Homemade water gun misconceptions

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
Locked
User avatar
SSCBen
Posts: 6449
Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2003 1:00 pm

Homemade water gun misconceptions

Post by SSCBen » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:35 pm

Homemade water guns have become a controversial subject to some people. Water gun enthusiasts are becoming increasingly divided into what nearly amount to factions. Some feel that homemade water guns are impeding on the territory typically held by manufactured water guns. These opponents of homemade water guns also seem to feel that homemade water guns should not be suggested because homemade water guns may be difficult to build, unsafe to operate, too expensive to build, for those reasons they are "not the answer" to today's lack of quality water guns. On the other side are those who believe homemade water guns are an easy to build, enjoyable, safe, cheap, and viable option for a reliable and powerful water gun.

Which faction am I under? I definitely am a proponent of homemade water guns. My intention in this editorial (which is what it amounts to) is to give reasons to not argue these anti-homemade positions and segregate homemade water guns. This article does not detail the merits of homemade water guns. Yes, I do promote homemade water guns, but that is not my point here.

This article may be thought of as a response to a well written, but poorly informed article titled "Building vs. Buying" by Peter_MJ. "Building vs. Buying" was written from the perspective of someone who has never built, never used, and never seen a homemade water gun. Peter_MJ is a great guy (I emailed him several times about his article), but he is as much of an expert about homemade water guns as a lawyer is an expert about carpentry. The article was presented as an "unbiased" view of the choice to build or buy a water gun. The ignorance to the actual issues homemade water guns present was obvious. Assumptions and misconceptions are made in many of the arguments. These assumptions typically are biased against homemade water guns.

"Building vs. Buying" also focuses far too much on reasons people choose not to build water guns, with little or no mention as to why people build water guns. Most of the article is justification for buying used water guns. For these reasons I do not believe the article should be thought of as an accurate view of the decisions involved. I do agree with most of the points made in "Building vs. Buying," but the article only verifies to me that non-builders assume much about homemade water guns.

Certain arguments are only made by those who never have built a water gun. These people are simply unfamiliar with homemade water guns and assume much about them. The lack of experience and assumptions are what really is the difference between the two camps.

Who homemade water guns are for

Repeatedly have some said that homemade water guns are not "the answer to the lack of a good manufactured water gun." I agree completely. There is no single answer to that problem. Believing there is one answer to that problem is limited. Homemade water guns are one of several answers to that problem. And they should not be thought of as only a response to the lack of quality water guns.

Most people prefer direct and easy access to an already manufactured water gun. Homemade water guns are not made for these people and never were promoted for these people. Homemade water guns are for those who are dedicated enough to build them. Homemade water guns are "the answer" to a large group of people who want quality water guns. They can not satisfy everyone by their nature. They especially can not satisfy certain groups of enthusiasts, namely, collectors.

Despite everyone's best efforts to improve manufactured water gun quality, little has occurred to improve their quality. The same people who argue that homemade water guns are not "the answer" believe that manufacturers stepping up to produce higher quality water guns is the answer. The manufacturers are not creating higher quality water guns, at least on a reasonable time scale. Therefore, for the moment the manufacturers are not "the answer," but they may become the answer in the future.

Regardless, even if homemade water guns are not "the answer," they shouldn't be shunned because of that. Homemade water guns should always be thought of as an option even if manufacturers are making something higher quality than what a person could build on their own. People who want to build will always exist.

Homemade water guns may simply attract a different crowd of people. There is a small, but growing, niche of people interested mainly in building water guns. Some people seem to be alienated by this growing group. Some have accused water gun builders of being "elitist." They falsely claim that the group of builders will not appreciate you unless you build or modify water guns. Do what you enjoy and are comfortable with and don't get mad if others aren't as interested as you are. And most of all, don't shun other aspects of water gunning just because you don't like what they are doing.

Should homemade water guns be suggested?

At the forums, when someone has asked for water gun suggestions, some people have told me to avoid suggesting homemade water guns. They say that these people do not want to build and would prefer something manufactured. Manufactured water guns definitely should handle the most basic requests, as they do.

