Has anyone tried this?

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Mon May 19, 2008 1:35 am

Ohh, I see.

If I had done it that way, then that would mean that the whole left side and the tubing would be filled with water, right? It probably could also be done that way, if you find a suitable wat to attach a tubing barb to a plunger...

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Mon May 19, 2008 3:39 am

It should be easy enough. Get a hose barb that has a male threaded connection. Screw that into a 1/2" threaded to 3" bushing. You should be able to rig up a seal over the 3.x" OD to the 4" ID of the outer tube.

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Fri May 23, 2008 9:19 pm

My suggestion actually won't work. Having a large plunger creates a high-volume compartment for water when the bladder isn't inflated. The bladder won't inflate because it would displace water, and that's not even considering the pressure.

I actually realized that five days ago, but I've been having computer issues.

aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Sat May 24, 2008 1:21 am

Well, what about stretching the tubing? If you stretched it, then it wouldn't have to lengthen, no?

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Sat May 24, 2008 7:28 pm

Probably. But the problem is that the force constant k, or something equivalent for rubber, is too high. With metal springs, Hooke's law says F = kx, where F is force, k is the constant, and x is the distance you stretch or compress the spring. A higher k means more force per distance stretched. The rubber bladder has a massive amount of rubber that needs to be stretched - its k is probably a hundred more than that for a rubber band. It's very hard to stretch the bladder that much, but if you can do it, that may work. (Note: to hold it stretched, the hose clamps on the hose clamps would need to be tightened to the point where they exert a good bit more force than the stretched force, which would probably cut the rubber.)

aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Sat May 24, 2008 8:44 pm

(Note: to hold it stretched, the hose clamps on the hose clamps would need to be tightened to the point where they exert a good bit more force than the stretched force, which would probably cut the rubber.)
To solve the cutting into the rubber problem, couldn't you just use non-cutting hose clamps? I think I read somewhere that those exist...oh, and "the hose clamps on the hose clamps"?

To stretch it, you could first fill it with water, then find a way to hold the other end stationary. Like this:

Image

The blue line represents the OD of PVC, while the red represents the OD of a coupler. You would attach the trigger ball valve to the other end of the LRT inside of the pressure case, then fill it up. Then, you slip it into this and your done!

EDIT: ...and since I'm posting ideas here, what do you think of a sprinkler as a base defense?
Last edited by aEx155 on Sat May 24, 2008 10:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Sun May 25, 2008 7:00 pm

Maybe non-cutting clamps would work. I've never seen them, but I assume they use blunt or rubbery edges instead of sharp metal edges. Depending on whether or not you have enough force, the clamps might still be bad.

And sorry for the typo...that was supposed to be "the hose clamps on the LRT." Thanks. :)

If your device to hold the bladder stretched works as I think it does, it would enclose the hose clamp. The problem is that the only thing holding the hose clamp to the rubber is friction. If the stretching exerts more force than the friction can handle, then the clamp will slide right off. Technically you could tighten the clamp more and more, but something is likely to give.

Maybe you could drill holes in the rubber and screw it onto a suitable hose clamp. That sounds far-fetched, but that's pretty much how Water Warriors holds their Hydro Power rubber sheets in place. A good number of screws in a 2" length of tubing might work.

Edit: A sprinkler would work if it soaked enough to count as a hit. In a soakfest it might be okay but not significant; in one hit kill it would work; but in one hit kill with a quota of soakage per hit, it probably wouldn't.

aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Sun May 25, 2008 8:44 pm

I guess stretching wouldn't work after all. Besides, leaving it stretched would also produce wear on the LRT, meaning you would have to change it more often then regular CPS guns

What about this: you could have some tubing connected to a barb, then have the tubing bend, like the ribbon cables in scanners. Do you know what I mean?

Image

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Mon May 26, 2008 12:24 am

If you got the right type of tubing, that would be great. A thin hose with strong, thin, and flexible walls would obviously work best. As long as it doesn't fold and crease, cutting off the flow, there shouldn't be a problem. A coiling tube might work well.

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