Potato gun. How to make a potato gun out of plastic pipes Potato gun out of metal

13.06.2019

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. Construction gas gun 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 on suburban area. Since the prices for the essential product potatoes 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, it was found weak sides and made some improvements. 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 Brown color, yes, it will be more than half the cost of 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, drywall 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 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 with sealant inner part connector 100 - 100 mm behind the rubber seal 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.

Application of sealant

Compound

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. Special attention give a 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

Fastening the connector

Plug 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.

Piezo lighter disassembled

Installing the ignition system on the Apple Gun

Ignition system

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 devoid of this shortcoming. 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.

Basic 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 large number of only cotton will give gas, a large amount may destroy the cannon 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.

If your local hardware store didn't get the exact parts delivered, don't worry. You will probably be able to use multiple parts (e.g. gearboxes, couplings, etc.) to achieve what the listed parts do.
muzzle-loading firearms uses "packing material" - patches of fabric to wrap the projectiles and form a nice seal with the barrel. The same concept can be applied to potato weapon if other ammunition is used that cannot be cut. The possibilities are endless.
Try new ammo! Potatoes are plentiful, but if you live near a walnut...
After cutting the pipes, remove the burrs with sandpaper or a file.
There are many instructions on the internet, just google "Potato Tool Instructions". There are many uses for this weapon, so have fun and experiment, but be safe and smart!
The screw is inserted into the barrel where it connects to the combustion chamber, and will interfere with the cartridges, causing it to ram too far and enter the chamber.
The volume of the combustion chamber is proportional to the force of the shot, a long chamber produces an inefficient compression wave, make the combustion chamber small and thick.
If you've never worked with PVC, buy some scrap PVC and some cheap connectors so you can practice connecting before you build your grenade launcher. Rotate each glue line a quarter of a turn, as if you were pushing it together.
Too much propellant gas is just as bad as not enough. If too much oxygen is moved, ignition will not occur. Through trial and error, you will learn how to use the optimal amount of fuel in your individual design.
Pipe terminology is often confusing. Here are some of the abbreviations used: FIPT - Internal thread; MIP - External thread; JACK - slip socket; Slip - non-twisted pipe, use glue to protect the joint; PLUG - a man puts on a sleeve, etc.; Bust - outside the diameter; ID - in diameter (PVC pipe measurements are usually measured in ID, so busting will be larger than 2 inches).
If something needs to be sealed tightly, use duct tape. It starts out like tape, but after you've used the gun, the tape turns into a very sticky adhesive that keeps things closed.
The world of plumbing can be confusing and disorganized, so don't be afraid to ask the store staff for help.
The initial ignition in the combustion chamber must be close to the center of the chamber in order to form an effective compression wave and transfer the energy of the explosion.
To get maximum flow through the valve, read the directions of the valve. This is often associated with turning a knob or cuff on the valve.
Follow the instructions on the adhesive, and apply generously on both the pipe and socket. Do not use glue or adhesive solution on threads; wrap in a couple of layers of Teflon sealing tape.
How longer barrel, the more the combustion force will accelerate the projectile. A barrel that is too short will take away power. However, if the stem too much long, expanding gases begin to lose pressure and the friction of the projectile in the barrel begins to slow it down. Find the optimal length for your own configuration by trial and error.
The Christie glue recommended below is a strong one step glue but requires you to work quickly. Plan carefully and be ready to join as soon as you apply the glue.

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

Potato cannon (English "potato cannon", "spud cannon", "spudzooka") muzzle-loading gun powered compressed air, or due to the energy of the mixture of combustible gas and air formed during ignition 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, she showed nice 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 (made of 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))

Our readers are very fond of weapons. Among them are many people who are familiar with various types weapons: designers, testers, military, as well as those for whom sports shooting, hunting or studying weapons history has become a favorite hobby. However, among the hunters to read and talk about weapons, there are also those who have never in their lives held anything worse than a water pistol in their hands. This, of course, is a mess. We decided to arm all the faithful fans of "PM" to the teeth. Every month we will tell you how to create something with our own hands from available materials that shoots far, flies high, burns well and pleases those around you with a deafening roar and festive fireworks, having previously tested each recipe on our own experience. We decided to start with an artillery piece that has long become a classic in America and is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world - the potato gun.

Pressure deficit

The first and, perhaps, the most serious obstacle on the way to our own potato gun for us was the total absence in the stores and construction markets of the capital of pressure water pipes made of polyvinyl chloride, the main building material for homemade artillery. The only PVC product available in abundance everywhere is sewer pipes and fittings of any diameters, configurations and even colors. You can’t shoot from them - these pipes and their connections are not strong enough to work under pressure. The nature of the general concern of sellers with problems of sewerage with a complete disregard for the water supply remained a mystery to us.