For other requests, especially requests asking for a powerful water gun, my suggestion is about choices. Homemade water guns are one of several choices. If some people believe homemade water guns are the right way to go, they know about them and can try them out. Unlike manufactured water guns, homemade water guns are unknown to most people. I do not feel that I should limit their choices, which essentially dictates what they could choose. If they choose against my suggestion, no harm was done.

It's the exact same situation as if it were between manufactured water gun X and manufactured water gun Y. If they don't like water gun X, no harm was done. No one today stops one's decision to buy a manufactured water gun. Yet there are some would prefer to avoid suggesting homemade water guns. That is a double standard and the avoidance shows that these people segregate homemade water guns and put them in a different class. Homemade water guns are still water guns and should receive the same treatment.

The biggest misconception

Homemade water guns are made for more than power. Most people assume that homemade water guns are just only "powerful beasts," which is the basis for the safety argument as well as the argument that homemade water guns are "overkill" and therefore unnecessary. Most people do want more power. There is a "quality crisis" in water guns after all. Homemade water guns can provide more power. They should not be assumed to be only powerful water guns however. Homemade water guns can span everything from weak to powerful. In fact, extremely long shot time homemade water guns are anything but dangerous due to their low water output.

Are homemade water guns overkill? Most definitely not. Most homemade water guns in fact do not have considerably more water output than high-end CPS water guns. They do typically have much more range, but that is due to their efficiency and is a useful improvement, not overkill. Even still, much can be done to limit water output. Homemade water guns especially can have limited water output and range because they are customizable. As with many water guns, if water is being used too quickly, a smaller nozzle can be used. Of course, the biggest overkill problem for homemade water guns would be riot-blast nozzles with extremely high water outputs (> 50X in most cases). But, riot-blasts are designed to be overkill and the user can choose to use them accordingly.

Ease of building

When homemade water guns are suggested or even debated, opponents of homemade water guns suggest that buying a homemade water gun is certainly less effort than building your own. The required work is undeniable. People do not choose homemade water guns for convenience. Most people who have never built a water gun state that building water guns is difficult. Yet, everyone who has built a water gun only states that building is much easier than most will state. Who should you believe? Those without experience in homemade water guns or those with tons of experience in homemade water guns?

Listen to your experts here. Yes, building a water gun is more difficult than buying a water gun but not very difficult. A learning curve definitely exists. The first water gun you build will be the hardest one you ever built. As with any new skill, adjusting to the procedures will take time and effort. However, the process is relatively easy, especially when building a basic homemade water gun such as the APH.

Every homemade water gun after your first is a blessing. The building process becomes natural and enjoyable. There's a reason that most people who have built homemade water guns have built more than one. Building is an enjoyable process, not something to dread. The design and building process is half the reason to build homemade water guns.

The perceived difficulty that most people have is hard to overcome. Over you get over the perceived difficulty, all difficulty disappears as if it never existed. Most of the perceived difficulty comes from people stating that homemade water guns are difficult to build. If we work as a community to get the truth out about the actual difficulty, more people will build homemade water guns. Sadly, I don't think this idea matches some people's agenda.

Safety concerns

The safety argument may be the most overblown argument used by opponents of homemade water guns. No other argument is based on more assumptions, misinformation, paranoia, overstated probability, and double-standards than this argument.

Their argument essentially boils down to this: homemade water guns have the potential to be considerably more powerful than manufactured water guns. These higher power streams are capability of harming people. Higher power also requires higher pressures, which could create exploding pressure chambers and PVC shrapnel. Therefore, in today's world of liability, we have to ban or at least warn people of what might happen if they built homemade water guns. Or so the opponents believe.

Water guns, by their nature, are very safe devices. Any other similarly powered device would shoot a solid projectile, and at the same power that projectile would definitely pierce the skin. But water breaks up on impact and even in the air. Any obstruction (such as air, skin, eyes, etc.) spreads the impact out, reducing the applied pressure. The opponents of homemade water guns seem to forget that water guns were developed as a safe alternative to solid projectile guns.

