How to make a potato gun or Apple Gun with your own hands. It so happened that in the year of construction, apples were more affordable than potatoes. Building a gas gun is an interesting project, but first a warning. You build the gas gun at your own risk and assume ALL responsibility for the construction, use, consequences of using this device, as well as for any damage caused. The authors used the device only to scare away crows and birds destroying crops in their summer cottage. Since the prices for the essential product potato this summer went off scale in the country, apples that fell from trees were used to test the gun, which did not change the properties of the device in any way, though it gave it the name Apple Gun. During the construction of the Apple Gun structure, the experience of building potato guns (potato guns) accumulated on the Internet was summarized. The simplest and most budgetary scheme (less than 1000 rubles) for building a gas gun with your own hands was chosen. During testing, weaknesses were identified and some improvements were made. Buying cannon parts will take longer than building it.

How to make your own Apple Gun

Details and tools. In the hardware store in the plumbing department we buy the following parts:

- drain pipe diameter 50mm length 1 meter;

- adapter 50 - 100 mm;

— connector 100-100 mm;

- revision 100 mm, you only need to buy an expensive revision for outdoor use in brown, but it will be more than half the cost of the parts, but the gun will be safer (details in the text);

- a plug of 100 mm, it is also better to buy brown for reliability.

Check that all rubber seals must be in place, they are included in the part kit. On the details must not be no mechanical damage or impact marks. Handle items with care after purchase.

It is also necessary to prepare a sealant, gypsum screws with a wide head at least 30 mm long, reinforced tape, a kitchen piezo lighter, two pieces of copper wire in good insulation, electrical tape.

From the tool you will need a screwdriver, and preferably a screwdriver. Drill with a drill with a diameter of 1.5 mm. Adhesive thermal gun. Wire cutters.

Revision 100 mm Parts and tools Apple Gun parts kit

Apple Gun build order

The assembly order is slightly different from that shown in the photo and video, but experience comes in the process. But first, it’s better to practice assembling parts without sealant in order to assess your strengths and gain assembly skills.

1. Lubricate the inside of the connector 100 - 100 mm behind the rubber seal with sealant as shown in the photo. With our own hands we connect the part with the revision. We move the connector inward until it stops.

2. Lubricate the second side of the connector with sealant and insert the 100-50 mm adapter. Decide on the location of the trunk. The adapter should rest against the end of the revision - this is a must.

3. Lubricate the revision flange with sealant and insert the plug.

4. In the same way, insert the 50 mm barrel pipe into the adapter until it stops. From the expanding part of the pipe, immediately remove the rubber ring of the seal.

5. Leave the structure alone until the sealant sets.

6. Be sure to connect the parts with self-tapping screws! To connect with self-tapping screws, we drill holes in the attachment points with a thin drill and screw self-tapping screws into these holes. It is necessary to tighten carefully so as not to turn the self-tapping screw in the plastic during the final twist. The installation locations of the self-tapping screws are shown in the photo. The barrel is screwed with two self-tapping screws, the connector with the adapter and revision is connected with 6 self-tapping screws. Pay special attention to the stub. Due to the short walls, it is necessary to fasten through a rubber seal. When fastening with four self-tapping screws, an undermining of the fastening was noticed. Stub fastened with eight screws. I recommend wrapping the extended part of the Apple Gun and attaching the barrel with reinforced tape, the cap is screwed on with adhesive tape!

The barrel is fixed with self-tapping screws Attaching the connector The plug is fixed

The procedure for finalizing a piezo lighter

We do not bother with any electronic ignition. We will not use electronics and batteries. The device should be simple and reliable, and it is - a piezo lighter. The device works and does not misfire; the whole world uses it. You just need to have experience and a desire to bring this spark inside the volume. The cheapest kitchen lighter (37 rubles) is taken as a basis. Believe me, the piezo knot on this or gold lighter with diamonds is the same.

1. We disassemble the lighter.

2. We remove the piezo node, carefully handle the extension wire coming out of the piezo node.

3. We are preparing two extension wires, it’s good if at least one wire is high-voltage (cut off from the line transformer of a broken TV).

4. We connect the extension conductors to the piezoelectric element and isolate. There should absolutely be no twists or loops on the conductors. These are additional inductances and capacitances that will weaken the spark.

