How To Build An Econo Spudgun
This Spudgun is extremely easy and cheap to make, yet performs very well. It can be built for nearly nothing, considering it uses only 4 pipes/fittings and a flint-type lantern ignitor for ignition. Assembly should take no more than about half an hour, not counting the 24 hours required for the glue to dry.
Parts:
- One section (3 feet long) of 1 1/2 inch ABS pipe
- One section (8 inch long) of 3 inch ABS pipe
- One 3 inch threaded ABS cleanout adapter with plug
- One ABS 3 inch to 1 1/2 inch adapter
- One flint type lantern ignitor
- Other: ABS glue
You may want to use PVC pipe. That is fine. Just remember to get the right type of glue and primer. Personnally, I think that PVC is more brittle and weaker then ABS. Plus it takes more time to glue. Because of this, I recommend ABS over PVC.
Construction:
- Step 1:
- Attach the cleanout. Glue the cleanout adapter to one end of the 3 inch section. First make sure to remove the cleanout plug. Do not glue the cleanout plug into the cleanout adapter. You will need to be able to remove the plug in order to shoot the spudgun.
- Step 2:
- Attach the adapter. Now glue in the 3" to 1.5" adapter into the other end of the 8" section. Be sure that it is seated all the way down or it will pop off the first time the gun is shot.
- Step 3:
- Attach the barrel. First take a file or bench grinder and sharpen the edges of one end of the 3 foot section of 1.5" ABS. This will automatically cut the spud to the proper size to ensure a good seal. Now glue the other end (the non-sharp one!) to the 1.5" end of the 3" to 1.5" adapter.
- Step 4:
- Install the igniter. Drill a hole in the 3" pipe just large enough to fit the ignitor through. This hole should be in a spot that is easily reachable when you are holding the gun. After you have drilled the hole, simply bolt the ignitor in. If you wish, you can seal around the hole with silicon, although this is not really necessary.
- Step 5:
- Watch the glue dry. The glue needs 24 hours to dry completely, so you will have to wait at least that long before you can fire the gun. Do not attempt to shoot the spudgun unless the glue is dry or it could blow up. Trust me, I know from experience.
Testing:
For the first firing you will use potato as the projectile and either spray deoderant or hair spray as the propellent. Both work, but the deoderant seems to work better.
1. Open the cleanout plug. Shove a good sized potato down the 1 1/2 inch pipe until it reaches the 1 1/2 inch to 3 inch adapter. You will need something to ram the spud down the pipe. I use an old tent pole with a rubber tip on it.
2. Squirt a bit of deoderant in through the cleanout. I usually use three short blasts that total to about 1 second of deoderant flow. Close the cleanout plug quickly.
3. Aim the spudgun away from other people and give the ignitor a twist. If all is well, you should hear the loud bang and feel the recoil.
4. Congratulations. You now have a working spudgun.
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