One argument I read often is the fact that homemade water guns can cause severe damage to one's eyes. One person asked me how I would feel if someone injured themself or another with one of my designs, specifically mentioning the eyes. The point is a rhetorical question -- am I supposed to feel good? Any water gun shot in the eye is not good. In fact, what matters most for eye damage (high nozzle pressure) doesn't usually occur in homemade water guns. Water guns with small nozzles, such as the XP 105 and 150, have the highest nozzle pressures. I've heard that the shots of some XP 105s sting on impact at close range. Eye damage is a problem with any projectile weapon, not just homemade water guns. Any water gun shot in the eye is capable of damage, not just homemade water guns.

Large forceful streams can cause bruises as well. However, to approach that level of power requires a large fire hose stream. Riot control water cannons are dangerous devices because they shoot so much water that the sheer volume can bruise. Internal bruises such as a bruised kidney are not out of the question here. But no water gun aside from today's most powerful water cannon -- a device that would be literally useless in a water fight due to the amount of water it uses up -- can even approach the performance of a low-performance fire hose. Streams causing bruises is very unlikely.

There are no streams of death. The most harmful thing you can do with any water gun is hit someone with it.

There is another hypothetical situation brought up less often. In this situation, an "irresponsible kid" makes a homemade water gun incorrectly, or even correctly. The water gun in this scenario is either dangerous because it was built incorrectly or the kid uses it irresponsibly to harm someone. I doubt many things about this hypothetical scenario.

The first thing I doubt is that this kid could build a homemade water gun. The youngest person I know who had built a water gun was 14 to 15 years old, judging by their appearance that is. What I find inconsistent is that the same people who ask me about the "irresponsible kid" scenario are the ones who believe building water guns is impossibly hard. Which is it then? Because I really have no idea how someone who lacks discipline could build a water gun.

These people then ask what would happen if this kid was indeed successful in building, but they built something incorrectly. The most likely scenario is that the water gun would be defective and therefore incapable of causing any trouble. The water gun could also be weaker if one certain part was made incorrectly, something opponents neglect to mention. Worst case scenarios involve the kid using the PVC primer and cement incorrectly or using non-pressure rated pipe. If primer or cement is used incorrectly, a fitting will fly off typically. If non-pressure rated pipe was used, a wide variety of things could happen depending on what type of pipe was used. Some pipes would be able to take the pressure despite them not being rated. Some would stretch under pressure (ABS). Some may simply shatter under too much pressure (cellular core PVC). Cellular core PVC pipe warns in big letters on the pipe to not use pressure. Instructions on how to use the primer and cement are on their respected cans. The kid would have received plenty warning.

The strength of the kid must also be taken into account. Most homemade water guns operate with a hand pump. A hand pump limits the total pressure and force that can be achieved to what the user can put into the water gun. Most children can't build up the requisite pressure to get increased power for that reason. Big Bee of Buzz Bee Toys himself explained to me in an email a few years ago about how they have to take the strength of the water gun users into account in their designs. With weaker individuals (as is most of their target demographic), a smaller pump diameter must be used to build up the necessary pressure for even today's water guns, which are far from the power needed to cause injury. Building up the pressure to cause any sort of harm to another is unlikely.

This entire hypothetical situation is just a bunch of "what ifs" that really are unlikely to happen. I suppose that it could happen, but it's not going to change anything I think. There always are stupid people who will do dumb things. The saying that "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" perfectly applies here. Super-irresponsible people do exist, but there's not much we can do to control their actions.

One implied argument when people argue against homemade water guns is that manufactured water guns are indeed safer. That assumption should be re-examined with some facts. Early on in the Super Soaker's life, some people found that if you over-pump the water gun, the tank can shoot off violently like a rocket. Safety valves were added to prevent excess pressure from building up. Even still, the "shooting tank syndrome" problem plagued many of the newer XP water guns when the safety valve malfunctioned. The shooting tank can collide with someone and very easily hurt them. And for all the people who love to mention the eye, "shooting tank syndrome" would cause much more damage than any stream would in the eye. It might fracture someone's skull in the process. A shooting water tank is a rocket. Safety concerns... of the "weakest" pressurized water guns made. These examples of "shooting tank syndrome" probably influenced a change in Super Soaker design to avoid tanks that thread on because they can shoot off violently.

