Auto-loading Spaghetti Pen Gun

What you need:

- A standard pen
- Some tape
- A stick of dry spaghetti
- Some kind of sharp object (screwdriver possibly)

We used to make these as kids at school. :)

NOTE: Sorry some people seem to have gotten the wrong idea. I should of been more clear of

HOW IT WORKS:
Inside the pen is still the ink tube, the spring, and a little white cap the ink tube fits into.

when you push the ink stick in, it get stuck inside the cap. as you pull it back, it creates tension in the spring. When pull back the ink stick far enough the white cap pops off the ink stick and flies forward from the tension of the spring.

This strikes and shoots a small piece of spaghetti quite far.

Step 1: Break pen in half

Snap the pen where the coloured and transparent parts meet.

Comments

[THECHINABOY]

this seems GREAT!!! But what pen did you use I dont have a pen that is like that.

[Colonel88]

Sweet. Although I'd rather have a tube that you fill with BB's that spaghetti, I like the concept of this. Can you just tell me what type of pen you are using?.

[Lemon]

What if you used an electric motor as Aeshir said, to power a reciprocating arm (a piston) which rapidly pushes and pulls back the ink bit? Rapid-fire! If you wanted to, you could scale this up and actually make it out of wood or metal or something. Then attach rapid-fire and mount it on a camera tripod! Would this mechanism qualify as a gatling gun or is it a semi-automatic? :) Nice detailed instructable, I'm growing fonder of these office/classroom warfare things every day.

[ookid]

Wouldn't you have to slow the motor down a bit so that the spaghetti would have time to fall in place before it got shot out. if it was to fast nothing would come out the barrel.

[iwantacuracy]

yeah your rubber band idea is good. it makes it even better.

[b3aux65]

spaggeta needler cool ill probably b working on that

[fosockingdude]

cool

[Pixel_Master]

Could this be done with a mechanical pencil?

[timmy_8911]

Can you put skewers in it???

[Aeshir]

AHAHA I just got a great idea. What if you made a case like a needler from Halo and made a bunch of these and put em in the needler? SPAGHETTI NEEDLER! MWHAHAHA!

[Knexfan]

That would look cool, but did you forget? In Halo, the ammo on top of the needler was facing the other way. (Like this /) So you would just end up shooting yourself.

[Aeshir]

No...the Needler ammo faces away from the player.

See here

[Knexfan]

No it doesn't. Go here for the proof.

http://www.the-junkyard.net/images/weapons/halo2/h2_needler.jpg

[Aeshir]

The bottom of the needles point outward towards the barrel. The tops point toward the player. On this auto-loading spaghetti gun, it's the same thing. The long part of the barrel is not actually the barrel, it's where the pen goes.

[iKill]

(removed by author or community request)

[badrang4]

why dnt we just flag it?

[iKill]

sorry... that was a really mean thing to say... i broke the be nice policy. sorry ilosn btw nice instructable

[rocketbat]

constructive commenting? i dont think so!

[ILOSN]

If you want to place me into a specific sub-culture I'd probably be closer Goth or Alternative. Considering I'm actually pretty happy :P Although, emo's being sad is another rather 'sad' misconception in itself. Another thing being that my music taste is mostly Symphonic/Gothic metal. If I was to put you into some kind of category based on the small amount I know about you I'd say you are probably an "Idiot" of some kind, and I'd probably be pretty accurate too :)

[iwantacuracy]

that is so good!!!!!

[downgrade]

You sir are a genius.

[Vendigroth]

i see how this works, now! the piston comes forwards, cracks of a little bit of spaghetti and shoots it out, as the piston goes back, the spaghetti drops down another notch and you're ready to fire again! neat!

[Neodudeman]

omg that exactly how i felt when I read this. lol. i was like... "What...? It shoots a whole spaghetti strand backwards...?"

[casvandegoor]

you could use biby (or something like that) gun balls for ammo

[casvandegoor]

looks good, but about haw far does these things fly?

[pooboy]

hey i made a sweet mod with an elastic band its awsome i load in like 5 pieces of pasta

[ILOSN]

nice :) wanna make an instructable about it? id be interested to see how you did it

[!Andrew_Modder!]

Ahh! i was trying to make the SAME EXACT thing! But 4 some reason the 'ammo tube' wouldent stay in place, so it blocked the shots :-( i will try to rebuild one!

[APeiceOfPoo]

ha ha ha i made one of these once it was not exactly like this but it was similar

[Aeshir]

Now to add a motor and make it full automatic MWHAHAHA

[ILOSN]

There we go. I quickly drew and added a diagram of how it works. Yes it is as powerful as it seems. It can fire spaghetti quite far at a high speed. :)

[Calltaker]

Just making sure I follow you correctly.... the only mode of propulsion for the pasta is you pushing against it with the pen guts. SOunds interesting. Onder if you could work a rubber band into the equation to get a stronger push. ~C

[ILOSN]

no no sorry I should of been a big clearer. Inside the pen is still the ink tube, the spring, and a little white cap the ink tube fits into. when you push the ink stick in, it get stuck inside the cap. as you pull it back, it creates tension in the spring. When pull back the ink stick far enough the white cap pops off the ink stick and flies forward from the tension of the spring. This strikes and shoots a small piece of spaghetti quite far.

[Vertigo666]

the stick breaking probably gives it most of the initial propulsion, but i agree- a rubber band would make it stronger

[ILOSN]

It gets its smacking power from the spring.

[Gthing 2.0]

wow this looks cool but is it really as powerful as its seeem?