Baseball Rocket

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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medievalman
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:59 pm

this is a gun a made to shoot baseballs and such. it uses a pringles can for a barrel, and a tennis ball can for a chamber. i simply spray some hairspray into the hole, then stick in a lighter, and ignite. the first time it shot, i was shooting straight up and i didnt think it would be very powerful, but it shot the basesball hundreds of feet up!!! there was an incredibly huge boom and about 20 seconds of hangtime. it was just a tiny little dot in the sky! after that, it would only shoot about 10 ft :cry: the only time it really worked well was the firsat time, it was amazing! has anyone else had an experience like this?

the cannon itself
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the baseball after firing
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the red line indicates where the chamber ends and the barrel begins. the c:b ratio is 1.2:1
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Torch
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:05 pm

Nice, just like the first spudguns. If you let it vent it should fire fine again.
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Bluetooth
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:14 pm

Yeah just blow in the hole where you ignite it a few times then try :D .
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Flying_Salt
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:41 pm

20 seconds? Wow. Most I've ever gotten with hairspray is like 7 seconds.
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medievalman
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:07 pm

Torch: yes it is like the first spudguns, but safer, because i know what they can do. i put at least 5 layers of tape on every surface.

Bluetooth: i tried blowing it out, butthat didn't work. i guess it will only work once every time i want to use it :lol:

Flying_Salt: i dont know if it was exactly 20 seconds, because i wasnt counting, but it was at least 15-20 sec. i must have just gotten the magical air to fuel ratio.
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Torch
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Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:30 pm

Maybe put a fan right where the barrel and the chamber meet? So that it blows towards the muzzle, not sure if it would effect its power though.
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Etc1990
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Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:26 am

Wow! Even 15 seconds hangtime would be amazing for a simple gun like this.The only way i can get that much with my pvc guns is when firing golf balls.
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rna_duelers
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Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:58 am

Yes the same with me 15 seconds with golfball gun.But that baseball looks pritty messed up,are you sure the cannon did that to it?Or did it fall in a tree branch shredder on the way down?

I have had that problem before with combustions,mainly smaller ones but they fire well the first time but not so well until you leave them for a while.It could be that the hairspray or other fuel gives off fumes after it has combusted before and only time can let the fumes disipate.
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Etc1990
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:51 am

Well of course,after combustion takes place it leaves behind exaust.And that exaust combined with more fuel just about depletes all oxygen in the chamber,keeping combustion from taking place again untill the exaust gets cleared out.
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MrCrowley
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:59 am

15sec...Not sure about that, my combustion only gets about 8 seconds (with GB barrel)and its defiently more powerful then that pringles can. :P
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Recruit
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:59 am

Very interesting, anyways I was wondering why no one made a base ball gun. Well keep working at it.
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frankrede
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 4:28 am

Thats awesome.
I want to make one:D
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Billy Bob
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 7:30 am

Hey wow it seems like one of the easyest spudguns of the world.
Mc Gyver would be envious :D
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medievalman
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Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:39 am

yes, was very easy, took less time than a cloud :D
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