Many of the proponents of the safety argument state that the CPS 2000 is rumored to have been discontinued because it was "dangerous," implying that anything more powerful is much more dangerous. The myth goes that someone shot another point blank in the eye with a CPS 2000 and their eye "popped" consequently. Larami denied the discontinuation of the CPS 2000 had anything to do with safety. There was no product recall or even any news about the incident. And to top it all off, the CPS 2000's nozzle is far too large to get the right pressure to pop one's eye. It's just a little urban legend people pass around. Hasbro's Monster Rocket was recalled because it could crash into people, injuring them. In addition, there are many problems we haven't heard about. Manufactured water guns do not have a spotless record when it comes to safety.

Manufactured water guns have so many users, that even a one in a million chance of being injured is a very real possibility. Liability does not exist in homemade water guns for that reason. Combine the fact that a very small amount of people want to build, with the fact that the least responsible people probably are incapable of building, with the fact that the chance of injury is very low, with the fact that the chance that someone will sue a website owner for any injury they received is low.

Homemade water guns are actually built to safety standards. This fact goes unmentioned by the opponents of homemade water guns. The opponents worry about pipes exploding and the shrapnel hurting people. But, they forget that homemade water guns actually use pressure-rated pipe. Manufactured water guns' pipes are far less thick and for that reason, more prone to cracking. Homemade water guns are most often within even the most conservative pressure rating the pipe has. Every PVC pipe size used in homemade water guns has a pressure rating of over 200 PSI: can manufactured water guns boast that? The answer is no. I never have had any part of a homemade water gun break due to pressure, but I have had even unmodified water guns create pressure cracks that require repair. Homemade water guns are not only safer, but more durable.

What should be done about potential safety hazards? Acknowledgment and warning is the answer. But we should not segregate homemade water guns in a "secret" section with a mandatory disclaimer agreement as iSoaker.com does. Warning people of a very unlikely potential without giving a solution just makes potential builders think the only solution has to be avoiding homemade water guns. Unnecessary warnings just scare people away. This is the similar to the discouragement I described earlier about the perceived difficulty in building. There are more solutions to safety concerns than not building homemade water guns or "wearing safety equipment," which amounts to nothing more than a pair of sunglasses.

One solution is an educated approach to building. Problems with homemade water gun designs are noted and avoided. For example, last year I built a homemade water gun that used a large diameter piece of tubing. I bought standard (and fairly weak) tubing clamps from the hardware store not thinking there would be a problem. During a low pressure test, the tubing burst off the fitting and water shot out of the gun. The water made the gun act like a rocket and smacked my chin and then crashed into my garage wall. I acknowledge this incident because of the risks involved. Risks like these can be avoided by designing smart. Today, the same water gun uses clamps with about 3 times as much torque as before. Simply put, this problem never is going to happen again. Because people typically read a guide before building, warnings like these will be seen and the problems will be avoided.

The other more general solution is playing responsibly, which should occur anyway. Anyone who doesn't play responsibly with any water gun is dangerous. Manufactured water guns are not immune to irresponsibility. Accidents can happen and cause injury with any water gun as well.

Has there ever been any reported injuries from homemade water guns? I never received a single email or saw a single forum post about injuries from homemade water guns. I would consider my mishap with the rocket about as bad as it could get, and that's the only injury I have ever received from any homemade water gun.

In the end, acknowledging that homemade water guns are potentially unsafe alone just scares people away from building. Homemade water guns are by the vast majority safe and that fact should receive more prominence than it currently does. We should acknowledge that homemade water guns have the potential to cause harm, but we should also note that manufactured water guns face the same problems. We should offer solutions to safety problems other than not building homemade water guns, which is the implied solution when no solution is stated.

"True costs" of homemade water guns

As homemade water guns grew in popularity, one common piece of pro-homemade rhetoric was stating that a well built homemade water gun can and do cost less than even less powerful manufactured ones. This statement is largely true, especially when considering used water guns from places such as eBay, where water guns such as the CPS 2000 commonly fetch over $100, sometimes even over $200.

