Shooting from 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 potatoes themselves, or from old Europe. No, there are also enough Kulibins on Russian soil with domestic bulb guns, but the format of “mass psychosis” potato artillery received in the West.
“Potato cannon”, “potato gun”, “spud cannon”, “spudzooka”, “kartoffelkanone” - there are many names and varieties of potato cannons and pistols in different languages and countries. In its most common version, the potato cannon is a muzzle-loaded weapon that is driven by compressed air or by energy from the ignition of a mixture of flammable gas and oxygen. Potatoes are most often used as a projectile, which is how the name came about. 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. At a low cost of 1000-1500 rubles, the result is a gun about 1.5 meters long, which can fire at a distance of 5 to 200 meters. Advanced specimens, if you believe the stories of experienced potato shooters, are much more impressive in size and send the vegetable even further - 300 meters. Not only is the range impressive, but so is the shot. You wouldn’t expect such a loud bang from several plumbing fixtures fastened together. The ballistics are also impressive: it is quite difficult to accurately predict in which direction the potatoes will fly.
Potato cannons have gained popularity all over the world due to their simplicity of design. The cannon components can be purchased by visiting your local plumbing supply store. Numerous authors of video tutorials on the Internet tell how to assemble a “potato shooter” or “potato bazooka” in literally 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 piezoelectric element of a lighter, tape, glue and several screws. Like a construction set that even a child can master, in a few minutes a real cannon with a muzzle, combustion chamber and initiator is assembled. Having filled the chamber with gas, hairspray or toilet freshener, screwed on the lid and pushed the vegetable into the barrel with an improvised cleaning rod, the shooter uses a piezoelectric element to apply a trigger into the combustion chamber - and a shot follows. Yes, such that it is better for those around you to keep their distance - with a close hit on the target, the potato breaks soft-boiled.
If in Russia shooting from potato cannons is mainly regarded as weekend pampering and hooliganism, then in the USA there have long been communities of “potatogainers”. Shooting enthusiasts flock to different ends countries on special polygons and hold competitions with cash prizes. The winner is usually chosen based on three criteria - the potato's flight distance, time in the air and accuracy. At the same time, participants are constantly upgrading their guns. There is no limit to the imagination here. The design can be complicated by adding several barrels, automatic charge supply, automatic gas dosing, automatic ventilation of the combustion chamber using a fan, and, ultimately, improvement of the ammunition itself, giving it greater dynamism.
The method of setting the vegetable in motion does not necessarily involve igniting the fuel. The shot can be fired either by compressing air (pneumatic catapults), or by exploding a dry ice bomb or compressing the fuel-air mixture (hybrid type gun). No self-respecting potato shooter can do without accessories: straps for carrying ammunition, handles, cases for potatoes, etc. In many ways, the popularity of potato shooting among Americans is fueled by television. Scenes using potato shooters and potato-shooting devices are found in films such as Tremors 3, " iron Man 3”, in the TV series “House”, the cartoon “The Simpsons” and so on.
However, it is worth remembering that if in the United States, where 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 serial sale of potato guns will almost certainly result in problems with the law. As a negative example, we can cite the experience of Germany, where a craze for potato guns among local teenagers several years ago had to be actively suppressed with the help of the police. The potato cannonade sounded on the outskirts of almost all German cities. Soon the news was full of reports of the first victims. Thus, a teenager from Göttingen lost part of his ear when the chamber exploded when he pulled the trigger. 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 hairspray exploding while refilling, a third suffered broken bones, and so on. As a result, the authorities of most lands decided, out of harm’s way, to equate potato cannons with firearms. Now in Germany the creation and possession of kartoffelkanone is prosecuted by the police. The same ban applies in Austria. So concerns craftsmen One can understand regarding the organization of vegetable shooting ranges. So far, potato cannons in Russia can only be officially seen as exhibits at rare open-air popular science festivals.
Today many people hear about potato cannons. What are they and what are they for? Potato cannon- this is a weapon, and with a fairly long firing range. You can do it yourself. This article will tell you what devices are needed for this and how the gun works.
Principle of operation
The potato cannon is very similar to firearms, only has a lower operating pressure. In it, the projectile is also set in motion using a mixture of gases under pressure. Guns can differ in the way they eject the projectile. We will talk about weapons in which the fuel-air mixture ignites.
