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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Spud Gun introduction

A spud gun, or potato gun, refers to either a classic child's toy which is used to fire small pieces of potato using a small volume of air at low pressure, or a larger pipe-based cannon which uses higher air pressure or combustion of a gaseous fuel to launch larger projectiles (usually potatoes). These launchers are built and fired as a hobby.

Spud guns

Spud guns come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations. Depending on the size of the barrel, they can fire a number of common objects, including potatoes, tennis balls and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rockets. The only requirement is that the size of the projectile fits the size of the barrel. "The projectiles," says Joel Suprise, owner of The Spud Gun technology, "are pretty much limited to one's imagination."

Spud Gun Dynamics

A combustion-based spud gun has three basic components: an ignition source, a fuel chamber and a barrel. When firing a spud gun, the user first pushes a potato past the barrel knife and all the way down the barrel. Once in place, the potato acts as a seal at the end of the fuel chamber. The user then removes the end cap from the chamber and fills it with a flammable substance, such as hair spray or aerosol deodorant. After securely replacing the end cap, the user allows the fuel and air to mix inside the chamber and then presses the ignition.

Spud Gun uses

People use spud guns for fun and recreation, but they are not toys. "You know, they can be extremely, extremely dangerous...if used unsafely or inappropriately," says Suprise. "You never look down the barrel of a loaded spud gun, no matter what type it is." Igniting a flammable gas is, naturally, a hazardous process. But using the correct fuel minimizes the risk. Acetylene, gasoline, gunpowder and oxygen are dangerous, and spud guns should never use these fuels.

CONCLUSION

The two basic types of spud gun -- combustive and pneumatic -- each use a rapidly expanding volume of gas to move a potato. Both types of guns are typically made of PVC pipe, although some people use acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), aluminum or other piping materials.