What is Digg?81 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Here is a mirror in case that server dies:
http://www.bandwidthorbust.com/mirror/launcher.mov - hankosky, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Also, You can shoot confeti out of it, and have one heck of a party.,
- fiddelm3742, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8- [1] schrader valve [size doesn't really matter]
You have no idea how long i've been waiting to hear that - Jakelshark, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8who are you, Rip Taylor?
- jkscott, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9 The Verve, Bitter Sweet Symphony
- Silencer7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Just get a winger...a 3-man water balloon slingshot. Water balloons go 200-250 yards, oranges can get over 300.
I have had the joyous experience of launching tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, easter eggs, water balloons, fireworks, rocks and baseballs with it. What's more, it's light, easily concealable and never expected. - Mastershredder, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I used to make potato guns throughout highschool and college. If you're going to do ANYTHING with air pressure, I'd strongly recommend putting a pressure indicator right above the pressure chamber to ensure you don't overfill the max PSI. Otherwise you'll be pulling pieces of PVC out of your torso with pliers.
- jguy584, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Would a steel pipe work better for a pressure chamber? I'm sure you get some serious PSI with one instead of PVC. Would there be any reason though why this would not work/be a bad idea?
- jaredforshey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5What a terrible video. There was no way to get a sense of how loud and fast that thing was really shooting. Out of the whole video, why couldn't they do even a single normal-speed shot?
- pseudojd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5serious. this would wet a small part of thier body, after leaving a large welt.
- themastersb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4At least it isn't in Real Player. I think everyone can agree on that. lol
- seattle98104, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4omg.. I actually built the same thing in highschool for a physics project back in 1999. almost same exact configuration.
- awmitchell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5What could possibly go wrong ? Have we dugg our 1st Darwin Award yet ?
- mufazaTheFirst, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Except Texas I presume? :)
- Egoist, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Potato guns have been around for ages. Be careful about the type of propellant you use, though, as I've seen those things explode and send shrapnel everywhere. Also, they're illegal in just about all 50 states.
- Xinareiaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Sadly potato guns are illegial in Idaho :(
- SilentJ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Not quite illegal. They are generally used for recreation, and do not poseess the power of a "firearm" Also, not considered a firearm by the feds. If used safely, and you're not damaging/endangering, then they're perfectly legal.
Personally, I prefer propane combustion as it is more portable. - cawpin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4They are not illegal. They are not considered firearms by the BATF. Go to www.spudtech.com and read the letter he got from them.
- Otto, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Bah. Coward. ;-)
Propane is safer because it's much easier to measure how much actual gas you are using. You need valves to put the fuel and air into the device and you can measure flow. With aerosol's, you're just spraying it in there for X seconds.
Yes, aerosol's don't run the risk of exploding the chamber because they're weak and they suck. Propane can destroy the thing. But obviously you shouldn't use too much fuel, and for your test firings I recommend a fixed mounting stand with you and the firing trigger a distance away, preferably behind a tree. Really, after you've used propane a few times and got the hang of it (you need very *little* propane for each shot), then it's safer to use IMO. Also cleaner. As long as you realize that it is an explosive based weapon and can therefore kill you, then it's perfectly safe. Simple precautions are enough.
You're correct about the 100 yards thing, I meant 100 feet. My bad. - gstuartj, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Does anyone know what the music is in the video?
- bigstinky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The "Douchenator"...Seriously, This is a very interesting piece and I'm totally going to "Digg". The fact that these fellows took the time to invent and create a water balloon launching device astounds me to no end. SCIENCE !!! I wonder how far a hamster would travel.
- Rmplstltskn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@themastersb
Kids can make potato guns (i did) but making a homemade glock (for instance) might prove more difficult. That is why potato guns aren't always legal. - katanna, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Build a Powerful Water Balloon Launcher"
Who shoots water balloons the size of tennis balls? Sorry, I would opt for something that will get the person wet.
Matthew - Xinareiaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yeah its just like a wicked paintball gun :) Imagine freezeing the ballons and shooting them at walls and stuff...you could mess some windows up :O
- violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2For adventurous Diggers, and from personal experience, water balloons can do ALOT of damage. Be Careful.
- JoPettitt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Awesome, this sort of thing would have rocked when I was a kid with snow ball fights. Imagine a volley over 8 houses and pummeling the local scallies.
- bigstinky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not very far, I would imagine. I weigh like 225 lbs. BTW, Did I strike a chord ? Member of PETA ? Whatever dude.
- allholy1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Anyone know where I can get a schrader valve? Home depot doesn't have it... and all I can think of is disassembling a bike tire to get it. Thanks
- B0jangles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm thinking on the lines of a Predator Spear gun?
- richid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If built correctly, neither air pressure or combustion potato guns will pose a threat to the operator. The reason why combustion guns have been perceived as less safe is due to people experimenting with other fuels. Fuels such as starting fluid can eat away the PVC and the PVC glue, so when you the fire the sucker the end cap comes flying back at your chest or shoulder. This is the type of thing that always makes the nightly news. Also, with combustion guns using an aerosol based propellant (not sure about propane), having too much fuel isn't a problem. If you hold down a hairspray can for 30 seconds into the chamber, the air fuel mixture will be so out of whack that it won't ignite, simple as that.
- theDevilsDue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you make one, please use pressure rated (i.e. schedule 40) PVC and do not over fill it. And please don't shoot anyone with it, you will do serious damage.
