If you're like me and you play airsoft a lot with co2 guns, you have A LOT of powerlets (co2 cartridges) laying around. You can throw them away (It's called littering, and it's bad, and it's illegal it's so don't do it!), you can recycle them (if a center is near by), or you can get creative and make a stylish pen!
 
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Step 1: Get your act together

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Co2 powerlets are commonly used in airsoft, bb, and pellet guns. They can be bought in bulk online, or they sell in packs usually of 5, 10, 15, or 25 for ~ $0.75 each.

To turn one into a writing utensil of the pen variety, you will need:
---a grungy garage
---an empty powerlet
---a "donor" pen's ink
---a hacksaw
---sandpaper
---a file
---a vise
---music


skaterboy11 says: Dec 15, 2011. 5:17 PM
What does this actually do?
S5114 says: Jul 16, 2011. 11:48 AM
I tried this, but the pen doesn't write. Do you know what happened?
bowmaster says: Jun 22, 2009. 11:09 PM
Why not fill the entire powerlet with ink?
Marble of Doom (author) in reply to bowmasterJun 24, 2009. 1:11 PM
You could, but that might get messy!
oniman7 says: May 25, 2009. 5:37 PM
Lol. You should make a pressurized air gun and shoot these out of it. That would look awesome. It would kinda scare me, though.
Marble of Doom (author) in reply to oniman7May 25, 2009. 6:29 PM
That would be scary!
oniman7 in reply to Marble of DoomMay 25, 2009. 6:35 PM
That's why you don't shoot it at anyone. It would look awesome if you set up a paper target though. Maybe go to Kinko's and get a life sized printout of the picture you used in the first step. Shoot them at that. Would be pretty cool, no?
Marble of Doom (author) in reply to oniman7May 28, 2009. 4:11 PM
The diameter of the co2 cartridge is roughly the size of a paintball and MIGHT be able to fit down the barrel of a marker; though it would probably destroy barrel, and blow out the o-rings!
oniman7 in reply to Marble of DoomMay 28, 2009. 5:28 PM
I didn't mean a paintball gun. There're several instructables on this site about how to make airsoft/paintball "bazookas" which have a 1-3 inch barrel. Given that a paintball is 7/10 of an inch, I think it could work.
Patented says: May 28, 2009. 4:57 PM
Nice! Thx a lot! I was looking around for something to do with all those CO2 cartridge!
westfw says: May 19, 2009. 11:09 PM
I think step 1 needs a comment to the effect that the powerlet ought to be USED UP before you start attacking it with tools (yeah, it seems obvious, but...) Sawing the end off an unused powlet could be "exciting", especially if you were so unfamiliar with them as to do so in the first place!
rokkit in reply to westfwMay 21, 2009. 7:02 PM
No,its not very exiting, but it is scary. i had one explode in my pellet pistol and it gave me frostbite on my hand, and i ended up in the hospital.
westfw in reply to westfwMay 19, 2009. 11:21 PM
(ah. I see that there IS such a warning in the photo-notes. Should be in the text as well, I think.)
Marble of Doom (author) in reply to westfwMay 20, 2009. 2:44 PM
added, thanks
Marble of Doom (author) says: May 19, 2009. 5:57 PM
Don't forget to rate!
PKTraceur says: May 19, 2009. 1:30 PM
Niiiice! Do you know where I can get bulk airsoft bb's? Powerlets? Airguns? (.177 cal, or copper BB.) -PKT
AndyGadget says: May 19, 2009. 1:28 PM
I have a vague idea for a project (way down the list) which needs pressurised CO2 and I'd never heard of powerlet cartridges. Now I have - Ta!
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