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Experimental air powered ballistics

Experimental air powered ballistics
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I've always had an underlying interest in pneumatic air powered devices. It started with blowguns, but I eventually graduated to a higher performance airgun. Ever since then I've been developing new and exciting air powered devices that are unique and fun to mess around with.

Before we start, I'd like to explain some safety issues here. Number one: don't shoot anything at anyone or anything living. I don't use any of these devices in terrorist acts, nor to threaten or harm any organic life form or anybody's property. All shooting should be done in a controlled environment. Better yet, don't shoot at anything. Just make whatever and stare at it. Or don't make it at all. Yeah, this is actually all informational. Nothing here actually exists. Computer animation and men in suits. That's what I'll tell 'em!

Many of these darts were designed because I sought to break out of your traditional nail dart, explosive dart, etc. I want to show the other people who share my interests that a little bit of ingenuity can prove really awesome if put to the right use. So sit back and grab a drink, there's a lot of really, really cool stuff to read through here.

Let's start with my airgun. It's cheap, easily made, modded and added to. I use standard 1/2" PVC. No use for expensive and harder to get high-pressure stuff when you're only shooting at 20psi. I do NOT want to hear crap about my non-pressure rated schedule 40 PVC, I KNOW the risks!!! My gun has a standard ball-valve trigger and is pressurized with a small hand pump that is now attached to my gun, unlike in this first picture. I am able to change barrels and barrel attachments using the joint at the base of my barrel. The tubing coming from the pump to my gun was obtained from a LEGO set that used air hydraulic pumps. It can be ordered online over the LEGO website for a nominal fee. I use sports-ball filling valves that fit perfectly in the tubing to attach to my pump. The spray-painted section of my gun was salvaged from a derelict marshmallow gun that apparently I thought it was a good idea to use primer and glue on. Any more questions about my gun or anything in this Instructible should be PMed to me.
 
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Step 1LED shootie

LED shootie
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Since magnetic LED creations have just about been beaten to death in a variety of fairly creative projects, I figured I'd stab that last bit of life out of them with LED shooties. An LED shootie is just like an LED throwie, except you shoot it out of an airgun or blowgun.

The design is simple, using only some paper and tape, you can transform any basic throwie to a shootie. Take the two prongs of an LED and put two 1.5v button cell batteries (or one 3v cell) between them. At the same time, a small rare earth (Because nobody can spell neodymium) magnet is placed on the outside of one or both prongs of the LED. The whole setup should then be covered in duct tape to hold everything together.

In order to adapt it to fire from a blowgun, we need to put it inside a cone enclosure. Make a basic cone from paper and cut it off so that it fits in whatever sized tube you're working with. Cut off the very point of the cone so that the tip of the LED sticks out. Hot glue the LED and batteries in the cone and you're all set.

Uses for this include being a guerrilla graffitist and lighting up big metal things, or using it as a signal at night. I figure a streak of light shooting through the night would look pretty awesome.

Video below. It's hard to see for the camera, but it's plenty visible normally.


