Hello.

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
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Psycomega
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:19 am

Hello.

Post by Psycomega » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:02 am

First off, a short introduction.
I am Sixteen years old, love to build things, and am as responsible as an intelligent teenager can be.

I've only two guns (Technically they belong to my two siblings as well.) at this moment in time, and they aren't made very well to boot.
Easter basket water guns, you know. One is a simple piston squirt gun, and
the other is an air pressure chamber type gun with a swiveling nozzle head.

Now, on to the meat of this post.

I have been reading about home-made guns for a little while, soaking (Yes, a pun that was not intended.) as much information as possible into my head.
I would very much like to build what you call an "APH." I've read the guide on making Doom's APH, and have decided on making that.

Being One-Hundred percent customizable, yet having little over-all information about home-mades, I've stumbled into a maze of questions...
I like the ability to use a backpack reservoir, but only know of the garbage-bag method. Although useful, I would much rather prefer a reservoir on the gun, perhaps with the option to attach it to a backpack reservoir.
Is this possible?

One thing that seems out of place is the block of styrofoam, as I think something else would be much better suited to fit in that position. But that is just my sense of overall 'look' of the finished project. I like the look of a 'Frankenstein's Monster' type object, but the block looks out of place.

Being that this will be the first time I've worked with PVC, it will be a fun endeavor to say the least. But in that same line of thought, I'm also new to building water-guns, obvious or not, it means that I'm not accustomed to terms, specifications, and even just designing the gun.

Now, just a short list, in the case you don't care to read the above.
  • I would like to build Doom's APH.
  • Can I build a reservoir onto the gun, and still be able to use a backpack?
  • What can I use as a substitute to the block of styrofoam?
Thank you for your help. And I am sorry that I have not the imaginative capability that comes from knowing what you work with. That being the ability to design a water reservoir on this gun.

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WaterWolf
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Post by WaterWolf » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am

Yes, it would be possible to make a gun with an onboard reservoir and a back-pack at the same time.

When I have built homemades in the past that needed a support piece like that, I would cut a short section of 1-inch PVC to the appropriate length, concave the ends, cut some slits near the ends, then use hose-clamps to hold it on.
This I've found to be a strong and reliable method of supporting the structure, though I have never actually built this particular gun.

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your stay.

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DX
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Post by DX » Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:21 pm

The standard APH featured on SSCentral was designed to use a backpack. While you can force it to accomodate an onboard reservoir, it was not optimized for that function. In my opinion, homemade design should mirror the intended uses. If you want an onboard reservoir, the best design would be one that is optimized to use an onboard reservoir. As posted in this topic http://forums.sscentral.org/t4231/ you can see a few designs which utilize an onboard. There are varying degrees of conventionality in homemades. The standard APH closely resembles normal guns, while there are some out there which look more like spacecraft than water guns. When designing with an onboard reservoir, there's a whole world of possible ways to shape and configure it. Then again, Doom's is still the only APH with proper documentation, so you might be safer sticking to those specifications [especially without much experience using PVC fittings].

It is easy to allow for a backpack hookup on such a gun. There are many ways to do it, depending on what kind of parts are available in your area.

As for supports, people have used styrofoam, wood, other PVC, pipe saddles, etc. Also depends on what's available and what looks best for you.

Welcome to SSC!
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

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SSCBen
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Post by SSCBen » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:09 pm

Welcome to Super Soaker Central!

The design is completely customizable. Anything you can imagine is possible. I myself have received too numerous emails about how my guide doesn't adequately explain many options and I feel somewhat bad every time I get one or see a forum post on the subject. I've been working slowly but steadily on a more detailed guide with step-by-step instructions and better guides on what is easily possible.

People have made backpacks from trash bags, plastic pipe, plastic containers, water containers, and even "solar showers." I think the solar shower way actually is the way to go. More on this in my next post (I have to leave soon).

You can make a design that can use either a backpack or a built in reservoir. You can use a threaded coupler that can accept either a backpack connection or a reservoir connection.

With that beind said, my design was designed to use a backpack and from what I have been told does not work well with a built in reservoir. I would suggest looking at the designs of others if you want to see how reservoirs were done. I assumed something similar to what I made would work fine with included reservoirs because Pepper's water gun (an earlier, very similar design) had one and he never complained.

The styrofoam also was used only because it was available. I actually sawed it from a larger block I had. I most definitely would NOT suggest using styrofoam because it "flakes" when rubbed against. More recently I've used blocks of wood and tubing clamps. I would suggest something like that or what WaterWolf recommended.

Good luck with your building project and all future projects. ;)

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:13 pm

Welcome to the forums!

The great thing about PVC is it's all compatible. You can make any design, as long as it follows some basic principles. Doom, now known as Ben (at least on the forums), knows the most about homemades.

Just make sure the pressure chambers and the reservoir have the opening in the bottom, near the back, so that water (and not air) is pushed or sucked out. Having the holes near the back helps ensure that only water is sucked out if you're tilting the gun back, like when shooting.

Make sure the check valve configuration and the pump are also set up correctly. Other than that, you're all set!

For on-board reservoirs, fittings like the ones on DX's gun are easy to work with. You could also use a ball valve or something if you want to open and close quickly.

