First Timer
I'm new to spudguns, I've got a lot of experience with tools and such and I came across 2 pieces of 2" PVC Sch.40 rated at 260 psi (NSF-PW) about 30 inches long. I also found a piece of 3" Sch. 40 PVC rated at 280 psi thats about 38 inches long. I'm going to use this to construct my first cannon and I'm not sure what valve to use. I'm leaning towards a modded sprinkler valve just because of the air flow this thing will have. So far a 30"x2" barrel and a 24"x3" tank at 100psi. The cool thing about it is its 260 psi capability (200 safely). I wanted to build a tennis ball launcher but I just found the 2" so now I'm thinking potatoes, homemade wooden rounds, and golfballs with a type of shell around them. I'm going to build it in a couple of days and am wondering if I should splurge and mod a sprinkler or get a ball valve and be able to maximize on the psi?
I use an industrial ball valve and it works great opens as fast as i can open it. But sprinkler valves will open faster and give an extra bit of performance. I am going to rig my ball valve to open faster since I cannot buy sprinkler valves close to me but id go with the sprinkler.
sprinkler definatly, or look into pistons
sweet, i hope all goes well.
Cool. Be sure to post some pictures when you're done.
I've completed it. The modded sprinkler valve wasn't working for some reason so I plugged up the hole with epoxy and am using it electrically. The wires aren' annoying at all, I made a box that has all the batteries and two switches, a toggle switch and a button. Instead of using a schrader valve I opted for a female quick disconnect, it fills so much faster. I put a 160 psi gauge on it also. I've been shooting it at mainly 80 psi and with a modified screwdriver (cut the end off, filed off the metal) I shot through a 3/8" plywood board and the backstop (an old chair, the metal grating. It's not the most attractive because being my first primer/cementing job the primer is everywhere.
bah who cares how bad a primer job you did a cannons a cannon as long as it shoot besides some paint will cover up the primer pretty nicely i say you did a good job for your first 
Last edited by Extrusion on Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"No living person is a virgin because life screws us all." - Extrusion
Yes it's a bushing, 2 to 1" male threads, and yes, its pushed all the way in. Ya I know the primer looks crappy lol but it was my first job. This is with the 3/4" barrel, I also have a 2" barrel. I'm going to make a more permanent fixture for the 3/4" barrel. And paint it. The fittings red and everything else black, except the sprinkler valve lol.
EDIT: near the end of the chamber thats a shoprag with a ziptie around it. A plywood replacement is in the works. I can only shoot projectiles approved by my mom. She saw the screwdriver and got worried.
EDIT: near the end of the chamber thats a shoprag with a ziptie around it. A plywood replacement is in the works. I can only shoot projectiles approved by my mom. She saw the screwdriver and got worried.
I recently fixed it up. Instead of a female quick disconnect, I bought a 1/4" ball valve and used a nipple instead, so I could have more control, and not have to use two nipples. I modded the sprinkler valve and made a block out of a 2x4 to support the barrels instead of the ghetto ziptie. I made some custom ammo out of a 3/4" dowel. The slugs are shaped like a big bullet with a screw in the front to give it a hard tip. Sharp end is screwed in, so it's just the dull head. (I'm not really digging up a dead post because I started it, and I added to my cannon)
Great job man!!
What do you think went wrong with your mod'd sprinkler?
What do you think went wrong with your mod'd sprinkler?