Building Orange/Potato Guns - Tips & Advice

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on building a potato gun using PVC pipe, specifically emphasizing the importance of proper design elements such as combustion chamber size and barrel length. The user expresses a desire to measure shooting distance and seeks advice from others with experience in constructing these devices. A relevant resource, a master's thesis on potato cannon design by Robert Croft, is provided for further insights.

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  • Understanding of PVC pipe construction techniques
  • Knowledge of combustion chamber design principles
  • Familiarity with projectile motion and physics
  • Experience with safety measures in DIY projects
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  • Research optimal combustion chamber sizes for potato guns
  • Explore barrel length effects on projectile distance
  • Learn about safe ignition methods for combustion devices
  • Investigate materials and tools for building PVC structures
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Hobbyists, DIY enthusiasts, and anyone interested in physics experiments or safe construction of combustion-based devices.

morry
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Hi guys,

I have holidays coming up and if I have any spare time (Which I doubt), Id like to build an orange gun. For those of you who don't know, I am talking about some pvc pipe with an orange/potato shoved up it. Spray some hair spray down there and spark away.

Anyway, instead of just hacking one together, I was thinking about actually designing one properly. ie Combustion chamber size, barrel length etc.

I reckon it would be interesting to measure how far one could shoot.

Anyway, has anyone made these before and any tips?
 
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