The gun consists of a combustion chamber, an ignition system and a barrel. To fire a shot, you need to use a ramrod to push the projectile, in our case a potato, into the barrel. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. It could be propane or some kind of aerosol. Now it is necessary to activate the ignition system. Typically, a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter is used for this. The mixture ignites and creates hot gases. They expand under the influence high temperature and push the potatoes out of the trunk.
We'll tell you how to make a potato cannon below, but first you need to find out whether such a weapon is legal. Research the laws that apply where you live. In some places, such weapons are prohibited, and their manufacture and possession can be punished.
Once you've verified that potato cannons are legal in your area, you're ready to start making them.
Required accessories
The spare parts that we need to make the gun can be bought at a hardware store. The cost of all parts will be approximately 800-1500 rubles. Thus, a DIY potato cannon will not cost too much.
So, what should you buy? When going to the store, write the following list on a piece of paper:
- Plastic pipe with a diameter of 10 cm, bent at a right angle - 1 pc.
- Plastic pipe with a diameter of 5 cm (1.2 meters) - 1 pc.
- Adapter from 10 to 5 cm - 1 pc.
- Pipe cap with thread - 1 pc.
- Piezoelectric element - 1 pc.
- Sealant - 1-2 packs.
- Aerosol can with butane - 2-3 bottles.
- Potatoes - 1 bag.
Assembling the combustion chamber
When you have purchased everything you need, you are concerned about the question of how to make a potato cannon. Well, let's start in order and make the combustion chamber.
First of all, screw the cap onto the end of the curved pipe, having previously coated the thread with sealant.
We insert a narrow pipe into the adapter. It will play the role of the barrel of our gun. The structure must be straight and have a strong connection.
A small hole should be drilled in the side of the resulting “shoulder”. So we assembled the combustion chamber. The main thing in this work is to choose optimal size. If it is very short, then the potato will fly out quickly, and if it is long, then the speed of the projectile will slow down.
Insert a piezoelectric element
Piezo element - necessary thing, without it the potato cannon will not work. Instructions on how to insert it are given below.
We wrap the piezoelectric element with wire. There should be a small gap between its end and the spark generator.
Now we insert our “spark” into the hole that we drilled in the pipe. We seal the hole with sealant so that there are no gaps left and air cannot penetrate inside.
We screw a self-tapping screw into the chamber to a depth of 1.5 cm. We wind a wire from the piezoelectric element to it from the outside of the chamber. When working, you should use a blue tape to avoid electric shock.
Now let's press the button. If a small spark runs along the wire from the piezoelectric element to the screw, then everything is done correctly.
How to load a gun and fire a shot
Our finished potato cannon needs shells. To charge it, we take a potato, put it in the trunk and push it with a ramrod. If you don't have one, you can use a narrow stick. You need to choose a potato of such a size that there is a small gap between it and the trunk.
That's it, the gun is ready for battle. If you decide to shoot with a small gun, it is recommended to place a rag in the barrel. It will prevent the projectile from flying out prematurely, and its flight range will be long.
Now you need to choose a target. You can only aim the gun at a target that is not near people or animals.
Well, are you ready to shoot? Then unscrew the cap and spray the aerosol into the chamber for 5 seconds. Everything needs to be done very quickly. Screw on the cap and press the ignition button. The potatoes flew.
Before next shot the gun must be cleaned and the above steps repeated.
Safety regulations
Shooting from a potato cannon is quite fun, but do not forget about the safety rules:
- Never point the gun at people or animals. The most suitable place for shooting is considered to be an empty open field.
- The potato cannon is a weapon! It can cause serious injury. It must be used with extreme caution.
- Check out current laws. If such a weapon is illegal, you will face penalties for using it.
- Do not glue gun tubes together. Otherwise, it may explode with a powerful shot.
- There is no need to load the gun unless you intend to fire a shot.
- At very high or low temperatures You cannot shoot potatoes in air. The fact is that plastic pipes can become fragile, which poses a danger both to the shooter himself and to those around him.
