really rough idea for water gun

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
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ramz435
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Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:46 am

really rough idea for water gun

Post by ramz435 » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:29 pm

Image

well its a rough idea but i think it might work if i can get a strong enough spring.

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:16 am

Obviously the design isn't to scale, but there are some good ideas. A few things to note, though.

First of all, the pump design might be a bit unnecessary. Are you putting the handle over the tube so there's support, for looks, or so the handle's farther back? Some people like tracked pumps, where the pump tube is really long and has slits in some places to connect the pump rod to a handle. Another way would be to have another tube parallel to the pump, maybe even using the barrel, and slide the pump handle over that.

A grip to hold the gun isn't really necessary. Its placement can't be too much more ergonomic than any part that's already included in the gun.

Your trigger system is feasible, although I would go for a simpler mechanism. I would get two PVC couplers and sand off the inner rim so the couplers can slide over tubing; then put one on the pump and one on the barrel and connect the couplers so they can slide. I would then get a piece of aluminum to make a new torque arm for the ball valve, and connect the arm to the ball valve at 45 degrees, and use wire to connect it to the trigger.

An index-finger trigger would be quite hard to depress, as it is fairly hard to turn ball valves, especially with a spring.

ramz435
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:46 am

how about

Post by ramz435 » Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:22 am

how about electric sprinkler valve for a trigger...but then theres problems on avoiding water on the electrical components....also for the pump,we can control the thickness of a rubber stopper by tightening a screw on a woden stick to make it fatter if necessary or losen the screw to make it thiner then just put some patroleum jelly and its good to go Image

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:34 pm

To tell you the truth, the only reason we use ball valves (either PVC or metal) for the trigger is that they often have full bores inside, allowing the water to flow through in a wide, straight path. This means less turbulence, a cleaner stream, and better ranges.

On the other hand, if you're keen on having a nice trigger, then by all means go for a sprinkler valve. They're used on the best pneumatic water balloon launchers (WBLs), but that's besides the point. If you're worried about them short-circuiting, you can remove the electric solenoid and position the valve in a way that you can manually press the button with your trigger finger.

There's a thread at Soaker Media, along with other threads at Nerf sites, about using homemade pull valves for guns. They're ideal triggers, cheaper and higher flow than sprinkler valves, and they don't cause too much turbulence. You'll have to build one yourself, or cannibalize one from a commercial water gun.

Nice pump idea. However, it hasn't been done before, so you'd be on your own if you use it--good luck! You might need a washer between the screw head and the seal. Also, unless you use Buna-N rubber, you should use silicone lube or something, as other rubbers are degraded easily. Then again, they're easily replaced.

ramz435
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:46 am

lube

Post by ramz435 » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:38 pm

where can i get the silicone lube ? at any hardware store?

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sun Jan 14, 2007 4:25 am

I think so. Silicone lubricant is very common, and I'm sure it comes both as a spray and as a grease. It can congeal if you use too much though.

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