5. We assemble the piezo lighter, strip the ends of the conductors at a length of ~5 mm and place them at a distance of 5 mm from each other. We click a lighter - a juicy spark should slip. If not, then somewhere something was collected incorrectly.

Installing the ignition system on the Apple Gun

The main mistake in the construction of potato cannons is the supply of voltage inward through metal elements. As a rule, after several shots, such a gun falls silent for a long time due to the loss of a spark. This design is devoid of this disadvantage. At a distance of 40 mm from the end of the plug, we drill two holes and insert the conductors there to a length of 40-50 mm. We fix the wires in the holes with hot glue. After the glue has set, we form a spark gap and check the spark. The suit will skip with a characteristic sound. For safety, the conductor entry point is tightened with reinforced tape in two layers.

Apple Gun Tests

The most crucial stage of checking the mini gun. As fuel, the next bottle of freshener was found on the shelf. The design is budgetary and the use of another type of fuel was not provided.

Fundamental rules

Work only outdoors away from people, buildings and flammable objects. Work only in protective equipment, especially eyes. Do not point the device at people, animals or structures. Do not look into the barrel with the inspection cap screwed on. An apple released from the device may cause damage (break the glass) or injury. In the event of a misfire, immediately unscrew the lid. Always remember that the device is made of plastic and can be destroyed, the directions of the cover and plug are especially dangerous. After each shot, inspect the device for damage or misplaced parts. If there is even suspicion of damage, stop testing.

1. Checking the ignition system. The shot comes from explosive combustion in the chamber of a mixture of air and gas. It is important to keep the proportion - a small amount of gas will give only cotton, a large amount can destroy the gun or not work at all. The required amount of gas is determined only empirically.

2. Install the gun on the flyer or support with the direction up. We puff a small amount of freshener into the chamber and, without twisting the lid, give a spark, a flame should escape from the neck.

3. Let's blow the gun or wait for the removal of gases. We warn the nearest environment about a loud sound. Add gas and tighten the lid tightly all the way! Checking the safe direction of the shot. Spark. Happened? If yes, check the design. If not. Open the lid and without looking inside, give a spark. If it caught fire, it means that more gas was added than necessary or the gun was not purged. If it does not catch fire, we blow out the gun. We give a spark. We check the presence of a spark and the preservation of a spark gap of 5 mm. Attention! The gray screw caps already fly off well on blank shots. On tests, the gray cover flew 15 meters, was found after 3 days, the rubber seal has not been found so far. Effective blank shot at night.

The potato gun, as the name implies, shoots ordinary potatoes. The design of the potato gun is a simple system that can be made from. The principle of its operation is also quite simple. First, potatoes are pushed into the trunk. On the other hand, flammable gas is injected into the combustion chamber. As such, you can use hairspray. Then, with the help, a spark is fed into the combustion chamber. The gas-air mixture flares up and pushes the potato projectile out of the barrel.

When making a potato gun, you need to pay attention to the reliability of fastening the combustion chamber cover. Otherwise, the ignited gas-air mixture, instead of a charged potato, can shoot a lid into your eye. Of course, you will not get severe damage, but a bruise, or a cut, can be provided to you. And it is best to make a cover for the combustion chamber of the potato gun, set aside from the shooter.

For the manufacture of a potato gun, we will use sewer. They are light and durable, they can be made completely sealed, and also, create almost any configuration and shape. The combustion chamber can be made from a sewer tee. We close the back with a lid, putting it on epoxy glue. For reliability, you can screw in small self-tapping screws with wide hats around the circumference, commonly called "bugs". The side branch of the tee will be used for gas injection. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a tee on which the caps are screwed with a thread in order to be able to quickly close the combustion chamber without applying much effort. we take a thin pipe and connect it to the combustion chamber using an adapter. We will also put it on glue for complete reliability. You can buy all the parts for the potato cannon at a plumbing store. Cut a hole at the bottom of the tee and insert a stun gun into it. Fill the gaps around it with epoxy. The stun gun will serve not only as an igniter of the gas-air mixture, but also as a comfortable handle.

Agree - this is a simple and effective design that anyone can do. The most difficult thing is, perhaps, to purchase a stun gun. Other igniters of the mixture that can be adapted to this design of the potato gun, something does not come to mind. Perhaps one of the readers of our blog will be able to offer something simpler than the stun gun presented by the authors of the potato cannon design.