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28 comments
Dec 1, 2010. 11:40 PMSovereignty says:
CAn your thumb actually bend back at 90 degrees or is that a camera illusion also? Great info despite --in spite of-- the freakish ability with your opposing appendage.
Nov 4, 2008. 7:30 PMcowgomoo says:
NO NO NO you got it all wrong! the thing is your using pvc. try galvenized steel. your using a bike pump. use a compressor. i got my 14 gallon 2 hp ingressol rand. also just get a key chain light. i shoved mine in an apple because of barrel size problems. use a brass ball valve ( sure theyre expensive, but well worth it )
Dec 14, 2008. 4:19 PMMattrox says:
pvc is is cheaper and easier to work with if you have not got a ton of tools
Sep 29, 2010. 3:30 PMcowgomoo says:
threaded pipe is fairly easy to work with
Jun 8, 2010. 2:21 AMmichaelmacnz says:
Good stuff... I loved your Xplosive air valve.. now.. to stop the compressed air from blowing the bb's out of the mag, close the end of the mag tube (temporarily). That way the pressure inside the mag will equalize and the bb's should feed ok (either through gravity or a little spring assist)
Aug 28, 2008. 2:15 PMtwisted says:
Pvc endcaps shootting off at over 10 psi can blind you. please, seriously buy schedual 40 PRESSURE rated PVC its like 27 cents for a foot of this stuff at home depot. Trust me, ive made MANY airguns. I love em. BTW pop bottles, like the one you are using, screw into garden hose ends..... (hint hint) AND can hold up to 100psi without to make problems!!! YAY 10cent air tank!!!! Goood luck! "Your gunna shoot you eye out!" lols. ~Twisted
Feb 9, 2010. 10:27 PMnerf sniper 13922244 says:
hi do you still mod nerf guns
Apr 12, 2009. 12:55 PMJAKE856 says:
what is it because i dont feel like reading it . all i saw was a bright light
Jul 30, 2009. 8:03 PMcodongolev says:
heh... once I tried to make a pneumatic mini cannon in engineering class. the solenoid valve opened too slow though. we made our own compressor and everything. we actually had three compressors hooked to one tank.
Jan 9, 2009. 4:02 PMPKTraceur says:
Nice gun! I like you clip, however could you add HOW to make it? Aslo, a suggestion on the air tank, use 3 inch schedule 80 or 40 PVC.
Jan 9, 2009. 4:06 PMPKTraceur says:
How did you make your gun to unload a set amount of air, then stop? Is it a certain valve, or did you just use all the air? Did you use a release valve and just press it quickly?
Jan 9, 2009. 4:19 PMPKTraceur says:
How do the shotgun shells work? Is it one end is covered, the other end is loosely covered by mag. paper, and when shot the force from the air hitting the closed sided forces it out of the barrel, then forcing the lighter, airsoft bb's out?
Feb 5, 2009. 2:26 PMPKTraceur says:
Perhaps a reducing coupler on the front to stop the shel fromm being removed, and a breecher near the front? I have a one inch diam. barrel, and am still deciding to cut it off and add a 1/2 coupler then some 1/2 PVC tubing. Tips?
Jan 6, 2009. 1:03 AMmettaurlover says:
i'm going to use it to trigger my miniature thermite charges; the entity that hit the line would have about two seconds to get away before they are blasted with a material so hot it can burn through steel:) it's wonderfully evil:}
Jan 9, 2009. 1:20 PMmettaurlover says:
so? i'm good with electronics and safety. and i'm also just a little bit crazy.
Dec 16, 2008. 1:28 PMcowscankill says:
Could you make a shotgun clip by using balsa wood or cardboard or plastic cd cases and just having them stack up like what you have for the ball bearing clip?
Sep 3, 2008. 5:02 PMcowscankill says:
WOW! I guess great minds think alike! your exploding dart is SOO much like mine! And I love dart variations, not just sharp versions, but stuff like this. I need to test the shotgun one sometime, but I'm out of Airsoft BBs.
Dec 14, 2008. 4:20 PMMattrox says:
corn works 2
Nov 13, 2008. 4:10 PMLordSnipe says:
If you would be so kind, would you please PM me the scans of these ideas? I built an airsot gun frome some pipe and a nerf gun (http://www.instructables.com/id/Nerf_Airsoft_mod_for_any_gun/) I would love to add a mag to my invention and would ba obliged if I could see your design.
Nov 13, 2008. 4:03 PMLordSnipe says:
I attempted to post basically this same idea a while ago (this summer) anyhow. I found that by using a wad of some kind (a paper ball) and (this is my suggestion) putting some tissue paper over the end.

Because of the way my rifle works, I was able to build my shells with a rim so this design would work.

for further details, see the instructable.
http://www.instructables.com/id/shotgun_conversion_for_pneumatic_weapons/
Oct 5, 2008. 7:09 PMPumpkin$ says:
clip idea: try using a hop up instead, and upgrade your air chamber to a milk carton reinforced with some duct tape

yay duct tape!

and your first video has nothing on it it's audio only lol I think i see a small line in one frame (very low)

ex. make some metal darts out of soldered sheet metal, they'll fly great!

-PUMPKIN$

great ible' 5+

Aug 26, 2008. 3:05 PMAnarchistAsian says:
well, this is pretty good, but they're just ideas that have been floating around, that no one wants to make an 'ible on. -good job though!...
Aug 27, 2008. 2:40 PMAnarchistAsian says:
well, some are ones that lot's of people have come up with before, but good job.

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Author:Firebert010
I study engineering at Virginia Tech. Long time instructables fan.