Water gun from a metal cane

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
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ltk1659
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Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:54 pm

Water gun from a metal cane

Post by ltk1659 » Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:05 pm

Hey all,

I could use some advice with a concept I'm working on.

I'm looking to put together a device similar to what you'll see in this video at 1:12:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gww_0TF773A#t=1m12s

and then I'm going to insert it into a metal walking cane, similar to this one:

http://glowcane.com/Art/Metal%20Cane%202.jpg

I've attached a pdf of what the contraption should look like. I think it's just a ball pump on one end, attached to a length of 3/4" OD PVC tubing. This piece of tubing is where the water will be stored. At the other end I will need some sort of valve, which will then connect to a length of 1/4" OD tubing, going all the way to the tip of the cane where a hole will be drilled to connect it.

The ID of the cane is 3/4", so the tubing fits just perfectly. However, I'm trying to figure out what is the best valve to use. If I go with a ball valve, I'll have to find a way to put it inside the cane and to drill a hole for the handle to come out of. I was also considering a solenoid valve, but was unable to really get a grasp on if they would work or not (the only one I found that seemed to fit was this: http://www.ascovalve.com/Common/PDFFile ... eries.pdf). Secondly, would a ball pump achieve what I want for this? Should there be a check valve at the connector of the pump and the tubing?
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zeda.beta
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Re: Water gun from a metal cane

Post by zeda.beta » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:09 am

By ball pump, I assume you mean air pump. And that wouldn't work, because you need to pump water to succeed in creating pressure.
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ltk1659
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Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:54 pm

Re: Water gun from a metal cane

Post by ltk1659 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 2:26 pm

I'm not too keen on my pump knowledge, but what kind of pump does he have attached in that video?

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zeda.beta
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Re: Water gun from a metal cane

Post by zeda.beta » Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:40 pm

He has a rubber chamber that water is forced into, but no pump. He probably attatches it to a hose or the like, and then fills the chamber. Then you just open the valve, and the rubber tries to contract to its original size, forcing the water out.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
Quack damn you.

ltk1659
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:54 pm

Re: Water gun from a metal cane

Post by ltk1659 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:48 pm

Would a pump connected to a check valve on one end work? You'd have to fill up the water chamber before hand, I suppose.

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Silence
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Re: Water gun from a metal cane

Post by Silence » Sat Jul 17, 2010 3:59 pm

A sprinkler valve (which is actuated by an electric solenoid) would be too large, I believe. In this case, the best type of valve might actually be a pinch valve, which was found in the original Super Soakers (see an approximate animation here). However, the springs do weaken over time and you may have to replace them to prevent leakage, but they may still be worth looking into. Also, they generally have limited flow (I assume because it's hard to flex and seal a wider tube), but again that's not an issue for a cane gun. :D

Pressurization is indeed a concern, too. The best system here may be a "pressurized reservoir," which powers all good water pistols - not too powerful, but very compact. The idea is that you take a tank that's already filled with water, then pump air into it (the inverse of a standard air pressure setup). So seal off a section of the cane, install a screw-on cap so you can fill it with water, and install a Schrader valve so you can pump in some air with a bike pump.

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