Such a potato gun from twenty meters easily breaks through sheet drywall, and simply breaks a melon or watermelon from the inside into small pieces. Although, of course, you can’t name it, it’s quite possible to shoot at targets for fun. Good luck.

The author of the site does not bear any responsibility for what you can do, guided by the information taken from the pages of the site. Anything you want to repeat, you do at your own peril and risk.

Shooting potato cannons is an idea that has been in the air for a long time, as they say. And she flew to us, according to various sources, either from overseas, like the potato itself, or from old Europe. No, there are also enough Kulibins on Russian soil with domestic bulb throwers, but potato artillery received the format of “mass psychosis” in the West.

"Potato cannon", "potato gun", "spud cannon", "spudzooka", "kartoffelkanone" - there are a lot of names and varieties of potato guns and pistols in different languages ​​​​and countries. In its most common version, the potato gun is a muzzle gun that is powered by compressed air or by the energy from the ignition of a mixture of combustible gas and oxygen. Potatoes are most often used as a projectile, which is why the name appeared. At the same time, apples, tangerines, tennis balls and other objects that can be put into a cannon are used with the same success in shooting.

The most interesting thing about using a potato gun is the “wow effect” from the shot itself, for which, in fact, everything is started. With a low cost of 1000-1500 rubles, a gun about 1.5 meters long is obtained, which can shoot at a distance of 5 to 200 meters. Advanced specimens, according to the stories of experienced potato shooters, are much more impressive in size and send the vegetable even further - 300 meters. Impressive is not only the flight range, but also the shot. You don’t expect such a loud pop from several plumbing fixtures fastened together. The ballistics are also impressive: it is quite difficult to predict with accuracy in which direction the potatoes will fly.

Potato guns have gained popularity all over the world due to the simplicity of their design. Cannon components can be purchased by visiting your nearest plumbing store. Numerous authors of video tutorials on the Internet tell how to assemble a "potato shooter" or "potato bazooka" in just half an hour, using a PVC drain pipe, a coupling, a revision with a lid, an adapter from a drain to a riser, a plug, a lighter piezoelectric element, adhesive tape, glue and a few screws. Like a construction set that even a child can master, in a few minutes a real cannon is assembled with a muzzle, a combustion chamber and an initiator. After filling the chamber with gas, hairspray or toilet freshener, screwing on the lid and stuffing the vegetable with an impromptu ramrod into the muzzle, with the help of a piezoelectric element, the shooter submits a claim into the combustion chamber - and a shot follows. Yes, such that it is better for others to keep their distance - from a close hit on the target, the potatoes are broken soft-boiled.

If in Russia shooting from potato guns is mainly regarded as weekend pampering and hooliganism, then in the USA there have long been communities of “potato-gainers”. Shooting enthusiasts come from different parts of the country to special training grounds and hold competitions, playing cash prizes. The winner is usually chosen according to three criteria - the range of the potato, time in the air and accuracy. At the same time, the participants constantly upgrade their guns. There is no limit to the imagination here. The design can be complicated by adding several barrels, make automatic charge supply, install auto-dosing of gas, create automatic blowing of the combustion chamber with a fan, and, in the end, improve the ammunition itself, giving it more dynamism.

The method of setting the vegetable in motion does not necessarily occur with the ignition of the fuel. A shot can be fired either by compressing air (pneumatic catapults), or by exploding a bomb from dry ice or compressing an air-fuel mixture (hybrid type of gun). No self-respecting potato shooter is complete without accessories: straps for carrying ammunition, pens, potato cases, etc. In many ways, the popularity of potato shooting among Americans is spurred on by the TV screen. Scenes using potato guns and potato-shooting devices are found in films such as Tremors 3, Iron Man 3, House M.D., The Simpsons cartoon, and so on.

However, it is worth remembering that if in the United States, where the citizens of the country are allowed to freely carry weapons, potato guns are perceived as an innocent hobby, then in Russia, the idea of ​​​​opening a potato shooting range or organizing the mass sale of potato guns will almost certainly cause problems with the law. As a negative example, we can cite the experience of Germany, where the potato cannon craze among local teenagers a few years ago had to be actively suppressed with the help of the police. Potato cannonade sounded on the outskirts of almost all German cities. Soon the news was full of reports of the first victims. So, a teenager from Göttingen lost part of his ear when, when the trigger was pressed, the “chamber” was blown. In Bavaria, a 55-year-old woman, walking her dog on the edge of a forest, was seriously injured: a potato shell hit her in the thigh. Another man nearly lost an eye, another shooter was burned by a hairspray explosion while refueling, a third suffered fractures, and so on. As a result, the authorities of most lands decided to out of harm's way equate potato guns with firearms. Now in Germany, the creation and possession of "kartoffelkanone" is prosecuted by the police. The same ban applies in Austria. So the fears of craftsmen regarding the organization of vegetable shooting ranges can be understood. So far, potato cannons in Russia can only be officially seen as exhibits at rare popular science open-air festivals.

