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A small, low-power spud gun made from a plastic bottle, a metal tube from a mop handle, and a barbecue lighter.
Disclaimerama: This is probably the most dangerous of my Instructables to date. You are improvising a firearm that uses a surprisingly large gas explosion in a flimsy plastic enclosure to propel roughly 80 calibre projectiles down a barrel that may be nearly two feet long. Just a few of the risks inherent in this project are:
- Injury from flying projectiles
- Injury from shrapnel if the gun explodes (unlikely but possible)
- Very, very loud noise if the combustion chamber explodes- it's noisy at the best of times but if the bottle bursts you have every chance of going permanently deaf
- Burns
- Setting yourself on fire if you have any residual fuel on your clothes, skin or hair
- Cuts from the torn metal edges
- Electrocution from a roughly 50,000v source (the electricity is safe for most adults but the shock/surprise can cause accidents)
- Prosecution according to local law enforcement if your behaviour with the gun is deemed to be unsafe, or if possessing such a weapon is illegal in your area
- Small curious children asking you endless questions about how you built it.
If you aren't willing to take all of those risks, don't do this. I accept no responsibility for whatever happens to you no matter how many safety precautions you take. If you injure yourself firing one of these without wearing eye and ear protection or injure someone else by using it in an unsafe manner, then I will probably see you in the next Darwin awards compilation.
That said, when used properly this gun is a lot less risky than a PVC spud gun. Where an impact from a whole potato from a traditional gun could cause nasty injury, this small-bore gun fires a tuberous projectile about the size of a wine cork- I wouldn't want to be hit in the face with one, but a body impact through clothes will in the worst possible case be as bad as a paintball, and people get shot with those for fun. If you fire heavier projectiles than bits of potato or use any fuel more volatile than deodorant or hairspray, you're on your own.
Disclaimerama: This is probably the most dangerous of my Instructables to date. You are improvising a firearm that uses a surprisingly large gas explosion in a flimsy plastic enclosure to propel roughly 80 calibre projectiles down a barrel that may be nearly two feet long. Just a few of the risks inherent in this project are:
- Injury from flying projectiles
- Injury from shrapnel if the gun explodes (unlikely but possible)
- Very, very loud noise if the combustion chamber explodes- it's noisy at the best of times but if the bottle bursts you have every chance of going permanently deaf
- Burns
- Setting yourself on fire if you have any residual fuel on your clothes, skin or hair
- Cuts from the torn metal edges
- Electrocution from a roughly 50,000v source (the electricity is safe for most adults but the shock/surprise can cause accidents)
- Prosecution according to local law enforcement if your behaviour with the gun is deemed to be unsafe, or if possessing such a weapon is illegal in your area
- Small curious children asking you endless questions about how you built it.
If you aren't willing to take all of those risks, don't do this. I accept no responsibility for whatever happens to you no matter how many safety precautions you take. If you injure yourself firing one of these without wearing eye and ear protection or injure someone else by using it in an unsafe manner, then I will probably see you in the next Darwin awards compilation.
That said, when used properly this gun is a lot less risky than a PVC spud gun. Where an impact from a whole potato from a traditional gun could cause nasty injury, this small-bore gun fires a tuberous projectile about the size of a wine cork- I wouldn't want to be hit in the face with one, but a body impact through clothes will in the worst possible case be as bad as a paintball, and people get shot with those for fun. If you fire heavier projectiles than bits of potato or use any fuel more volatile than deodorant or hairspray, you're on your own.
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Signing UpStep 1Requirements
You will need:
- A plastic bottle. I used a square-section 1 litre bottle that used to hold [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(drink) squash].
- A lighter with a piezo igniter, not a flint wheel, preferably a large barbecue lighter rather than a pocket cigarette lighter. Small lighters will do but make the electrical part slightly more fiddly.
- A long metal tube. I use the handle from a cheap mop bought at a supermarketcut broken in half for this build, an entire mop handle for the previous one and part of a towel rail for the first one I built. The tube should be about 2 cm (3/4") in diameter and as straight as possible. Wonky tubes make poor gun barrels.
- Solid core wire, duct tape, electrical tape, assorted plastic junk- basically your average maker stuff. If you don't have any, buy it- it's always useful.
- Craft knives or similar implements
- A soldering iron and glue gun would come in handy but as they are for fixing stuff together can be substituted with MORE TAPE
- A plastic bottle. I used a square-section 1 litre bottle that used to hold [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(drink) squash].
- A lighter with a piezo igniter, not a flint wheel, preferably a large barbecue lighter rather than a pocket cigarette lighter. Small lighters will do but make the electrical part slightly more fiddly.
- A long metal tube. I use the handle from a cheap mop bought at a supermarket
- Solid core wire, duct tape, electrical tape, assorted plastic junk- basically your average maker stuff. If you don't have any, buy it- it's always useful.
- Craft knives or similar implements
- A soldering iron and glue gun would come in handy but as they are for fixing stuff together can be substituted with MORE TAPE
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