You can find some materials for a potato gun right in your kitchen. Don't neglect protective equipment. 1. Pressure water pipe PVC 63X1000 mm. 2. Pressure water pipe PVC 90X400 mm. 3. Fittings. 4. Piezoelectric lighter. 5. Wires. 6. M4X40 mm screws with nuts (electrodes). 7. Travel balloon with propane-butane mixture. 8. Potato. 9. Points. 10. Gloves. 11. Headphones or ear plugs. 12. Respirator. 13. Paint. 14. Purge pump. 15. Carriage of arbitrary design.

In our area, water pipes are often laid from metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes. In terms of their properties, they are not inferior to PVC, the only difference is that polypropylene pipes and fittings cannot be glued together; welding machine with a whole arsenal of special attachments. Do not succumb to the persuasion of sellers who assure that polypropylene can be welded with a lighter. We have seen from our own experience that, even with a powerful gas burner, it is impossible to connect such pipes reliably and evenly, therefore they are not suitable for building a cannon. For the sake of the experiment, we made a carriage out of polypropylene pipes.

A week-long search led us to a specialized store, where we were able to purchase two three-meter lengths of pressure PVC pipes, designed for pressures up to 10 atmospheres, as well as all the necessary fittings. Let's make a reservation right away that the construction of a potato gun requires creative flexibility: the lack of the necessary materials on sale can dictate serious structural deviations from the original project. In particular, based on the available parts, we equipped our gun with a removable barrel, and made the breech part non-separable. This design has an advantage over the traditional one, with a screw plug at the rear of a non-collapsible gun: the gun can be loaded from the breech, rather than pushing the projectile through the entire barrel. On the other hand, screwing a heavy barrel into place is more difficult than a small plug. To ensure that gas does not erode from the breech during assembly, you need to act very quickly.

Finally, in obedience to the will of circumstances, our gun turned into a howitzer. Guided by the availability of strictly defined fittings on sale, we purchased pipes with a diameter of 63 and 90 mm (internal diameters of 55 and 80 mm, respectively). At the same time, the barrel length turned out to be equal to 18 calibers, which allows us to classify our gun as a howitzer.

Working with fire

Together with the pipes, we purchased a special adhesive for PVC, as well as a solvent necessary for degreasing the surfaces to be glued. To say that these liquids smell bad is to say nothing. When working with toxic drugs, in no case should you neglect a respirator, goggles and gloves: PVC glue causes irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes and respiratory tract, and direct contact can damage the skin. It is better to glue in a well-ventilated area. The rest of the assembly of the potato gun is very simple. Sawing off the necessary sections of pipes, one must try to make the cutting angle as close as possible to a straight line - then the joints inside the gun will turn out to be even, which contributes to uniform combustion of the mixture.

The ignition system of our gun was based on an ordinary kitchen piezoelectric lighter. This is the most affordable, but also the most capricious type of ignition. As its analogues, mechanical lighters from kerosene lamps are used, which we have not found on sale, and stun guns, which in themselves are weapons that are dangerous to use. The piezo lighter gives a very weak spark, which is not always enough even to ignite the gas mixture. The reliability of the gun depends entirely on the location and condition of the ignition electrodes.

The second critical factor in tool performance is fuel. First of all, we tried the hairspray recommended in one of the recipes. The heads of the screws screwed into the plug of the breech of the gun acted as electrodes. The tests were carried out in a barbaric way - by vertically setting the breech in the middle of the editorial office and trying to set fire to the gas injected there. The first shot of lacquer shot up into the air like a large ball of fire, making a long howling sound. The audience was impressed, and the second time the cannon fired an encore. But the third time did not happen: after the combustion of the propane-butane base, the unburned part of the strong fixation hairspray covered the inner surface of the combustion chamber and the electrodes with a thick layer. The ignition stopped working, the varnish showed its complete failure as a fuel.

Tests of the deodorant also did not give the desired result. Finally, in a sports shop, we came across the perfect fuel - a pure propane-butane mixture in canisters for a camping burner. Such fuel burns completely without contaminating the electrodes. For real stable operation we managed to achieve a gun only by sharpening the electrodes for better sparking and moving them to the center of the combustion chamber. For a weak piezoelectric lighter, sharpening the electrodes and fine-tuning the optimal distance between them is not only desirable, but a vital procedure.

Goodbye potatoes!

