Today, many hear about potato guns. What is it and what are they for? A potato gun is a weapon, and with a fairly large range. You can do it yourself. This article will tell you about what devices will be needed for this and how the gun works.
Principle of operation
The potato gun is very similar to a firearm, only has less working pressure. In it, the projectile is also driven in motion using a mixture of gases under pressure. Guns can vary in terms of projectile ejection. We will talk about weapons in which the ignition of the fuel-air mixture occurs.
The gun consists of a combustion chamber, an ignition system and a barrel. To fire a shot, you need to ram a shell with a ramrod, in our case, potatoes, into the barrel. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. It can be propane or some kind of aerosol. Now it is necessary to activate the ignition system. Usually a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter is used for this. The mixture ignites and creates hot gases. They expand under the influence of high temperature and push the potatoes out of the trunk.
We will tell you how to make a potato gun below, but first you need to find out whether such a tool is legal. Learn the laws that apply in your area of residence. In some places, such weapons are prohibited, and their manufacture and storage threatens with punishment.
If you are convinced that the potato gun in your area is considered legal, you can proceed with its manufacture.
Essential Accessories
Spare parts that we need to make a gun can be bought at a hardware store. The cost of all parts will be approximately 800-1500 rubles. Thus, a potato gun with your own hands will not cost too much.
So what do you need to get? Going to the store, write on the leaflet the following list:
- A 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.
- Cap on the pipe with thread - 1 pc.
- Piezoelectric element - 1 pc.
- Sealant - 1-2 packs.
- Aerosol can with butane - 2-3 bottles.
- Potato - 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 gun. Well, let's start in order and make a combustion chamber.
First of all, we wind the cap onto the end of the bent pipe, having previously coated the thread with sealant.
Next, connect the adapter to the other end of the pipe. It is also treated with glue. An adapter is needed to dock a 10 cm diameter pipe with a 5 cm diameter pipe.
We insert a narrow pipe into the adapter. She will play the role of the barrel of our gun. The design should be straight and have a strong connection.
A small hole should be drilled in the side of the resulting “shoulder”. So we collected the combustion chamber. The main thing in this work is to choose the optimal size. If it is very short, then the potato will fly out quickly, and if long, then the speed of the projectile will slow down.
Insert the piezoelectric element
A piezoelectric element is a necessary thing; a potato gun would not work without it. Instructions on how to insert it are given below.
Wrap the piezoelectric element with wire. A small gap should remain 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 a sealant so that there are no cracks and air cannot penetrate inside.
We screw a self-tapping screw into the chamber to a depth of 1.5 cm. We wind the wire from the piezoelectric element outside the chamber to it. When working, you should use a blue ribbon so as not to get an electric shock.
Now press the button. If a small spark runs through the wire from a piezoelectric element to a self-tapping screw, then everything is done correctly.
How to load a gun and fire a shot
Our finished potato gun needs shells. To charge it, we take potatoes, put it in the trunk and push it with a ramrod. If not, you can use a narrow stick. You need to choose potatoes of such a size that there is a small gap between it and the trunk.
Everything, the gun is ready for battle. If you decide to shoot a small gun, it is recommended to put a rag in the barrel. She will not allow the projectile to fly prematurely, and its range will be large.
Now you need to choose a target. You can only direct the gun at the target near which there are no people or animals.
Are you ready for a shot? Then we unscrew the cap and spray the aerosol into the chamber for 5 seconds. Everything needs to be done very quickly. We twist the cap and press the ignition button. The potato flew.
Before the next shot, the gun must be cleaned and the above steps repeated.
Safety regulations
Shooting from a potato gun is pretty fun, but don't forget the safety rules:
- Never point the gun at people or animals. The most suitable place for shooting is an empty open field.
- A potato gun is a weapon! She can cause serious injuries. Use it with extreme caution.
- View applicable laws. If such a tool is illegal, you will face punishment for using it.
- Do not glue gun pipes together. Otherwise, with a powerful shot, it can explode.
- No need to charge the gun if you do not intend to fire a shot.
- At very high or low air temperatures, potatoes cannot be shot. The fact is that plastic pipes can become fragile, which poses a danger to both the shooter and others.
How to make a mini potato gun
To make a small potato gun, take a plastic bottle with a lid. You will also need a small syringe, a button from a piezo lighter, a pistol grip made of wood, glue, wire and an
office knife.We make a hole in the pistol grip and cut a hole under the piezoelectric element. We install the button and contacts and fix everything with glue.
With a knife we make two holes in the bottle at a distance of 0.5 cm from each other. We insert a wire from a piezoelectric element into them. When a button is pressed, a spark should run between the contacts.
Glue the bottle to the wooden handle.
Now make the barrel of a syringe. We cut off its upper part and remove the piston.
In the bottle cap we make a hole into which we insert the syringe and fix the structure with glue. Mini potato gun is ready.
You can shoot from such a tool in small pieces of potatoes or berries.
Potato Cannon Usage Tips
- If there is no spark, check the connection.
- Do not touch the metal parts of the gun.
- You need to fire a shot very quickly. It takes no more than 10 seconds to spray the spray and press the button.
- The projectile should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the barrel.
- The camera should be cleaned after each shot.
So, we learned how to make a potato gun with our own hands. This process requires great care and accuracy. Firing from a finished gun should be very careful and in no case should the gun be pointed towards people or animals. You can only shoot at inanimate objects.