SpudFiles

Hey there

First post here, but i have been watching for awhile

i have one question that is bothering me. Why doesn't anyone use abs pipe for combustion guns? Is it only because it is not rated, or because geographically many of you can't find it with ease? I am in Canada and PVC is illegal to use in certain applications so abs is much easier to find.

Since it is not pressure rated, don't use it for punematic guns, but are combustion not fine?

It has been used in combustions with metered propane but people have thier own beliefs on what will kill you, and what wont.

(abs wont shrapnel if explodes, just tears so dont worry)

Well, people don't use abs much cause it cost more, and they feel safer using pvc since it is pressure rated, abs has way better failure characteristics it rather rips unlike pvc witch will shrapnel, id perfer abs on a combustion if I were building one.

Well I would say dont use it but almost every member on the forum would disagree with me.
Have a search on youtube exploding potato cannon and you will get 100's of videos of peoples non pressure rated combustions blowing to peices.
After you have seen all that, you decide for yourself.

And all of those exploding launchers are either PVC, some cellular cored crap, or idiots filling SCH 40 steel with nitroglycerin...

As long as it's solid walled (which is the prevailing type in northern Ontario), it won't cause you any problems, as long as you don't do anything that would encourage violent failure, like tapping holes in the sides of it.

i have a 4 inch chamber with a 5/8 hole in it for a propane meter.

I was under the impression that although not pressure rated, that abs was on par or better then pvc

DYI wrote:And all of those exploding launchers are either PVC, some cellular cored crap, or idiots filling SCH 40 steel with nitroglycerin...

Well that is half true.
A good chunk of them are cellcore abs, but as you stated that isnt really avaiable in canada. So if he uses solid wall abs then it will be fine.

ABS can even be considered safer then PVC for combustions.
An ABS pipe can hold just as much pressure as PVC, the only difference is that PVC has got a rating, wich means its garuanteed, tested and made to hold that pressure. ABS just isnt rated, but it surely is strong enough for combustion guns.

Furthermore, ABS is more chemical resistant, and you can use every fuel you like without affecting the plastic.

Id rather have 5 ABS guns blow on me instead of 1 PVC.
The worst that can happen with ABS ripping open is a flash of fire wich scorches your hair Since I havent got much hair anyway, I prefer burning it above schrapnel in my vital organs.

You dont want to come home when your mother instantly yells:
"Good lord! Whats that in your eye!!!?"
Responding with: "A piece of the chamber"



Conclusion: As long as it isnt celluar core, your fine!

ABS for combustion is fine. Seriously. It looks pretty cool as well. What psycix said is true, its chemical resitant.
Just dont use it for pneumatics unless its pressure rated. (i heard somewhere that some guy had pressure rated ABS)

watch out what you are saying !!
I once had a combustion made of ABS and it blew up after a lot of fun
I wasn't injured but if one of the pieces hit me in the trhoat I could have a really big problem.
this was only a spray and pray gun using deodorant.

I used Canadian-made ABS in all my guns. Never had a failure, but I never shot it more than two times in a row anyways....

I've only seen ABS pipe fail once without any holes tapped in the sides, and while it wasn't something I'd want to be holding, it wouldn't have done anything more than extremely painful plasma burns and maybe some concussion damage. This was in a 4x oxy/propane hybrid.

You will be fine with ABS, I have used all abs in my guns and the have been fine.

Mine altho did eventualy blow, but after a few months of steady use.
My one smaller simple gun with 3" chamber did but luckily it just sacked me.

My large advanced combustion was taken out of commission before it had the chance, just look for small holes and cracks starting in the sides.

Ohh, and PVC is fine to get in canada, its just kinda pricey.
You can find it at any decent plumbing and heating store.

Cellular core abs can shrapnelize. It's the solid wall that tears. There was a thread about a cannon failure where the abs cracked, but it escapes me now (which of course helps the credibility of my argument...