How to make a mini potato cannon
To make a potato cannon small size, let's take plastic bottle with lid. You will also need a small syringe, a piezo lighter button, a wooden pistol grip, glue, wire and
We make a hole in the pistol grip and cut a hole for the piezoelectric element. We install the button and contacts and fix everything with glue.
Use a knife to make two holes in the bottle at a distance of 0.5 cm from each other. We insert the wire from the piezoelectric element into them. When you press the button, a spark should run between the contacts.
Glue the bottle to the wooden handle.
Now we will make a barrel from a syringe. Let's cut it off top part and remove the piston.
We make a hole in the bottle cap into which we insert a syringe and fix the structure with glue. The mini potato cannon is ready.
You can shoot small pieces of potatoes or berries from such a weapon.
So, we learned how to make a potato cannon with your own hands. This process requires great care and accuracy. Shooting from a finished cannon should be done very carefully and under no circumstances should the gun be directed towards people or animals. You can only shoot at inanimate objects.
and, being completely delighted with it, they promised to build a more perfect model in the future. And now, three years later, we were again drawn to the vegetable artillery. Last time we were satisfied with the accuracy and range of fire, and now we decided to improve the rate of fire. Let's remember: to charge our first classic gun, it was necessary to unscrew the barrel, blow out the breech with a pump, install potatoes in the barrel, supply gas from a can and quickly assemble the weapon.
Shells for loading into the magazine must be prepared in advance. They are cut from large potatoes using a piece of pipe with a diameter of 63 mm with sharpened edges. In the design of the gun we used four types of pipes. A 63mm pipe is used as the barrel. The combustion chamber has a diameter of 90 mm. The arc connecting the breech and tail is made of 50 mm pipe. A rammer is made from it, which must enter the trunk and push the potatoes into it. Finally, the magazine jumpers are cut from the 25mm diameter pipe.
We have not yet decided to go for a fully automatic gun. Although such designs exist. They are controlled by a computer controller, and all recharging operations are performed by numerous servos. The potato cannon does not produce serious recoil, the energy of which could be directed to mechanical reloading, so we limited ourselves to manual reloading, but with a lightweight magazine for six shells, automatic system purging and supplying gas to the combustion chamber.
Turbocharged gun
To reload our gun, the shooter moves the combustion chamber back, grasping a special handle. In this case, a purge window is released from under the housing, which is located exactly under the fan. The fan automatically turns on and blows through the combustion chamber, filling it with air and freeing it from combustion products. At this time, the shooter turns the magazine, placing another potato opposite the entrance to the barrel.
On the diagram gray pipes, corners and tees are shown, and adapter rings are shown in brown. When selecting components, be careful: the catalogs indicate the outer diameters of pipes and adapter rings. This means that an adapter ring with parameters 90x63 mm fits onto a 63 mm pipe, but does not fit into a 90 mm pipe - only into a suitable tee or coupling with the corresponding internal diameter.
A cylinder with a propane-butane mixture is attached to the body. A tube is connected to it, the other end of which is fixed exactly above the purge window. At the final stage of charging, the shooter briefly presses the canister button to supply gas to the combustion chamber. Thanks to the operation of the fan, all the gas enters the chamber and mixes well with the air. Now you need to quickly, before the gas flies out of the rammer hole, push the combustion chamber forward and secure the handle in the locking mechanism. In this case, the rammer, attached to the combustion chamber at the front, will pass through the magazine cylinder and push the potato into the barrel. That's it, the gun is ready to fire.
The automatic operation of the fan is very simple. When the combustion chamber is moved back to full speed, the button installed on it rests against the housing. In fact, it is the button that serves as a limiter for the backward movement of the breech. When moving forward, the handle performs the same role. The most important part of the design is the locking mechanism. It is a corner screwed to the body through which the handle is wound. Without such a lock, during a shot, the combustion chamber, instead of sending potatoes along the barrel, will roll back on its own.
The store is the most the hard part designs. It is made from an adapter ring, lengths of 25mm pipe, six cylinders cut from 90mm pipe and twelve saddles. The structure is assembled absolutely reliably using glue. Note that the central adapter ring is attached to the axis between two similar couplings. They are also fixed with glue. The diameter of the cylinders is significantly larger than the diameter of the rammer, making it easier to push it to the barrel. The potatoes are held in the center of the cylinder by foam pads.
