How to Build a Potato Gun

How to Build a Potato Gun How to Build a Potato Gun A potato gun or potato cannon is basically a cylindrical pipe-based plastic cannon which with the help of compressed air pressure, or incineration of a gaseous fuel, or even both, launches comparatively long distance projectiles at relatively low speed. They are usually built to fire large pieces of potato. Kids of tender age or even teenagers prefer to pick this apparatus for merry making or as a leisure pursuit, or to propel various kinds of projectiles high up in the air for some practical uses too. Mostly they prefer to go with the potatoes considering these as bullets because potatoes are easily available. Not only it is a versatile vegetable but also grows in abundance as compared to other few. The materials that are normally used in construction of a potato gun are metals and plastics. Metals like brass, aluminum, copper and steel whereas plastics like PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride, a polymer of thermoplastic) pipes and ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a thermoplastic).

Building of a potato gun can be every interesting if done with great precautions and safety measures. Some of the effective steps are mentioned below: -

Make the design of your potato gun on a sheet of paper using a marker. This is to ensure that you get a basic idea and can make arrangements for the necessary equipments. For starting the project, pick a spot (your garage or basement) with proper source of light and electricity.
With a hack saw blade, carefully slice a section of PVC pipe. Make sure the length of the piece should be at least 10-12 inches whereas the circumference of the cylindrical plastic pipe should be not less than 4 inches.
Using a portable driller makes two holes both on the opposite sides of the cylindrical plastic pipe. Connect the holes to a grill igniter with the electric wires. Be careful to make the wire not to twist with each other. Tape the holes after connecting the wires with proper adhesives. Observe that the wiring is done to the correct ports to avoid any cross connection of leakage of current.
Fix a 2-inch end cap of PVC material at one end of the plastic pipe with a screw attached to it and a PVC connector on the other end. Make arrangements to reduce the diameter of the plastic pie at one end to increase the option for compression of the air pressure necessary for the propelling the potatoes to larger projectiles.
Be very specific to tighten all the screws and sealing all the ends that connected the wires to the grill igniter and also the ports where the pipes are attached. This is necessary to ensure that while applying pressure the potato gun can withstand the compressed force rather than falling apart from the section.
Attach a wire gauge chamber to carry the load of the potatoes. Fix it to an end of the combustion chamber. On the other end install a hair sprayer. Make the connections secured and tight. Grip the potato gun very firmly before taking the aim for launching the potatoes.

Materials required: -

PVC pipes
Connecting wires
Screws
Hair sprayer
PVC connectors
Grill igniter
Wire gauge chamber
Potatoes
Hack saw

Pursuing with the above steps you can now design and build a potato gun. But be very specific to use it only in open spaces as because a potato gun is quite powerful to at least break a window pane or pelting injuries to a person.