Finally, the day came for the first field trials of the potato howitzer. We have established firing position in a wasteland, about a hundred meters from the metal fence, to which they hoped to throw a potato. We dismantled the gun, tightly installed potatoes into the barrel, cut off with a special caliber - a piece of pipe identical to the barrel with sharpened edges (by the way, if you make the gun non-separable, you can sharpen the barrel itself), generously injected gas into the breech, wrapped the barrel, optimistically plugged your ears and pressed on the lighter button. “Zilch,” the cannon whispered plaintively and languidly moved the projectile half a meter along the barrel.

pink camouflage

artillery gun is a complex engineering structure designed to decide the fate of people. Of course, it should not look like an extra detail from the sewer. Decorating a cannon, giving it a look that inspires fear and awe, is an obligatory stage of construction, similar in emotional intensity to painting a hot rod. Remembering the spring holiday, we dedicate our creation beautiful ladies. Meet "Barbie from Hell", the most formidable weapon emancipation in spring/summer 2008! Lacquered pink cannon on a golden carriage will make you stunning both figuratively and literally!

It was all about mixture. The combustion of gas requires oxygen, which is contained in the air. Only a combustible mixture with an optimal ratio of gas and air can ignite. The situation got worse cold weather(in the yard it was -50C), at which gases mix worse. Our personal experience showed that for good shot just a second press of the canister button. After each volley, the combustion chamber of the gun must be purged to remove combustion products and refill the chamber with air. For purging, we specially took with us a pump with a long hose.

In the printed edition, it is impossible to quote the comments with which we saw off the potatoes flying across the sky far beyond the fence into the unknown. According to our estimates, the projectile flew at least 200-250 m. Judging by the lack of response comments, nothing vital happened behind the fence, and we did not deny ourselves the pleasure of firing a few more volleys. Therefore, we consider the above scheme to be fully functional and boldly recommend it to readers! We ourselves sit down to design an advanced gun with metered fuel injection, multi-point ignition, forced ventilation of the combustion chamber, a quick reload system and a silencer to talk about it in one of the future issues of the magazine.

There is almost everything that is required for daily work. Start to gradually abandon pirated versions in favor of more convenient and functional free counterparts. If you still do not use our chat, we strongly advise you to get acquainted with it. You will find many new friends there. Moreover, it is the fastest and effective way contact project administrators. The Antivirus Updates section continues to work - always up-to-date free updates for Dr Web and NOD. Didn't have time to read something? Full content the running line can be found at this link.

potato gun

The potato gun is such a national American entertainment. A cylinder of slightly larger diameter is attached to a strong pipe with a diameter slightly smaller than a typical potato and a meter and a half long. A potato is inserted into the pipe “from the muzzle” (at the same time, since it is larger than the pipe, when stuffing the potato is peeled off and turns out to be tightly ground, and the juice acts as a lubricant), and an “active element” is introduced into the cylinder on the other side - a little gas from the cylinder or some kind of aerosol. A cover is screwed on the back, on which a piezoelectric element from a gas lighter with a button on the outside is fixed. Further simply - you press the button, the gas explodes and the potato flies away. Depending on the type of "active element" the flight range will also change. With ether, the potato flew almost 200 meters!

download video (20.1 Mb)
download video (0.5 Mb)
download video (3.8 Mb)
download video (5.4 Mb)
download video (3.5 Mb)
download video (7.1 Mb)
download video (1.2 Mb)
download video (7.2 Mb)

Popular Mechanics has 2 tutorial articles on making potato cannons: and Hooligan Inventions: Cheap & Fun. Here is one of them:

Vegetable artillery: We are preparing a cannon

Our readers are very fond of weapons. There are many people among them who are familiar with various types of weapons firsthand: designers, testers, military men, as well as those for whom sports shooting, hunting or studying weapons history has become a favorite hobby. However, among the hunters to read and talk about weapons, there are also those who have never in their lives held anything worse than a water pistol in their hands. This, of course, is a mess. We decided to arm all the faithful fans of "PM" to the teeth. Every month we will tell you how to create something with our own hands from available materials that shoots far, flies high, burns well and pleases those around you with a deafening roar and festive fireworks, having previously tested each recipe on our own experience. We decided to start with an artillery piece that has long become a classic in America and is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world - the potato gun.

An artillery gun is a complex engineering structure designed to decide the fate of people. Of course, it should not look like an extra detail from the sewer. Decorating a cannon, giving it a look that inspires fear and awe, is an obligation

Pressure deficit

The first and, perhaps, the most serious obstacle on the way to our own potato gun for us was the total absence in the shops and construction markets of the capital of pressure water pipes made of polyvinyl chloride, the main building material for home-made artillery. The only PVC products, presented in abundance everywhere, are sewer pipes and fittings of any diameters, configurations and even colors. You can’t shoot from them - these pipes and their connections are not strong enough to work under pressure. The nature of the general concern of sellers with problems of sewerage with a complete disregard for the water supply remained a mystery to us.

