, you get my age you get super secret posting powers...who needs mods privies?

Mr. Gwinn,
Great Story!!

Steve