Soda bottle or PVC?

Show us your pneumatic spud gun! Discuss pneumatic (compressed gas) powered potato guns and related accessories. Valve types, actuation, pipe, materials, fittings, compressors, safety, gas choices, and more.
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i-will
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Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:59 am

i have a fear of losing an eye due to a puncture in a pressurized soda bottle.
it almost happened once. when i was 11 i put down a cannon and a friend stepped on the bottle. when it exploded a lot of dirt and rocks kicked up with it. it felt like being shot with a sand blaster. i turned my face away in time and it left a scar on my arm. :shock:

pvc is much safer.
WHY PAY FOR IT WHEN U CAN MAKE IT?
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elad311
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Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:51 am

i-will wrote:i have a fear of losing an eye due to a puncture in a pressurized soda bottle.
it almost happened once. when i was 11 i put down a cannon and a friend stepped on the bottle. when it exploded a lot of dirt and rocks kicked up with it. it felt like being shot with a sand blaster. i turned my face away in time and it left a scar on my arm. :shock:

pvc is much safer.
Yea, but if PVC failed, the damage is much more deadly...
I thought to use iron but I don't know where to buy it.. :?
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tghhs
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Thu Jan 01, 2009 6:58 am

hey have a look at this:



but if you can't be bothered watching, there filling up PET bottles with water and they blow at ~190 each time.

this video made me go with PET bottles on my gun and i used 2, i simply epoxyed them in to T pvc joints, wish means u can put them in series.

I can't tell u pressure i've taken it then to but in can tell u that i was fireing nails at of my gun at ~200 fps give or take a few.

Also i belive them to be safer and on a first build easier and cheaper

one problem u might have is sealing them well as they streach and break week bonds
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frankrede
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Thu Jan 01, 2009 12:23 pm

elad311 wrote:
i-will wrote:i have a fear of losing an eye due to a puncture in a pressurized soda bottle.
it almost happened once. when i was 11 i put down a cannon and a friend stepped on the bottle. when it exploded a lot of dirt and rocks kicked up with it. it felt like being shot with a sand blaster. i turned my face away in time and it left a scar on my arm. :shock:

pvc is much safer.
Yea, but if PVC failed, the damage is much more deadly...
I thought to use iron but I don't know where to buy it.. :?
THE PVC UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD NEVER FAIL.
Take our advice kid, we are trying to give you safe advice, USE IT.
Current project: Afghanistan deployment
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jimmy101
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Thu Jan 01, 2009 8:36 pm

tghhs wrote:Also i belive them to be safer and on a first build easier and cheaper
Cheaper, perhaps. Definetly not safer.

1. Standard pressure rated PVC pipe has a heck of a lot bigger safety margin.

2. PVC is much more tolerant of its "history" than is a PET bottle. If you've flexed or crushed the bottle you have significantly lowered it's failure pressure.

3. Epoxy can be used safely to hold things together, if you know what you are doing and are careful.

In the long run, properly glued PVC is going to be almost as cheap and, more importantly, a heck of a lot safer.
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ThumbzUpTheoden
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Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:09 pm

sch.40 PVC does NOT explode at 100psi first of all. If you will be operating the gun at higher than maybe 25 or 30 psi, you really should be using a PVC airtank. I shoot potatoes out of mine and I have about a 3.5ft 2" chamber that REALLY puts a lot of air behind the spud. 1ft of 2" PVC is not enough air to get a potato going very far. At least 2 or 3 feet would be fine. If you have an air compressor, then don't hold back on the chamber!!!
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