Stating that all homemade water guns are cheaper than manufactured ones would need some qualifiers however. Certain combinations of parts can make a homemade water gun more expensive than it needs to be, but that is largely not an issue because most builders avoid those parts when a cheaper option is available. Also, when building your first homemade water gun, certain tools and more pipe than used for a single water gun will be bought. For that reason, one's first water gun is not generally cheaper, but is still not very expensive.

Factoring in the use of the tools and extra pipe over a few more water guns makes homemade water guns very cheap to build. With the right design, several CPS water guns more powerful and versatile than the CPS 2000 can be built for about $30 each (with backpack water storage I might add).

More recently, a few individuals began to say that the "true costs" of homemade water guns has to factor in time spent building and energy exerted. I think even those who state this believe it's a weak argument. In "Building vs. buying," Peter_MJ himself said that no one is going to pay themselves for building after bringing this point up.

If you want to put a price on effort and total time spent by the consumer, certainly homemade water guns will be comparable or cost more in that sense. But they generally do not cost more monetarily. And that's exactly what the pro-homemade cost rhetoric is saying. Homemade water guns cost you less money. Nowhere is effort or time mentioned.

Building a homemade water gun will cost less money and give you a superior product. But it takes effort as everyone admits. It's a trade off. If you don't like effort, homemade water guns are not for you. If you are willing to put some effort in, homemade water guns might just be perfect for you.

Difficulty of obtaining materials

Some have argued that the materials for homemade water guns are difficult to obtain. I would be lying if I said that every part is easy to obtain everywhere. There are multiple answers to this question.

For those who live in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and China, finding PVC is easy. The sizes available might vary, but you should have every part you need available to yourself without difficulty. Finding your local hardware store or home improvement store should be the most difficult part. I've had one member of my forum refer to the PVC aisle of their hardware store as "heaven" for water gun builders. Once you find a reliable source however, the most difficult thing might be keeping yourself from spending too much time there!

If you live in Europe however, PVC is less common except in larger sizes. PVC typically can be ordered, but it is not common in local stores. For that reason, most people who build water guns in Europe use metal pipe such as copper.

Third world counties have wildly varying access to PVC, but that can be expected in what is not developed. Once I received an email from a person asking for help building a homemade water gun because there were no toy stores that carried water guns where he lived (a third world country). In some cases, homemade water gun actually are less difficult to obtain than manufactured.

Homemade water guns use extremely common parts despite what some have said. Opponents nearly imply as if building homemade water guns requires difficult to obtain parts. Local hardware and home improvement stores carry all that is needed to build most anything. If one specific part is out of stock, usually substitutions can be made. The hardest to find parts, latex rubber tubing and piston cups, can be ordered online or from local manufacturers of such products. And ordering these parts isn't difficult, just a little less convenient than buying them at a local store.

Closing

Why is everyone who has built a water gun an advocate of homemade water guns? It is no coincidence. Homemade water guns are a miracle to those who want more powerful water guns. I invite all those who have not built to try building. Building will change you perspective on water guns. Homemade water guns are one answer to the "quality crisis" and as far as I'm concerned, the best answer we've got.

In honesty, I don't know what motivates opponents of homemade water guns. There's no reason to justify segregating homemade water gun content and to argue untrue things about them. If one opponent actually argued something that might have been a problem (like homemade water guns typically don't have good triggers, etc.), I might be more inclined to believe their opinion. These people sadly argue misconceptions. I hope I taught non-builders a thing or two about homemade water guns in this article to help end misconceptions about homemade water guns.

These misconceptions do discourage people from ever building. I nearly never built a homemade water gun myself. Back when I first came into the community, the general opinion was that any homemade water gun was extremely expensive, impossible to build, and unsafe. I was more than surprised to learn after I built that none of those "facts" were true. I wrote this article because I nearly didn't build myself from the misconceptions I had been told. I do not want others to be discouraged in a similar situation. And that is why we must end misconceptions about homemade water guns.
Last edited by SSCBen on Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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

Post by Silence » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:37 pm

Great article, once again. Is this version any different from the one at WWc?

Also, as I just suggested there, a list at the top outlining the various arguments would be helpful to those who don't have time to read the whole thing or want to get an idea.

I don't think this article leaves any room for opponents to argue.

Locked