The Cannon
The cannon is the mammoth of all potato guns. I have shot
potatoes over 300 yards with this gun.
Materials: (all must be sch 40)
1) 2" PVC
2) 4" PVC (only need about 3" of this)
3) 4" - 2" Coupling
4) 4x4x2 "T"
5) 2" Clean out (with threads)
6) 2" End cap (with threads)
7) 4" Clean out (with threads)
8) 4" End cap (with threads)
9) Grill igniter (push button)
10) PVC cement
11) Cheap hairspray (Aquanet is great)
Instructions:
1) Cut off a 6 foot section of the 2" PVC. This will be the
barrel.
2) Using the appropriate size drill bit, drill a hole into the
2" end cap big enough for the igniter to go all the way in
to (leaving the red button sticking out).
3) Get a paper clip and straighten it out. Tape or solder about
3/4 of the clip to the side of the igniter where the wire is
running down the middle of it. Bend the rest of the paper clip
over the electrode leaving about 1 cm of space between the paper
clip and the igniter. Now press the igniter button. If you see a
spark, you have done it right. Confused? click HERE for picture.
4) Take the 4" clean out, and cement it on to one end of the
T.
5) Take the 2" clean out, and cement it on to the 2"
end of the T.
6) Cut a 3" long piece of 4" pipe, and cement it
halfway into the 4" side of the coupling.
7) Cement the other half of the 4" pipe into the T.
8) Using a grinder or file, bevel one end of the 2" pipe
(this will help shave the potato as it is rammed in)
9) Cement the 2" pipe to the other end of the coupling.
10) Hot glue the igniter into your 2" end cap (make sure the
igniter can spark before you hot glue)
11) While everything is drying, find something to use as a
ramrod. It should be long enough to push the potato down right
before the coupling.
12) Allow to set at least for 3 hours.
13) It's pretty easy to fire