air horn office chair prank

The office is a great place to prank your coworkers. Interrupt the white noise of typing keyboards and the hum of the photocopier with a blaring klaxon hidden under someone's office chair.
This is the air horn office chair prank!

Pneumatic pistons under the seat of most office chairs compresses when weight is applied, an air horn is zip-tied to one side of the piston with the other end braced against something solid. I used a cheap ABS plumbing cap fitted around the piston. When the target sits in the chair the nozzle of the air horn is triggered, releasing a loud honk (and hopefully scaring anyone nearby)

Here's what I used to make mine:

air horn
10 large zip-ties
2.5" ABS plumbing plug (or other annular object)
scrap cardboard

The air horn was wrapped in black electrical tape to it would be less visible when installed. Depending on your chair style and air horn size you may have to add in a small shelf on the piston so the bottom of the air horn needs something to compress against. I chose an in expensive ABS plumbing plug, the crown of the plug was removed and a pie-shaped section was removed. This opening will allow the plug to be slipped over the piston, with the pie section replaced and zip-tied in place the air horn will now compress on the cap and activate.

The air horn nozzle is positioned touching the underside of the seat, folded scrap cardboard acts as a spacer between the air horn and the piston. Ensuring the nozzle and air horn body aren't obstructed by chair frame they can be zip-tied in place. With ABS plug zip-tied to piston and air horn positioned all zip-ties are tightened and the leads cut off.

Did you prank someone with your version of this project? Share your pictures or video of your air horn office chair prank in the comments below!

Have fun!

chiavarichair says: May 5, 2013. 5:20 AM

It is so cool!

ojsefg says: Mar 22, 2013. 12:43 PM

Thinkpad is pretty much a wet blanket.

Mindmapper1 says: Mar 22, 2013. 3:10 AM

I agree with thinkpad30 and of course you would look and feel pretty bad if you caused a heart attack! This is a student prank not something you could get away with in an office situation.

Wroger-Wroger says: Mar 21, 2013. 2:36 PM

Real pranks are about sharing something funny, not subjecting people to ridicule or harassment.

Also the very people who take a less than humorous approach can act in reprisal.

Anywhere from crowning you with the chair - like I would, or having you sacked for being an idiot - like I would.

But if it frightened someone enough to give someone a heart attack, you could really be in a bad situation......

Gotta do clever things, that "everyone is in on the fun" and not liable to flip out over...

thinkpadt30 says: Mar 15, 2013. 8:42 PM

I hate to be a wet blanket, but if I were your supervisor, there would be hell to pay. With the employment situation like it is, this sort of waste of time and disruption of work would make it much easier to complete the lay-off list. Your job must not be very important to you. A year or two out looking for a job with no luck will probably make you less inclined to treat employment like play-time.

nwlaurie says: Mar 15, 2013. 3:17 AM

'Keep It Simple' wins again!!

bajablue says: Mar 12, 2013. 7:55 AM

lol... You office people are brutal! I hate loud noises. I would seriously contemplate ~~killing~~ inflicting great bodily harm on someone for doing this to me. I would definitely exact revenge! ;-D

Treknology in reply to bajablueMar 14, 2013. 7:43 PM

As an initial prank, I agree with you 100%. As payback on that one person who makes the entire office a misery (or a serial prankster), I think it's brilliant. Just make sure there is an ample supply of spatulas for scraping fellow staff members from the ceiling.