You can use more PVC fittings to form a square of tubing for support or a saddle instead. WaterWolf's idea sounds good. I would, however, use duct tape or something to hold a piece of PVC - a bit simpler. Using fittings is more rigid, though.

EDIT: Just saw Ben's post.

Psycomega
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Post by Psycomega » Tue Apr 10, 2007 9:33 pm

Thank you for the warm welcome.
Yes, I like WaterWolf's method, but the wood also sounds nice.
I have a bit of experience with styrofoam, so I knew about how it flakes. It's one of the things (Other than being quite weak.) that made me decide against using it for future sword designs. (I like to make things from cardboard, swords are among the main creations.)

As I stated earlier, I don't quite know what anything is called, so I don't exactly know what you're talking about when you tell me to use certain pieces. I'll do my best to understand though.

So, if I understand you correctly, this gun design isn't suitable for an on-board reservoir, and was designed for a backpack reservoir.
I know I can customize this homemade, but I do not know how. Being that I've no experience with this type of project, the only thing I thought about was a reservoir on-board.

I can only use basic pieces in my head unless any of you could help me, but the elbow joint (90 degree PVC piece, I think.) could be replaced with a T shaped joint, and you could make a reservoir sort of like the pressure chambers. Would this work? If not, why?

I'm sorry if I don't quite understand, but I think I'm getting it...

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DX
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Post by DX » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:20 am

Image

^The gun to the right is an APR 3000, a good example of the standard APH re-worked for an attached reservoir. The most important differences are that the pressure chamber was made drastically smaller and the reservoir was included by using a 90 degree elbow behind the last check valve, connected to a straight piece of PVC, and then to another 90 degree elbow. The reservoir itself is simply a normal cap, tee, screw-on/off cap, and a few reducers to get it from 3" to 3/4".

Unfortunately, I can't find more detailed pictures [few exist because I built this gun years ago, plus it broke twice]. Anyway, that is probably one of the best ways to accomodate a reservoir if you want to stick with conventional design. Earlier attempts to modify the standard APH resulted in reservoirs that appear rather flimsy [don't know how Pepper could hold his while maintaining good balance]. By swinging the reservoir up and back as far as possible, you keep the gun compact, the reservoir connection strong, and obtain very nice horizontal balance.
Last edited by DX on Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

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

Psycomega
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:19 am

Post by Psycomega » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:54 am

That's a nice looking gun. I like the reservoir, but how could you modify it to use a backpack? I'm most likely going to build the APH like the guide said, but I'm just looking for other ideas to make it slightly more versatile.

I'm only looking for a one or two litre reservoir, as the purpose isn't for water warfare (Which may come later on, but not at the moment.) but for small free-for-all games, or just plain shooting at trees.

I'd like to be able to use a backpack at a later date because this will be the only one I can build for what I think will be a long time. I'm poor, being supported by the government and all. So this will be a one-time affair until things change.

I'm homeschooled, so I have a bunch of time at home, meaning I'll be doing this as my main source of entertainment. I love to build things, and like physical science, so I'm using this as a two-for-one deal. Being home-work and a toy (for lack of a better term.) is a nice thing.

I've been looking into the ways some of the adults in my life do things, and I'm interested. "Freecycle," I think it's called, has been very prominent in the last week or so, flea markets, yard sales and the likes.
So recently I thought that I should be looking for water guns. :D

I just thought you should know that. Being able to do this only once makes me want to get it right the first time.

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:29 am

Free-for-all is still water warfare. That's what I do half the time. It can be just as fun, perhaps just not as hardcore. Oh well, it's fine by me!

If there are any specific part names you're confused about, just ask :cool: . Here are a few I might have mentioned:
- reservoir - the water tank
- pressure chamber - the vertical tanks where water is pumped into. The air already inside is compressed, generating pressure.
- check valve - essentially one-way valves. In the APH article, there's one between the backpack connection and the pump, and another between the pump and the first pressure chamber.

The HowStuffWorks article on "Water Blaster" is a good introduction to how air pressure water guns work, in case there's any confusion.

It's definitely possible to have both a regular reservoir and a backpack. You're absolutely right in that a tee could replace one of the elbows (your choice - the top or the bottom elbow).

The backpack hose is just clear vinyl tubing. It slides over a piece called a hose barb. For applications in which there's a lot of pressure, you clamp the hose it down tight against the hose barb with a Jubilee clip. A ton of terminology here, but they're just specifics - don't worry about them.

Some hose barbs have small ball valves, like what we use for trigger valves, in them. This lets you open and close the connection to the hose. You can put one of those barbs in the tee and slide on a hose later.

But there's another option, probably better unless you want to be able to quickly attach and reattach a backpack. Hose barbs generally have screw threads on one end, which you fit into a thread adapter that is on the gun. You can just buy the tee and buy the thread adapter, and until you get a backpack, close off the opening in the thread adapter with a threaded plug. A threaded plug is just a type of endcap with threads that fit inside the adapter.

Sorry to hear about your financial troubles. Hopefully things will get better sometime. :)

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WaterWolf
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Post by WaterWolf » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:02 am

EXCELLENT! Its great to see another homeschooler.
What state are you in?

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