How to make potato gun

Homemade potato gun

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Time: About 2 hours

From scrap: ████████░░ 80%

Preamble

One day I noticed a large foam reservior in the garbage. We was addicted to homemade potato guns, so I decided to make a small gun from this container. Foam's name was "Gold Gun" so exactly this fact hinted me about making a potato gun out of it. Also I made a silencer to this gun and wrote about it in individual topic. At the rear of the gun I inserted a neck of a bottle for purging and fueling. The design became rather difficult, but absolutely still done at home.

Materials

• The big aerosol can of a foam
  
• Plastic bottle
  
• Steel wire
  
• Wires
  
• Piezo lighter
  
• A small spray can
  
• PVC water pipe with diameter of 35 mm and length of 500 mm

Tools

• Hacksaw
  
• Screwdriver
  
• Drill
  
• Files
  
• Self
  
• Pliers
  
• The gypsum or alabaster
  
• Sandpaper
  
• Small nails
  
• Tape
  
• Stove or industrial dryer

How to make potato gun



• Step 1

  
  The can has an attachment on the top, you need to get rid of it. Use hacksaw and pliers to remove it
  

  It can also be cut by melting with heated knife

  
  

  


• Step 2

  
  Cut the neck of any plastic bottle


• Step 3

  
  Drill two holes in it right over the rim and insert a piece of steel wire, slightly bend its ends down
  

  


• Step 4

  
  At the bottom of the can is necessary to make a hole with diameter of the bottle's neck. To do this, drill a hole in the center and expand it with a file
  

  Be sure to let all air out of the can before drilling it!


• Step 5

  
  Reveal upper part of the can, pull up the tube and all unnecessary parts and expand the hole


• Scheme

  
  Attachment of the neck of the bottle to the can. It get a little tricky, but 100% safe in work.
  The neck is inserted into the hole
  

  

  
  1 - Can
  2 - Gypsum
  3 - Wire
  4 - The bottle
  5 - Screw


• Step 6

  
  Drill holes and screw up the screws. Next, insert the neck of the bottle and fill bottom with gypsum
  

  

  
  

  



Mounting of barrel



• Step 7

  
  Potato gun's barrel will be removable, for charging and purging will be simply removeing from its mounting. Mount is a small aerosol can with diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the barrel. The extra part are cut off, rubber O-ring is glued inside for sealing
  

  


• Step 8

  
  This tube is attached on gypsum too, so it is necessary to insert pieces of steel wire crosswise in it
  

  


• Step 9

  
  Place barrel's mount in it's place and daube it with gypsum
  

  


• Step 10

  
  I decided that this is not enough, and made a little trick. Plastic bottle tends to contract while heating. Let's use this. The cylinder of a plastic bottle is put on the barrel mount with overlaps on the combustion chamber. Also, the bottle should hang over the end of mount cylinder
  

  


• Step 11

  
  Then slowly rotate it above open flame or do it with industrial dryer.
  

  Heat evenly, try not to overheat the plastic. Also, avoid touching plastic by flame!

  
  

  


• Step 12

  
  The barrel is sealed with tape in the place of contact with the mount
  

  Sharpen the edge of barrel for easier "cutting" of fruits and vegetables, which potato gun will shot

  
  

  



An ignition system



• Step 13

  
  Inside the potato gun will be two electrodes with gap between them of a few millimeters. We have a metal body, it creates a small problem. One electrode-nail I defended with three layers with heat-contract-tube and pasted into the hole. The second electrode is simply a screw, screwed into the body of the gun. Accordingly, the spark of the piezo will be fed through the wire to the first electrode and the second - through the gun's body
  

  


• Step 14

  
  Connect and attach piezo lighter to the body
  

  


• Step 15

  
  For the convenience of aiming I made a handle on the barrel. In my case it is the wing mount from bicycle
  

  


• Disassembled

  
  

  


• With silencer

  
  

  


• Some fire at last

  
  

  

  
  

  



Topic about making silencer for handmade potato gun

Video

Watch a little video with how we having a good time with our homemade potato guns

Results and tips

• Caliber 27 mm
  
• The design is absolutely reliable, the gun for several years and nothing has happened to it
  
• The gun turned out very compact
  
• The silencer mutes the shot sound a little
  
• It is necessary to try to make darts
  
• Fuel was AXE deodorant, but it is best to use the tourist gas mixture
  
• Potatoes easily penetrates a thick roofing slate, leaving it in a neat round hole
  
  

Tags: potato gun