IsaacsDexter514
Having a Good Potato Cannon at Hand Can Be a Blast
Everybody loves to devour potato's, but firing them from a blaster can be just as amusing. Also known as a spudzooka, potato gun, potato cannon and Spud Gun, this is an amusing project that demonstrates the principles of physics. Part of the kicks and enjoyment of preparing a potato gun is to experiment with the basic configuration to tweak performance and learn useful engineering instruction. Here's how to engineer your personal potato blaster.
It is crucial to indicate to persons that the purpose of your spud gun is increased through the length of your barrel. Additionally you need to observe that the combustion chamber needs to be enlarged if you work with a longer barrel or are looking for extended distance. The best models I have seen to date have a shorter combustion socket with a wide diameter, an electric ignition from a portable camping stove, a sharpened barrel edge (for faster loading of potatoes), a shoulder harness for easier aiming, as well as an under-barrel ram pole much like those used on muskets and old guns. Never shoot a potato launcher from on top of your shoulder. A slip alongside your face can kill you.
(Flaming, explosive, black powder, or living projectiles can frequently create a legal spud blasters against the law in lots of jurisdictions. Many heavily settled areas have ordinances on projectiles and booming noises.)
The real skill on a combustion based potato gun is finding the right firing source. Try getting a twist-type ignitor for any camping stove or lamp. You can also buy a Barbeque manufacturer push-button ignitor switch that is usually sold at hardware stores or anywhere that sells gas barbeques.
The interior launch spud gun is befitting, especially for portability purposes. However, a pneumatic spud gun greatly decreases reloading times, maintenance times, and mess. You might need a couple of diameter reducers to obtain down to exactly the same size as the nipple with respect to the size of the cylinder starting with.
The fuel sources that I have used previously have been mainly Hairspray. I wouldn't recommend anything more powerful. Experimenting with fuel sources can be very dangerous and lead to harm or death to the person if proper precautions aren't taken. A guide to follow in testing this would be to continually begin with baby amounts of whatever propellant you are using as a weaker explosion would merely send the potato out at a slow rate. Be warned concerning the distance this blaster goes. Be sure you have the space to fireplace this without destroying anything and treat it like a firearm, not a toy. Keep in mind to obey what the law states and appearance with your city's local laws and codes before preparing. Lastly...have fun with your new invention.
