How to Make a Spud Gun




Making a spud gun is very easy and you can do this all by yourself quickly if you have all the right materials ready. Here is a simple guide to making your own spud gun quickly. Materials Needed

1. You will need a 1.5 inch diameter pipe, around four feet in length made of PVC or ABS. This pipe will hold the spud (potato) at one end that is to be launched.

2. You will need a three inch sanitary Y. You can use PVC or ABS material for this. One end of the Y will be glued to the barrel pipe, and the other two branches of the Y will need two cleanout adapters with cleanout plugs.

3.One spark plug from a barbeque, metal wires, and an igniter.

4.Good quality glue, cementing material

5.Lots of potatoes

The Process

Glue in the two cleanout adapters to the sanitary Y at its two adjacent short branches. Before gluing make sure to clean the surfaces for the best approximation.

Glue in the barrel pipe at the long branch of the Y in the same way. Now, cut out a small opening on the top surface of the Y to make a hole that will hold the spark plug. The metal base should go inside the Y, and the remaining end stays out. Use some cementing material to make this air tight.

Before you do this, attach a wire to the metal base of spark plug and another one at the top end of the plug. Both these wires will be then connected to the Igniter.

Once you have assembled your spud gun as above let the glue fix for over 24 hours after which the gun is ready to use.

Using the Spudgun

Open one of the cleanout plugs and put in a potato that you will need to jam down the barrel with the help of a rod or stick. Once the potato is jammed properly, you will need to use some fuel for propellant. Although you can use anything that can explode, it is better and safe to use the household deodorant. Through the cleanout plug hole spray in a couple of bursts of about one second each (around 3 to 4 bursts will do). Immediately close the cleanout adapter with the plug.

Now your gun is "loaded". All you need to do now is aim it safely and tap the igniter. This will cause the spark plug to give out a charge that will explode the deodorant inside, building up huge pressure and blasting off the potato to wherever you wish.

Spud guns are very easy to make but they can be lethal if used carelessly. They are known to kill people and seriously cause injuries.

Use your spud gun wisely.