Elastic Gun using a Pencil, Elastic, Clothes Pin and tape/another elastic

A very simple contraption used for launching elastics. Other than your hand, they don't get any simpler than this. This one uses a pencil for the rod. NOTE: This elastic gun will probably not allow you to double up the elastic (for extra power) due to the small size of the end of the pencil.

Difficulty: Very easy
Time: 1 minute

MATERIALS

Pencil - (or other long relatively skinny thing like a pen)
Clothes Pin - (or peg or whatever other names people call them)
Tape - (preferably skinny, so if you have duct tape you'll wanna rip it in half or thirds. I used electrician's tape)
Elastic - (for ammo)

TOOLS

Scissors

Step 1 Taping the Clothes pin to the Pencil

Place the clothes pin on the very end of the pencil, with the part that you press on at the end of the pencil (see picture). It doesn't matter which end you use, but you might want to take a look at it and see if there are any advantages of using one instead of the other. Tape it down. Also you might want to carve a notch into the end of the pencil to help keep the elastic from coming off before you shoot.

Comments

[hydrojsh]

You could take this concept and upscale it to be the size of a rifle. and u could tape the rubberband to the tip of the pencil and at the end that goes in the clothes pin. then instead of firing the rubberband you could shoot erasers, pellets, of BBS

[puglover37]

use a latex elastic (rubberbands for braces) they are smaller, and will sting more.

[Rye2121]

i made one it works great. just one thing though. hot glue, or tape, a gray knex peice or another pencil to the bottom of the tip of the first pencil. to fire just do the same thing but stretch it out farther. it shoots way faster and farther.

[AznPanda]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to confusing... i think its easier just to look at it and make o.O

[chatterbox14730]

OK ur pencil shooter or whatever it's called, is very confusing!!!

[PetervG]

You added on, "Lower the clothes pin for better accuracy by taking off the bottom half of the clothes pin and attaching the bottom of the spring onto the bottom of the pencil (see picture). Make sure you tape it down or it will come off quite easy." But I never said that, lol. Just saying.

[Aeshir]

Well, I got the idea when I was reading your comment anyway so I was like "Z'OMG gotta post it before I forget!".

[tomonto]

you can do the same thing with your finger

[casvandegoor]

you don`t need a clothes pin, just take a pen with a clip on it to hold the elastic

[Aeshir]

I don't get it.

[casvandegoor]

I`ve made a cross-bow pen where I used that clip, click here

[pyro-genius]

Here's an idea for people who have not figured out how to make it powerful, or for large rubber bands, you can tape another pencil to the bottom of the first, as long as the tip of the second one is further away than that of the first.

[eliboom]

i bought an elastic gun today and it only holds 2 elastics but its strong and i love it

[j1uch]

sweet

[OWNA 66]

Futuregunmaker made this! RIP OFFS

[Aeshir]

OK, LETS GET A COUPLE THINGS STRAIGHT HERE. FIRST, My dad taught me how to make this, he used to do it when he was a kid. SECOND, why the crap would I wanna rip off Futuregunmaker? What's the point of doing copying someones idea and just reposting under your name? F.I.Y., that's STUPID!

[Aeshir]

Oh yeah and I just checked Futuregunmaker's page and he doesn't have any instructables. OWNA 66, I pronounce you idiot and dorkwad.

[paper warrior]

cut a notch in the end of the pencil so you can double up the rubber band

[listentomewhine]

try making small balls from flash-powder, sticking them to the tips of pins and try launching them with this device....try it , u won't take long before perfecting the art of lauching pins. TIP: pins will take direction, speed and accuracy if launched through a small groove carved along the length of the pencil. BEWARE....it might not pose any danger for the shooter, but WILL cause injury if lauched at animals, humans or indoors. Its cool fun though as u watch small missiles explode when they hit their targets :)

[listentomewhine]

try making small balls from flash-powder, sticking them to the tips of pins and try launching them with this device....try it , u won't take long before perfecting the art of lauching pins. TIP: pins will take direction, speed and accuracy if launched through a small groove carved along the length of the pencil. BEWARE....it might not pose any danger for the shooter, but WILL cause injury if lauched at animals, humans or indoors. Its cool fun though as u watch small missiles explode when they hit their targets :)

[freakinhuge]

oh.... and I used a rubber band instead of tape :-) Here's a picture of the "Sub-pencil-rubberband-gun-thingy"....

[freakinhuge]

Hey while I was looking for a clothes pin to make this, I stumbled across a mini clothes pin (measures 1 1/2" in length). Works great!!! And adds to that extra "sleakness".

[in search of rebellion]

if this is level one than what is level 2?

[Aeshir]

I'm not quite sure yet. The next level gun comes when I find some major improvemesnts over this one.

[PetervG]

Maybe you could screw a peice of wood on the end so the elastic would go straight? Though the graphite inside the pencil... never mind. And also maybe lower the clothes pin by taping only the top half. Just some suggestions.

[Aeshir]

The thing is if you have the front exactly straigth ahead of the clothes pin (not up or downwards) it hits it. OMG! Lowering the clothes pin by putting only the bottom half on! that's a great idea! Oh wait....what about the spring? I suppose you could attach the bottom half of the spring under the pencil. Yeah, that would work great. And eliminating the rough features of the clothes pin would be good too, prevent possible ballistic firing. Geeneehus.

[TheCheese9921]

very cool dude but it would probably work better if you put a notch in the end of the pencil

[Aeshir]

Yeah I was gonna put that in but when I tried to go back in the steps it kept saying "double post 77777" lol

[trankerablog]

Nice idea! thank you... Suicider ww.trankera.org