THE SPUD GUN REVISITED
Making a air powered potato gun toy from piping and wood dowel plunger.
This traditional homestead toy can be just as much fun
today as it was many years ago.
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A generation or so ago, plug poppers similar to the one you
see here were big hits with the little folks come
harvesttime. When the crops were in, you see, culled and
spoiled potatoes (or cucumbers, apples, or any
other "meaty" fruits or vegetables) were fair game
... as the youngsters "ran them through" with the tips of
their weapons, then propelled the pithy projectile plugs
with a sharp stroke of the pump handle.
Many of those original spud guns were carved from wood ...
but you can make a modern version of the classic potato
pistol, using a 22" length of 1/2" electrical conduit (this
tube should have an inside diameter of 5/8"), a 5/8" dowel
that's 24" long (you'll probably have to sand it down
slightly), a tricycle handgrip, a No. 8 X 3/4" wood screw
with a matching 3/16" flat washer, several 5/8"-diameter
felt bumper disks, and some electrical or duct tape.
Furthermore, since the thought of volleys of raw vegetables
flying through the house may not appeal to some parents,
we've also called for alternate ammunition, in the form of
a No. 6 cork stopper capped with a 3/4"-diameter plastic
furniture tip (and we'll explain how to keep even
that featherweight slug from causing any harm).
The popgun works through air pressure ... and, to contain
that force, you'll need to make a seal for the dowel piston
by fastening up to half a dozen predrilled felt disks to
one end of the rod with a washered wood screw. At the
plunger's opposite end, a few wraps of tape will allow you
to snugly fit a tricycle grip (decorated with streamers if
you choose) in place to serve as a handle.
Slipping the completed plunger into the conduit barrel
might prove to be a bit tricky unless you first loosen the
screw holding the felt seals in place. Then, once the union
is made, you can tighten the fastener from the open end of
the tube, thus compressing and widening the disks. In
addition, to make sure that the plunger isn't mistakenly
drawn from its barrel, it's best to mark a limit line on
the dowel at a point about 6 inches behind its forward end.
And a bit of oil (or even water) poured into the popper's
"barrel" end will cause the felt to swell, effecting an
even better seal. Once that's done, the toy will be ready
for action.
If you put your spud gun together according to our
specifications, about 3/4" of conduit should protrude
beyond the plunger's felted end. This casing can be shoved
into a spoiled potato (or what have you) to compress a wad
of material at the business end of the barrel ... or the
tipped cork can be pressed into the opening instead. To
discharge the projectile, simply pull back on the plunger
(but no farther than the marked line) and then ram it
forward so the handgrip stops at the rear of the barrel.
The missile will fly from the spud shooter's muzzle with a
loud pop.
Of course, common sense dictates that your children be
warned not to shoot their popguns at people or animals ...
but, to play it safe, you might want to modify !he toy by
tying a length of string to the plunger's wood screw, then
stapling the free end to the back of the cork. The altered
popper will still make an impressive noise, but
it'll have far more bark than bite.