In our area, water pipes are often laid from metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes. In terms of their properties, they are not inferior to PVC, the only difference is that polypropylene pipes and fittings cannot be glued together; an expensive welding machine with a whole arsenal of special nozzles is required to connect them. Do not succumb to the persuasion of sellers who assure that polypropylene can be welded with a lighter. We have seen from our own experience that, even with a powerful gas burner, it is impossible to connect such pipes reliably and evenly, therefore they are not suitable for building a cannon. For the sake of the experiment, we made a carriage out of polypropylene pipes.

Remembering the spring holiday, we dedicate our creation to beautiful ladies. Meet "Barbie from Hell", the most formidable weapon of emancipation in the spring/summer 2008 season! A lacquered pink cannon on a golden gun carriage will make you look stunning as if you were carrying it.

Working with fire

Tests of the deodorant also did not give the desired result. Finally, in a sports shop, we came across the perfect fuel - a pure propane-butane mixture in canisters for a camping stove. Such fuel burns completely without contaminating the electrodes. We managed to achieve truly stable operation of the gun only by sharpening the electrodes for better sparking and moving them to the center of the combustion chamber. For a weak piezoelectric lighter, sharpening the electrodes and fine-tuning the optimal distance between them is not only desirable, but a vital procedure.

Goodbye potatoes!

Finally, the day came for the first field trials of the potato howitzer. We set up a firing position in a wasteland, about a hundred meters from the metal fence, to which we hoped to throw a potato. We dismantled the gun, tightly installed potatoes cut into the barrel, cut with a special caliber - a piece of pipe identical to the barrel with sharpened edges (by the way, if you make the gun non-separable, you can sharpen the barrel itself), generously injected gas into the breech, wrapped the barrel, optimistically plugged your ears and pressed on the lighter button. “Zilch,” the cannon whispered plaintively and languidly moved the projectile half a meter along the barrel.

It was all about mixture. The combustion of gas requires oxygen, which is contained in the air. Only a combustible mixture with an optimal ratio of gas and air can ignite. The situation was complicated by cold weather (outside it was -5 0 С), in which gases mix worse. Our personal experience has shown that for a good shot, a second press on the spray can button is enough. After each volley, the combustion chamber of the gun must be purged to remove combustion products and refill the chamber with air. For purging, we specially took with us a pump with a long hose.

A safe volley is our choice!

We remember well one instructive story. The breech for test purposes stood vertically in the editorial office. The ignition electrodes, located at the very bottom of the combustion chamber, could not ignite the combustible mixture - apparently, the gases were mixed at the bottom of the last turn. Many of us have repeatedly approached an idle cannon and, looking inside, looked at the spark. At one fine moment, after numerous "idle" ignitions and without the slightest refueling, the gun suddenly worked, spewing a ball of burning gas. Fortunately, no one admired the spark at that moment. Since then, we have lost all desire to look inside the gun without goggles and the use of a full arsenal of protective equipment has become mandatory.

Glasses. In the process, anything can happen, from getting glue or spray in the eyes to the explosion of a loosely assembled cannon. Gloves. Hands must be protected from toxic glue, electric shock from a piezo lighter, burns from burning gas. earplugs. The potato gun can shoot very, very loudly. Earplugs help protect against damage to the eardrums. Respirator. PVC adhesive irritates the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

Editors are not responsible

When work on the howitzer was in full swing, we learned that several of our readers, each of whom ate a dog while making the real military weapons, also tried their hand at creating a potato gun. One of them made a working apparatus, but quickly lost interest in the vegetable hobby, because the tool was unstable. The second received burns, trying to fire from a gun with a poorly fixed chamber plug, resting it on his stomach, and then, when setting the ignition, he lost his eyelashes and eyebrows, trying to see a spark in the combustion chamber with gas residues. The experience of our readers suggests that building a potato cannon is not an easy task. engineering task, fraught with a number of dangers. When creating a weapon, you do it at your own peril and risk. Safety rules are the first thing to consider in the process of work.

Basic safety rules

All work must be done by adults or in the presence of adults.
Use only combustible liquids recommended by the instruction. Stay away from gasoline, alcohol, ether, liquid oxygen, " quick start» - these liquids can easily break the plastic body of the gun.
Use only the building materials prescribed by the instructions.
Be as serious as possible about any changes in the design of the gun.
Follow label instructions for adhesive, solvent, and other chemicals carefully.
Keep all containers with flammable liquids (glue, thinner, propane-butane, paint) at least 10 m from the gun test site.
Before each shot, make sure there are no people or animals in the line of fire.
Warn others about the planned shot.