08.06.2016

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Probably few people do not know what a potato gun is:

Potato cannon (English “potato cannon”, “spud cannon”, “spudzooka”) is a muzzle-loading gun powered by compressed air, or due to the energy generated during ignition of a mixture of combustible gas and air to give the projectiles high speed. Designed mainly for recreational shooting with potato slices or other objects.

Attention!!!

This device is very dangerous if used inappropriately.Never shoot at live targets, and generally use common sense.meaning. No one but you is not responsible for your own actions!!!

On the Internet there is a lot of information on the subject of potato guns. There are also many descriptions of how to make it (from pocket to huge). But, almost all of them lack a fuel dosage system, which affects its power, or unreliability appears in operation. Ideas how to make a simple but effective fuel supply system There were not many, but among them was one that came up in all respects. After tests on a small scale model and then on the main gun, it showed good results. And so, I present to your attention the main detail of my upgrade:

Some of you may have guessed what it is. If not, then this detail from a gas turbo lighter(only without ceramic tube) :

It mixes the fuel with air, which then burns with a beautiful blue flame 🙂 In other words, the fuel, passing through a small hole, captures air with it, forming the correct fuel-air mixture. Because it suits us. In theory, any gas burner with this principle of operation should be suitable (depending on the scale of your gun). I chose mixers from turbo lighters because it the cheapest and most affordable option.

My cannon is made from ø30 and 50 mm sewer pipes.

Not done very neatly, but everything works fine 🙂 I used two mixers from lighters (two were enough, the combustion chamber is completely filled in 7-8 seconds).

Important:

• liquid must not enter the mixer (liquefied gas in liquid form), otherwise it will cease to function normally (the proportion will no longer be the same)
• you need to watch that the air intake holes of the mixer are not clogged with dust and other debris.

Small-scale model (from a reinforced cardboard tube from cling film, a lighter and a piece of tube from a dropper; the projectile is a cardboard cork, the range is ≈ 10 meters)

The advantages of this system:

• increases the power and reliability of the gun
• the piezoelectric element began to work the first time
• no need to ventilate the combustion chamber after each shot

Well, how about without cons

Minuses:

• it is necessary to supply a gas-air mixture before installing the projectile, which is not very safe (it is solved by revision - to make a small hole in the barrel near the combustion chamber, the power will drop a little, but what can you do for the sake of safety)
• use only the gas with which the gas burner worked

P.S. I did not conduct normal full-scale tests of the range of the big potato-cannon projectile, but the correct mixture of fuel and air is 100% the key to success. As soon as I test it, I'll write it in the comments.

If you have any suggestions, questions about this system or the potato gun itself, write in the comments or in a personal message to me.

Thank you for your attention))

Today, many people hear about potato guns. What is it and what are they for? The Potato Cannon is a weapon with a fairly long range. You can do it yourself. This article will tell you what tools are needed for this and how the gun works.

Principle of operation

The potato gun is very similar to a firearm, only it has less working pressure. In it, the projectile is also driven by a mixture of gases under pressure. Cannons can differ in how they project their projectile. We will talk about weapons in which the ignition of the fuel-air mixture occurs.

The gun consists of a combustion chamber, an ignition system and a barrel. To make a shot, you need to push the projectile, in our case, potatoes, into the barrel with a ramrod. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. It can be propane or some kind of aerosol. Now you need to activate the ignition system. Usually, a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter is used for this. The mixture ignites and creates hot gases. They expand under the influence of heat and push the potatoes out of the trunk.

How to make a potato gun, we will describe below, but first you need to find out if such a tool is legal. Check the laws in force in your area. In some places, such weapons are prohibited, and their manufacture and possession face penalties.

If you are convinced that the potato gun is considered legal in your area, you can start making it.

