Ignition (sorry i know its a repeated topic)

Boom! The classic potato gun harnesses the combustion of flammable vapor. Show us your combustion spud gun and discuss fuels, ratios, safety, ignition systems, tools, and more.
blindriotx
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:23 pm

I go to Vanderbilt University and the engineering school is holding a spud gun contest. I signed up too late and lost the chance... very sad. So i figured f*** it I'll build my own! So me and my friend Sam got some pvc and put together the basics... We haven't tried it out yet but we used a flint sparker from a basic lighter. Something tells me this is going to fail miserably...the sparker simply does not look like it working that well. I'm wondering which would be the best way to go when this inevitably fails. I see a lot about bbq lighters but then i see a lot about how bbq lighters are not such a great choice. Ultimately given the low budget and skill level my friend and I are at I need to know which is a better choice, BBQ lighter or lantern light.
If the bbq lighter is a better choice can someone please link me to somewhere i can get a relatively cheap one that is the right type (apparently there are several types of bbq lighters)

In advance, Thank you very much!
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paaiyan
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:44 pm

Well BBQ ignitors work fairly well. You can get electronic ones that act similarly to a stun gun making a spark jump the gap very quickly. Check out your local Home Cheapo or Wal Mart. How exactly are you making the flint sparker work anyhow?
keep_it_real
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:13 pm

I'm pretty sure he's just using a lantern lighter so you just twist the little knob thing and it makes sparks.

BBQ lighters are pretty good. There not totally consistent but that also depends on the mixture of fuel and oxygen. Just use a BBQ lighter.
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