Plumbing designer
What a blessing that there are pipes and fittings made of polyvinyl chloride in the world! As a solution for installing a water supply system, they are completely unpopular, but lovers of technical creativity can build from them whatever their heart desires. Working with PVC pipes is reminiscent of playing with a construction set: assembly requires a minimum of plumbing work, since from the variety of fittings available for sale you can select ready-made “bricks” for almost any design.
When choosing a set of pipes and fittings, you need to remember the following. Firstly, you should choose pipes for pressure water supply, and not for sewerage. The latter are not designed to work under pressure, so a gun made from them may explode. Secondly, do not confuse PVC pipes with the more common polyethylene pipes, the connection of which requires a special welding machine. PVC pipes and fittings are designed for adhesive connections. It is important to remember that PVC glue causes irritation to the mucous membrane of the eyes and respiratory tract, so you need to work with it in a respirator, in a well-ventilated area.
Finally, when selecting adapter rings for connecting pipes of different diameters, you should be very careful not to confuse the internal and external diameters. Looking at the diagram, you might think that the design of our gun has too many unnecessary parts, those same adapter rings. This is due precisely to the desire to select elements of matching diameters so that they can be easily assembled without any mechanical modification.
Two long screws screwed into the pipe at an angle to each other form an excellent ignition system. Self-tapping screws are better than screws because they do not come loose and have a pointed end, which has a beneficial effect on spark formation. By turning them in one direction or another, you can adjust the gap between them. A special feature of this design is the “tightly” sealed combustion chamber. Therefore, before gluing the plug to the pipe, you should make sure that the ignition system is assembled and working, and that the handle is screwed securely and is not going to come loose. Repairing a sealed combustion chamber in the event of a breakdown will be problematic. For a similar reason, you should not use low-quality fuel: hairspray or deodorant. This will quickly lead to contamination of the electrodes, which can no longer be cleaned.
We couldn't do without plumbing work at all. The fact is that our gun requires a number of movable joints, and none of the standard fittings are designed for the pipe to pass through it. On the contrary, all adapter rings have coupling connections - special stops that secure the fitting to the end of the pipe for ease of installation. We had to grind off these stops using a drill.
In addition to PVC pipes and fittings, which the diagram will help you choose, to build a gun you will need an 8-centimeter computer fan, a 9-volt battery, a piezoelectric kitchen lighter, several metal corners and mounting profiles, as well as a can of propane-butane mixture for camping burners, which can be purchased at a sports store.
We were very lucky with the gas supply system. On one of the paint cans lying around in the editorial office, there was a button with a sprayer, the diameter of which exactly corresponded to the thickness of an aquarium hose, which had also been lying idle since time immemorial. All that remains is to put the hose on the button, and the button on the cylinder with the propane-butane mixture.
Laughing Gas
The air-fuel mixture is a capricious thing. Learning to feed just the right amount of gas into the combustion chamber is the main skill of a potato shooter. A mixture that is too lean will not ignite, and a mixture that is too rich will not ignite either. I would like to urge all experimenters to be careful, admitting, as an example, their own sloppiness. While practicing firing blanks, we significantly over-enriched the mixture. Desperate to set it on fire, we left the gun with the bolt closed. Returning a little later, we tried to flick the lighter again. During this time, the excess gas has evaporated, and the mixture in the combustion chamber is well mixed. As a result, the gun slammed so hard that half the employees on the floor had their ears ringing for half a day. So we learned, not without joy, that our gun was capable of firing with much greater force than we thought, and also that we should never fire indoors, even with blanks. And now we always use headphones or earplugs on the street.
Most computer coolers are designed for 12V voltage, but will work fine on a 9V battery. Don't be alarmed by the fact that there are four wires coming out of the fan. To make it work, the black wire must be connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the yellow wire to the positive terminal. The fan is turned on by a button attached to the combustion chamber. When the breech is pulled back to reload, the button presses against the body, starting the purge process.
When assembling the gun, we expected that we would have to pay for the convenience of reloading in terms of range. A multi-shot gun is structurally more complex than a classic one, and its design has a “bottleneck” in the literal sense of the word: it is a rammer, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the barrel. In addition, the purge window and the same rammer are places of potential leakage of working gases. That is why we strongly do not recommend using weapons for hand-held shooting.