Required accessories

The parts that we need to make a gun can be bought at a hardware store. The cost of all parts will be approximately 800-1500 rubles. Thus, a do-it-yourself potato gun will not cost too much.

So what do you need to buy? Going to the store, write the following list on a piece of paper:

• Plastic pipe with a diameter of 10 cm, bent at a right angle - 1 pc.
• Plastic pipe with a diameter of 5 cm (1.2 meters) - 1 pc.
• Adapter from 10 to 5 cm - 1 pc.
• Cap on a pipe with a carving - 1 piece.
• Piezoelectric element - 1 pc.
• Sealant - 1-2 packs.
• Aerosol can with butane - 2-3 bottles.
• Potatoes - 1 bag.

Assembling the combustion chamber

When you have purchased everything you need, you are concerned about the question of how to make a potato gun. Well, let's start in order and make a combustion chamber.

First of all, we wind the cap onto the end of the curved pipe, having previously smeared the thread with sealant.

We insert a narrow pipe into the adapter. She will play the role of the barrel of our gun. The design must be straight and have a strong connection.

A small hole should be drilled in the side of the resulting "shoulder". Here we have assembled the combustion chamber. The main thing in this work is to choose the optimal size. If it is very short, then the potato will fly out quickly, and if it is long, then the speed of the projectile will slow down.

We insert the piezo element

The piezoelectric element is a necessary thing, without it the potato gun will not work. Instructions on how to insert it are below.

We wrap the piezoelectric element with wire. There should be a small gap between its end and the spark generator.

Now we insert our "spark" into the hole that we drilled in the pipe. We process the hole with a sealant so that there are no gaps left and air cannot penetrate inside.

We screw a self-tapping screw into the chamber to a depth of 1.5 cm. We wind the wire from the piezoelectric element outside the chamber to it. When working, use a blue tape so as not to get an electric shock.

Now let's press the button. If a small spark runs through the wire from the piezoelectric element to the self-tapping screw, then everything is done correctly.

How to load a gun and fire a shot

Our finished potato cannon needs projectiles. To charge it, we take a potato, put it in the barrel and push it through with a ramrod. If not, you can use a narrow stick. You need to choose potatoes of such a size that there is a small gap between it and the trunk.

Everything, the gun is ready for battle. If you decide to shoot with a small gun, it is recommended to put a rag in the barrel. She will not allow the projectile to fly out prematurely, and the range of its flight will be large.

Now you need to choose a target. You can only aim the gun at the target, next to which there are no people and animals.

So, are you ready to fire? Then we unscrew the cap and spray the aerosol into the chamber for 5 seconds. Everything must be done very quickly. We twist the cap and press the ignition button. The potatoes flew.

Before the next shot, the gun must be cleaned and the above steps repeated.

Safety regulations

Shooting the potato cannon is pretty fun, but don't forget the safety rules:

• Never point the implement at people or animals. The most suitable place for shooting is an empty open field.
• The potato gun is a weapon! It can cause serious injury. It must be used with extreme caution.
• Familiarize yourself with applicable laws. If such a tool is illegal, you will face penalties for using it.
• Gun tubes should not be glued together. Otherwise, with a powerful shot, it may explode.
• You do not need to load the gun if you do not intend to fire.
• Potatoes cannot be fired at very high or low air temperatures. The fact is that plastic pipes can become fragile, which is a danger to both the shooter himself and those around him.

How to make a mini potato gun

To make a small potato cannon, take a plastic bottle with a cap. You will also need a small syringe, a button from a piezo lighter, a wooden pistol grip, glue, wire and

We make a hole in the pistol grip and cut a hole for the piezoelectric element. We install the button and contacts and fix everything with glue.

We make two holes in the bottle with a knife at a distance of 0.5 cm from each other. We insert a wire from the piezoelectric element into them. When the button is pressed, a spark should run between the contacts.

Glue the bottle to the wooden handle.

Now we will make a barrel from a syringe. We cut off its upper part and remove the piston.

We make a hole in the bottle cap into which we insert the syringe and fix the structure with glue. The mini potato gun is ready.

You can shoot from such a gun with small pieces of potatoes or berries.

So, we learned how a do-it-yourself potato gun is made. This process requires great care and accuracy. When firing from a finished gun, be very careful and in no case point the gun towards people or animals. You can only shoot at inanimate objects.