Homemade Soaker Tips

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
Locked
User avatar
Silence
Posts: 3825
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:01 pm

Homemade Soaker Tips

Post by Silence » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:23 pm

I didn't see an existing thread dealing with the issue...at least, not a stickied one.

A few tips concerning nozzle drilling:
- Use the most powerful drill available, so you can drill the nozzle quickly and thus cleanly
- The best technique to use is a quick drill; send the drill bit straight through and then just stop drilling then. Don't try to rotate the drill bit or move it in and out to make the aperture cleaner; you will only be ensuring that the sides are no longer parallel.
- Use a chisel head or something to remove the "rim" of PVC that builds up when you drill.
- As Croc said, sand each face of the nozzle to further eliminate imperfections that could cause turbulence.
- Create a good selection of about 2-3 different nozzles, starting small and drilling through those until you hit the optimal size.
- If any of those nozzles was drilled poorly, then feel free to drill through it to create the largest nozzle so far until the set is good overall.
- If you want a shotgun nozzle, then don't go and drill multiple tiny pinhole apertures into an endcap. Instead, just take a small or medium-sized drill bit and swivel it as you drill to make a conical shape for each face. This will ensure thorough coverage without wasting water. Also, if individual holes aren't drilled parallel, then the streams will look bad.
- When drilling a shotgun nozzle, don't swivel or drill multiple holes (not recommended) in only one plane as in the Wookiee Bowcaster; if you do that, the direction of spread will change depending on how much you screw in the nozzle.

User avatar
CROC
Posts: 302
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:03 pm

Post by CROC » Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:59 pm

Here are some more for the list- most are just common sense, or being price effective
-Use teflon sealant tape on the pump and any threaded bits
-You don't really need PVC primer, just sand the PVC and cement it
-Don't put the O-ring all the way to the end of the pump shaft, as it could get stuck.
As I get more experience with homemades, I will have more advice.
-Croc
It's been a while guys, and its good to be back

User avatar
Silence
Posts: 3825
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:01 pm

Post by Silence » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:10 pm

PVC primer is necessary if you want to be as certain as possible that your gun will hold good seals; especially for me, since I have plans for using a 3/8" pump for 16/9 the total pressure (but I might stop if I get to extreme and unsafe pressures). Sanding the PVC isn't really the best idea, as you want the joints as tight as possible so there's maximum contact as the PVC melts and joins.

To prevent the pump from going in too far (which will also make it hard to pull out as well as displacing the O-ring), put a washer in between the pump tube and the next joint as outlined in Ben's APH article. Simple and effective.

While making my mini APH, I could have sworn I had deliberately aligned the tee such that the washer was on the correct side--but it wasn't! :p However, I took a thick wooden dowel, drilled a hole in it for the pump rod to go into and another for a bolt, and then I screwed in the bolt to hold the handle in place. That has the added bonus of keeping the pump far enough out, and it is of course far more comfortable.

User avatar
CROC
Posts: 302
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:03 pm

Post by CROC » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:53 pm

Well, I was just using cement for my PPP, and nothing has happened to it (yet). The male adapter (threads on the outside) is stuck very firmly to the 31" pipe. When my pump got stuck, I was basically pulling on the male adapter, not the pipe, and it held steady. That is why I am recommended it.
-Croc
It's been a while guys, and its good to be back

User avatar
DX
Posts: 1780
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:00 pm

Post by DX » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:02 am

Always use primer, unless you want parts to come out further down the road.

If you can't find a good washer or are too lazy, you can wrap tape around the dowel right at the point of least extension, effectively preventing the dowel from sliding further in. If you use a tracked pump, you don't have to worry about the rod going in too far because it can't.

If your O-ring [always use O-rings for the seal] is too large, you can cut a small groove into the rod to hold it. If it is too small, you can wrap some tape under it. Both assume that you've wrapped tape on both sides of the O-ring to keep it from shifting.

Another thing, let your homemade dry at least overnight, no matter what the glue can says. Never trust "2 hour" cement.
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

2004 Red Sox - World Series Champions
2007 Red Sox - World Series Champions!

User avatar
Silence
Posts: 3825
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:01 pm

Post by Silence » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:02 am

Well, that explains the logic. In PPPs and all piston-powered soakers, no actual pressure is being built up; the water gets released as the pressure is created (and it reminds me of that one combustion vs. pneumatic water balloon launcher debate). Because APHs actually contain and build up the pressure, their seals must be stronger.

EDIT: I saw Duxburian viewing the thread but didn't see his post. Doesn't matter, though.

User avatar
DX
Posts: 1780
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:00 pm

Post by DX » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:06 am

Eventually you will probably shoot the adaptor off. I've had parts without primer break off that were never under ANY pressure, such as between the reservoir and first check valve.
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

2004 Red Sox - World Series Champions
2007 Red Sox - World Series Champions!

User avatar
CROC
Posts: 302
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:03 pm

Post by CROC » Wed Sep 13, 2006 1:44 am

Duxburian wrote:always use O-rings for the seal
I've seen some homemades where people use pipe insulation, and that holds pretty well, but that was in nerf homemades. Pipe insulation might not hold that well against water.
-Croc
It's been a while guys, and its good to be back

User avatar
Silence
Posts: 3825
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:01 pm

Post by Silence » Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:16 am

Some people also have used just plain electrical tape, but the fact is that the tape can't really compress or hold a seal well. O-rings are designed to hold a seal, and they do it well. I'm going to get a long stick of 3/8" aluminum and a ton of O-rings to see how well those more angular O-rings are...at least they won't jump the tape and they'll be easier to put together.

Locked