Our forecasts turned out to be wrong. Through blowing with a fan ensured better filling of the combustion chamber with oxygen and better mixing of air and gas. Therefore, the pressure in the chamber during the combustion of the mixture increased, and with it the firing range increased. So we can safely recommend that you repeat our experience. Go for it, but be careful!
- If your local hardware store doesn't have the exact parts delivered, don't worry. You can probably use multiple parts (eg gearboxes, couplings, etc.) to achieve what the parts listed do.
- Muzzle-loading firearms use " packaging material" - sections of fabric to wrap the shells and form good print with a barrel. The same concept can be applied to potato weapons if others are using ammunition that cannot be cut. The possibilities are endless.
- Try new ammunition! 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 Implement Instructions". There are many uses for this tool, 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 into the chamber.
- The volume of the combustion chamber is proportional to the force of the shot, a long chamber produces an ineffective 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 joining before building your grenade launcher. Give each glue line a quarter turn as if you were pushing them together.
- Too much propellant gas is just as bad as having too little. If too much oxygen is moved, combustion will not occur. Through trial and error you will learn to use the optimal amount of fuel in your individual design.
- Pipe terminology is often confusing. Here are some abbreviations used: FIPT - Internal thread; MIP - External thread; NEST - miss nest; MISS - unbraided pipe, use glue to protect the joint; PLUG - a man puts on a grommet, etc.; Overkill - outside the diameter; ID - in diameter (PVC pipe measurements are usually measured in ID, so the overshoot will be greater than 2 inches).
- If something needs to be tightly closed, use duct tape. It starts out as tape, but after you use the gun the tape turns into a very sticky glue 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 to form an effective compression wave and transfer the explosion energy.
- To obtain maximum flow through the valve, read the directions of the valve. This often involves turning a knob or cuff on a valve.
- Follow the instructions on the glue, and glue generously on both the pipe and socket. Do not use glue or adhesive 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 waste power. However, if the trunk too much long, the 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 through trial and error.
- Christie's 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.
Potato cannon, in English. - Potato cannon or Potato gun is the favorite pastime of those who love both tinkering and hooliganism, and at the same time want to remain within the law. Probably, the harsh Russian cops will react poorly to such a hobby, but, having successfully originated in America, the potato gun also successfully spread throughout the world, only in a few countries it was banned.
For such a gun you will need: PVC pipes, which are used in plumbing. Namely - a cover, a coupling, an adapter, a pipe with a diameter of 50 and a tee with a diameter of 110. You also need to have on hand: a hacksaw, a knife, liquid nails, and tape.
Begin slowly gather, this unit. On the 110 tee from the end side we attach the roof, first spreading it with glue. WITH opposite side, also on glue, we put the coupling on. Having secured the coupling, let the glue dry a little and insert the adapter from 110 to 50 pipe into it. The lid will screw on the side; it does not need to be glued by inertia.
Next we will make the barrel for the potato cannon. Take 2 meters of plastic tube with a diameter of 50 and cut it in half. Cut the second half lengthwise with a knife. Then we put the cut pipe on the whole one. In this way we strengthened the thin pipe of our trunk. Next, we reinforce this trunk with tape. After you have wound 2-3 layers of tape, glue the barrel into the combustion chamber (the part we made first) and go through it with tape again.
After all the plastic parts are assembled, let's start filling. After drilling the holes, screw a screw into the combustion chamber. A spark will jump between it and the wire. A cheap piezo lighter for gas stoves was chosen as a spark source. There are two wires coming from the piezoelectric element, we screw one to the screw, the second at a distance of 5mm from it. We screw the lighter itself to the gun body with tape, leaving the spark button free.
Operating principle and first tests of a potato cannon
We take potatoes slightly larger than the diameter of the trunk and press them into it with force. Next you need to push it further with something. For this purpose, you can make a cleaning rod from a ski pole. We push the potatoes to the end of the barrel, but not into the combustion chamber itself. To do this, you can make a notch on the ramrod so that you can see where to push the projectile.Then we take an aerosol can with acetone, unscrew the cap, spray a little into the combustion chamber and close it back. We press the button of the piezo lighter, the explosion of the projectile is pushed out by burning acetone vapors.
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