Its been a long while, re-introduction post.

[advancedspuds]

Hi everybody. First off, I really hope this is in the right spot to post!

My name is Mark. I used to frequent the Spudtech forums and Spudfiles in it's early days I used to go by "boogieman" and still do, but I couldn't get the screen name or password to work.

I was really involved in potato guns back in the day, some of you may have been to my site or seen some of my launchers in the early days of Spudfiles. I basically got out of spudgunning because life happens and also at the time it seemed like we had discovered everything and spudguns were stagnating quite a bit. Hybrids were about a year or two old and that was really the peak of technology.

It's been 10 years since I have done anything other than launching that was potato gun related. Well, I think it's time to get back into this great hobby and reconnect with some old friends. I don't know what kind of projects I will be doing, but I have about 10 years worth of time and missed innovations to look into. The main new things I see going on are better materials/grips and such and also the piston hybrids.

Not to take up too much of anyone's time, but what's a brief rundown of some of the main innovations in the last decade?

[jrrdw]

It's all in here, look around!

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Welcome back to the fray!

Not to take up too much of anyone's time, but what's a brief rundown of some of the main innovations in the last decade?

Difficult to list... hybrids are much more commonplace and some exceptional launchers have been made, hard to decide if Larda's beast or Mr. Hall's little work project should take first place.

Cheap pneumatic parts on eBay means sophisticated semi-autos are within most people's reach.

Many members now have access to proper machine tools.

[advancedspuds]

Welcome back to the fray!


Cheap pneumatic parts on eBay means sophisticated semi-autos are within most people's reach.

Many members now have access to proper machine tools.

Oh no my sources for parts has been discovered! I remember when me and chewy found 3" QEV on the "bay" for about $65. He tuned me into them. Dang what power. We had to cut our own diaphragms but it was pretty easy really. I imagine it is easier to get parts now as many more businesses sell old stock and such on ebay. I still have a 5 way valve and I think about a dozen 1.8" 12v 3 way valves to use. I think I got 14 of them for something ridiculous like $20 or so.

Nice to hear about proper machine tools. I am so used to dremeling so much stuff and no machining tools. I need to try to get a lathe, even a small one. I really enjoyed your link on epoxy pistons, that seems like a great solution for those of us without proper machining tools. That is a new thing, and quite a good idea TBH. Thanks for the links to those guns, I will give them a look.

EDIT: WOW those are amazing launchers! :blackeye:

[SpudBlaster15]

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[jackssmirkingrevenge]

By the way, you do realise that it's your gun on the forum header?

[Brian the brain]

Welcome back Boogieman!


I would have thought you needed no introduction..as you are a living legend as far as I'm concerned for all your pioneering work.


You have heard/read the sad news about Chewy?

[Ragnarok]

Unfortunately, it seems like the peak of spudding has come and gone. Most of what can be easily done has been done, so the motivation to push forward and innovate has largely disappeared.

Overall, I think we've still got lots of places we could go - and given it seems a lot of the old hands are reappearing at the moment, we might even be able to get to some of them.

Things I wanted to do years back but never achieved included long range accuracy, repeating hybrids, light gas pneumatics and a coilgun that was a viable substitute for a PCP air-rifle.

There's plenty for us to still get on with, I think.

[mark.f]

Holy crap! It's boogieman. :p

I wasn't around when you were active, but around 2005 your website was what made me want to build my first spudgun.

Glad to see you're still active.

[advancedspuds]

I remember referencing your site quite frequently back in the day. Good to see you around again.

I'd say most of the development happened around 2007-08, when people were building all kinds of innovative launchers left and right. Larda's hybrid stands out as perhaps the most impressive creation of that era. Things have slowed since then, but some interesting stuff has been happening in the fields of hybrids, electrothermal guns, and semi-auto pneumatics.

Unfortunately, it seems like the peak of spudding has come and gone. Most of what can be easily done has been done, so the motivation to push forward and innovate has largely disappeared. Of course, that doesn't mean you don't have a lot of catching up to do.

That's a bit how it was when I got out of spudding before. It seemed like everything that could be done had been done. I think it goes in cycles of big periods of discovery, followed by a lull. Last time, hybrids sort of were the peak. I am really impressed with the piston hybrids, its a simple yet elegant solution (these are the best). There were talks of making a pressure release valve tapped into the pilot area, but not of making the piston itself the pressure release valve. As far as the machining, that is very cool but it just makes sense as machining costs and things like 3d printers become more common. I wish I were in a place where the "builder movement" was more active. I read some places have mobile buses with all sorts of high tech machining equipment in them.

By the way, you do realise that it's your gun on the forum header?

Yeah haha

Welcome back Boogieman!

I would have thought you needed no introduction..as you are a living legend as far as I'm concerned for all your pioneering work.

You have heard/read the sad news about Chewy?

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, Chewy passed away while I was still active. He was a heck of a good guy. I really miss emailing him and think about him quite often. Luckily I have 5 or 6 of our old emails. It's pretty sad but a couple times a year I will read them and remember the good times.

Overall, I think we've still got lots of places we could go - and given it seems a lot of the old hands are reappearing at the moment, we might even be able to get to some of them.

Things I wanted to do years back but never achieved included long range accuracy, repeating hybrids, light gas pneumatics and a coilgun that was a viable substitute for a PCP air-rifle.

There's plenty for us to still get on with, I think.

These all sound like great ideas.

Holy crap! It's boogieman. :p

I wasn't around when you were active, but around 2005 your website was what made me want to build my first spudgun.

Glad to see you're still active.

Thanks, glad to see the site was helpful. I really need to update the site, but time constraints and all... I mean it still has useful information, but I have matured a lot and see quite a bit that could be made better. Back then websites were pretty crappy (not all, but many). I decided I wanted a clean, simple, functional site that didn't make you mess around in all kinds of links and such. I remember then it was a tough decision to make the main page a graphic link as it would doom it in the search rankings. Now I want to redo the graphic to have even less text on it. Someday... streamlining and updating content will begin.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, I hope I can start contributing to our hobby again.

[PCGUY]

Oh boogieman, how good it is to see you back! I knew I would stir up some people by sending out a mass forum email You are one of the very few around from wayyyy back when I first joined SpudTech and it's so incredible to think how far we've come not only with spudding technology but as a community in general. It was sad to learn, when running the forum for so long, seeing how members come and go and how much key members can really change a community. Lots of newer folks around now and not as many seasoned members, but so glad to see you back around

I remember the coke bottle cannon, it made me want to modify my first sprinkler. I ended up making my first (and only) small bore pneumatic based off that.

As it's been pointed out, yes the dude in the site header is totally based off your picture. Also yes the inaccuracy of the flames has been pointed out! It's purely for graphical effect. When it was designed I wondered if you would ever be upset that it was based off something you made... then I eventually figured you may stroll by here and be honored that it was in my memory enough to want it to be on the website logo! Hopefully you enjoy it and your "bob-the-builder" style representation in the image as I like to call it.

On the topic of Chewy... I'm glad I took the time to save his memorial thread during the forum migration. I specifically came across it due to some issues and figured it must be restored. It's amazing that even after so long so many people remember him. I never quite appreciated it as much back then being so much younger. I still remember the day, I believe, that his wife registered or PM'ed someone informing us of his passing. She must have known how involved he was to be considerate enough to come on here and let us know. Otherwise, if a member disappears you never really know... http://www.spudfiles.com/offtopic-related/topic674.html

You got married... right? I remember that being one of the big things that of course diverted your time. I hope it's going well!