As far as the aerosol powered ones (set off by an igniter from a BBQ grill ) -- It won't explode if you put too much Aquanet in there. In fact, it may not even ignite. All that hairspray tends to displace the air (and oxygen) it needs to burn. When you make one, it takes a while to figure out how much hairspray to use in order to get the best distance -- too much is just as bad as not enough. And anyone who has actually made one (not just read about them) would know this. ;) - scruffmaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You can try using a bicycle hand pump. It's gonna take some work, but the end result should be the same.
- SoCalChris, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This is a pneumatic one, no need for propellant (Just compressed air).
- Waterboys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1These guys built one that shoots 24 oz soda bottles, awesome!
http://digg.com/design/The_ultimate_home_made_air_cannon_test_videos - hellalazy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1theres no mention of a compressor or bike pump in the directions, how are we supposed to know how to build up the PSI
- Schmitty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I had to build a similar device to test the efficiency of purging a liquid with a gas. The chamber that held the gas charge also held the liquid I had to flush, which all moved down into a horizontal tube. I charged the chamber with the shop air supply regulated at ~90 psi. The purge system worked great; I still have the thing sitting around, I should play around with it this weekend...
- Dummies102, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"The "Douchenator" was named for the sound it makes when fired, not for other definitions of the first part of the word...we are geniuses here, not pervs..."
I guess these 'geniuses' don't know that douch means shower in french, something that might make sense for a water-baloon launcher - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ok not only is the video stupid and quicktime but they wasted all that time making a water balloon launcher when all they have to do is go to a sporting goods store and buy that latex/elastic tubing, cut a 2 liter pop bottle in half (use the top end), ductape everything together, mount the 2 ends or have your friends hold them, insert balloon inside the 2 liter cutout, pull back, and release.
You can also launch them quicker. No digg. - umrgregg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ z0l0pht: You have no idea man.
- Duxburian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0-Sorry for the double post-
Updated the article with another movie link:
http://www.soakermedia.sscentral.org/douchenator_commercial.php
That is a fake 26 second commercial we made for a TV Production class. Short, but higher quality than the other video and also shows shots in normal speed. - Duxburian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's interesting to see what others have been saying about the launcher. I did edit the article to take into account things like PVC being pressure-rated for water, not air. And yes, we know that Douche also means shower in French, although that's not the first definition that most think about.
Also, the movie is at least 8 months old, we are much better at editing now. We do have footage shooting a friend with a water balloon [at low PSI], but I haven't uploaded that or made a page for it yet. Other launchers with combustion, CO2, etc. may be much more powerful. The article title and description were written for SEO for the site, not as a full assertion that this is the best launcher one can make. In addition, you can tell that the article and video were not made for that large of an audience, for I would have made them differently had I known that they would pop up in a highly trafficked area.
It also should be legal, seeing as it is pneumatic and uses only plain air pressure. - cawpin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3WOAH NELLY!!!!! PROPANE IS ***NOT*** SAFER THAN AEROSOL! It is much more explosive.
You should ONLY use aerosol in combustion potato guns made of PVC. The best fuel I have found is Aquanet
hairspray. It is sheap and has a high alcohol content.
Also, a tennis ball won't go though plywood at 100 yards unless you have filled it with something. It doesn't have enough mass to retain energy that far away. - Duxburian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0You need to put a sabot in the barrel. AKA, any item that makes a seal with the barrel and traps the air so that the object will launch. Pringles cans work optimally. Plastic cups and tennis ball cans also work very well. But without this, nothing will shoot anywhere.
The videos had to be taken offline since Digg.com users burned 318 gigs of bandwidth that we didn't have, but they will be reposted on YouTube or other host. - Pie_Man, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I made a combustion chamber potato gun when I was in high school. We actually soaked moth balls in gasoline and then dipped a wadding rag in the mixture as our fuel source. It would blow a 3 foot flame out of the front of the barrel!
It you hit a trailer home with it...the whole house would shake like a boat in the water. - dilbertland, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yep, I once saw a sling launched water ballon punch a fist sized hole in a security window with embedded wire reinforcement. If you get the water moving fast enough it doesn't act much different than a solid.
- Duxburian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0We did actually test the Douchenator with a snowball at low pressure. We underestimated how far it would go, accidentally arcing the snowball over a neighbor's house and deep into their backyard.
The music is Bitter Sweet Symphony, although you could have also found that out by looking at earlier comments.
You can find out how far something would travel by using Physics. We have had to calculate ranges since there is no possible way to measure them. - allholy1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I spent about 60 bucks on all the materials. I'm new to building this sorta thing. The long PVC pipe was a total of around 14 bucks, and the ball valve can range anywhere beween 16 and 33 bucks. I purchased it for 16 bucks at a true value hardware store... which was a price mistake (marked 26 bucks). Home Depot had a 2 inch valve for 36 bucks.
Home depot didn't have the schrader valve, but a smaller hardware store did. A shcrader valve is air pressure valve... it took me forever to figure this out. If you can't find it at a hardware store, check an auto store or tire shop, they might have it.
I was able to purchase all the piping and everything else from home depot. It took me about 2 hours to build... I had some leaks where the endcap goes and had to purchase some epoxy to stop the leaks.
Attempting to launch baloons didn't work to well as they blew up due to all the pressure. Other items didn't launch anywhere near the 500 feet. Looking at the video, you can see that they also put something in the PVC pipe, like a peice of cork or something that the air pushes up and in return launches the item sitting on top of it. - skela, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A friend and I built a balloon shooter a few years ago that also ran on compressed air. I did have some pictures posted for a while. The thing I didn't see but might have missed. PVC isn't rated for compressed gas. It is rated for water. And there is a lot more energy in air under pressure than water under pressure. That makes the compressed air so much more dangerous.
- sourcemonkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I wonder how far YOU would travel.
- kweber103, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Any one know the name of the song?
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