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.
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nicholai
- Specialist 3

- Posts: 349
- Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:18 pm
- Location: Maine
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Contact:
Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:06 pm
liquid alcohol doesnt burn, only the vapors will burn, like propane.
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Rambo
- Corporal

- Posts: 509
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Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:20 pm
Who are you talking to?I don't think that there is some one who don't know that.
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nicholai
- Specialist 3

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- Location: Maine
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Contact:
Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:49 pm
darkpyro wrote:nice good diagram but do you just have alchohol sitting in the bottom and hope it dosn't all light and blow up???
oh i was just responding to him, i didnt realize i would be posting 3 pages later lol
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killagorrila99
- Sergeant 2

- Posts: 1100
- Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:35 am
- Location: Australia.
Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:57 am
wow that is the nicest combustion since the mantis. i might try and make a biger version of that!
"I'm sorry, Mr.Bush cant come to the phone right now, He's playing cleudo with Mr. Cheney And he has him in the Cupboard with a broom stick" -White house receptionist.
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spit_spud
- Private 3

- Posts: 48
- Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:48 pm
- Location: manila
Wed Dec 20, 2006 12:00 pm
ahhh now i got it, you just pour the alcohol below the chamber? and its good you use a coupling so it wont spill, hey what kind of alcohol do you use? is it denatured or isopropyl alcohol?
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mikemurph
- Private 4

- Posts: 99
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:43 pm
Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:46 pm
with this design, i have two questions:
1. could there be a small "trough" under the actual chamber to hold the alcohol?
2. does the incoming air have to be oxygen or other pure oxidizers, or could it just be normal air?
P.S.
so you open the valve and press the sparker to shoot? or is it a little more complicated?
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inonickname
- First Sergeant 4

- Posts: 2606
- Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:27 am
Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:01 am
Mike, you should really have figured it by now. A lot of your posts seem to be digging up old topics. Look at the dates before bumping up a topic for such questions..
PimpAssasinG wrote:no im strong but you are a fat gay mother sucker that gets raped by black man for fun
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mikemurph
- Private 4

- Posts: 99
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:44 pm
sorry, I just really like the idea. Its a simple way to make a combustion automatic, and I wanted to learn more about it.
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Biopyro
- Corporal 2

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- Location: UK
Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:34 pm
1. There could be, but it's unecessary, and pipe doesn't come with a trough.
2. Normal air will do. Look up pulse jets - this is a similar idea but it has intake and exhaust in 2 separate ports.
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
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starman
- Sergeant Major


- Posts: 3027
- Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:45 am
- Location: Simpsonville, SC
Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:40 pm
mikemurph wrote:sorry, I just really like the idea. Its a simple way to make a combustion automatic, and I wanted to learn more about it.
Then post a well worded question about it in the combustion cannon discussion forum...not here. You can refer to this old topic if you like as a link in your question.
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jaythedogg
- Private 2

- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:33 am
Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:13 am
darkpyro wrote:nice good diagram but do you just have alchohol sitting in the bottom and hope it dosn't all light and blow up???
It cannot, three things are needed for a fire.
1) Fuel
2) Heat
3) Air
If the air in the chamber has burned with fuel, then the fire is extinguished until the air displaces the fumes enough to become rich enough to burn again. All of the alcohol cannot go up at once.
Imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery... STALKING IS!
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Technician1002
- Captain

- Posts: 5189
- Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:10 am
Sat Sep 26, 2009 11:25 am
jaythedogg wrote:darkpyro wrote:nice good diagram but do you just have alchohol sitting in the bottom and hope it dosn't all light and blow up???
It cannot, three things are needed for a fire.
1) Fuel
2) Heat
3) Air
If the air in the chamber has burned with fuel, then the fire is extinguished until the air displaces the fumes enough to become rich enough to burn again. All of the alcohol cannot go up at once.
This reminds me of a safety class I took with a little unusual instructor. He had a demo that left a very solid impression. He brought 1 gallon of gasoline in a glass jug and explained the fumes were flammable but the rest of the container was devoid of oxygen and won't burn. The jug was full up to about 1 inch of the top. He removed the lid and lit it. Then put the lid back on. Then he poured the gallon out on a 3 ft by 3 ft pan and set a candle nearby. We then proceeded to the fire extinguisher portion of the class. We never forgot the lesson. When the fumes reached the candle it went woooofa.
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jeepkahn
- Corporal 3

- Posts: 747
- Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:11 pm
- Location: Triad, NC, USA
Sat Sep 26, 2009 11:46 am
How do you make a cat go "WOOF"??? Don't answer, it's against the rules of the forum and common decency, still funny, but against the rules...