Mini APH Leftovers

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
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martianshark
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Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:12 pm

I built a small APH using scraps from my PVC collection.

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I still have to wait for the cement to dry, so more information coming tomorrow...

And yes, that's an Arctic Blast pump that I salvaged.

Note that the bottle is threaded on to the rest of the water gun. I plan on replacing it soon with a CPS bladder.

It has no reservoir yet. I have a MI backpack that I might modify soon and put it on, but I might decide to put on an on-board reservoir.

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soakernerd
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by soakernerd » Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:23 am

Nice! I really like that AB pump. because it is connected with threads, is it modular and usable for most guns?

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martianshark
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What?

Post by martianshark » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:26 am

Huh? :confused: I didn't understand your question.

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soakernerd
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by soakernerd » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:30 am

sorry. Can you remove the pump and attach it to another homemade?
I ask because I can't make pumps for my life, so I use a some from broken guns and swap them out, depending on what i am currently using.

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C-A_99
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by C-A_99 » Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:43 am

Most pumps fit 1/2" and I've done that myself since reliable homemade pumps are a real pain in the ass to make. The Flash Flood pump works fairly well, along with several medium CPS's pumps and the Piranha. Most soakers manufactured use a pump close to 1/2" which usually works with 1/2" sch 40 pipe. I repaired my FF though, so now I have no stock pumps available for homemade use. (I'll have to go back to homemade pumps; every pump I've tried squirts almost enough water for a piston gun to attack with)

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martianshark
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:17 am

Soakernerd: Yes, I made it threaded on in case it didn't work or I need a pump for something else.

I plan on making a gimmick-like modification that puts a ball valve in front of the PC. Then I can close the valve to turn it into a piston gun in case I don't have enough time to pump.

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martianshark
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:35 pm

Last night, I dug through my water gun scraps and attatched a salvaged HydroBlitz reservoir. Now I can attatch my MI backpack for even more capacity.

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It's held on with nothing but Scotch tape right now because I don't have any duct tape. I'm going to replace it soon.

I also tested it this morning. It works well. It's a little less powerful than my double-chambered, hose-pressurized PRH which I forgot to tell you about.

I'm not sure if it can be considered a mini APH anymore. It's huge - bigger than my Vanquisher or HydroBlitz.

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zeda.beta
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by zeda.beta » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:31 pm

This is a very good project if you made it entirely out of scrap parts. Also, how is your pressure chamber holding up? I was thinking of using a soda bottle for one of mine.
-Zeda
Edit: Sorry, I meant to say soda.
Last edited by zeda.beta on Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
Quack damn you.

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martianshark
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:48 pm

Don't use a water bottle - they're not meant to hold pressure. Use a soda bottle, like I did. It holds on fine. I just stuck it on with some superglue.

It isn't made entirely out of scraps - I made a small trip to the hardware store to get one of the check valves and the threading to screw/unscrew the pump.

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C-A_99
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by C-A_99 » Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:27 am

I've heard lots of warnings from the NIC (Nerf internet community) on using soda bottles to store air, but on the other hand, we have Waterwolf's WBL air canister testing here showing that they can take 140 PSI and several bashings of rocks. In the end, I'd hold off on using soda bottle PC's unless there's no other option around. Everytime I test my 2L Piranha I feel like it's going to turn into a water rocket. (and if it gets dropped or put on the side with the PC well loaded, the weight of the water may damage the connection to the internals)

Soda bottles are nice and light though, but you should hold them on with at least epoxy/putty which should both seal and be strong enough to hold the bottle in place at higher pressure.

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martianshark
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:38 am

I used it in a water fight today. It worked very well. Unfortunately, everyone teamed up against me because of my power. :p

I also realized how effective the Stingray is. I thought it was only a little better than a squirt gun, but it actually made a pretty good side arm in the 1 1/2 hour battle.

I also attached my Max Infusion backpack - which was very comfortable even though I was carrying over 6 liters - and the amount of time I went without refilling was ridiculous. I was fighting for at least half the battle without refilling.

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C-A_99
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by C-A_99 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:21 am

The Stingray is probably at least as powerful (or at least has as much range) as the Shot Blast, except it's smaller and for continuous streams, all you have to do is hold the trigger down without having to pump continuously. Don't underestimate small PR blasters; they are often nearly as powerful as larger small-stream blasters.

The Max-Infusion pack only holds up to around 3L. Totaled up you may get just over a gallon of water. For comparison, the CPS 3200/3000 had 2 gallon backpacks. (almost 8L)

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martianshark
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by martianshark » Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:44 am

I doubt that - My Stingray was only a little more powerful than a squirt gun and even my Bottle Blitz has at least three times more output. However, the stream did get slightly bigger as it traveled.

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cantab
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by cantab » Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:55 pm

The StingRay is a bit weird. Notably, the pressure-relief 'valve' seems to basically be done by an imperfect seal in the cap, which excess pressure escapes through. By tightening the cap more, you reach higher pressures and boost performance. There's a lug on the gun that matches one on the cap to limit how much it's tightened - but that can be filed off.

I'm not 100% sure on this, since I never did proper testing, but it seemed more powerful.
I work on Windows. My toolbox is Linux.
Arsenal:
Super Soaker: XP215, 2xXP220, Liquidator, Aquashock Secret Strike M(odded), Arctic Blast M, CPS1200, CPS2100, SC Power Pak, 3l aquapack, 1.5l aquapack
Water Warriors: Jet, Sting Ray M, Shark, Argon M, Tiger Shark, PulseMaster
Others: Waterbolt, The Blaster, Storm 500, Shield Blaster 2000, generic PR gun, generic backpack piston pumper (broken), 3l garden sprayer M, 10l water carrier:

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C-A_99
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Re: Mini APH Leftovers

Post by C-A_99 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:29 pm

That's odd. The Sting Ray's air pressure should give it at least half-decent range though BBT's sidearms are somewhat less powerful and aggressive than the Max-D's. The iSoaker stats also put the Bottle Shot at 21mL per pump and the Sting Ray at 30mL per second.

Right now I'm liking the Max-D 2000 best. The Hornets do have a nicer grip and reservoir but their pumps don't drive a lot of air per stroke and they aren't that powerful. I haven't tried a String Ray though.

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