It's been a while since my last post so I might be a little rusty...

I think for the most part we need to look at the materials and dimensions of the design here.I mean no offense to anyone so please take my pointers form a constructive rather than destructive point of view:

A piston needs to be ...

Could I suggest just trying to make a piston valve.
Your ball valve will only succeed in disappointing you - you'd probably be able to get a tennis ball further using .... er.....a tennis raquet.
Even a ghetto piston will perform better than a ball valve.
I struggled a bit with my first, but now I ...

And for the record, I am not involved in politics in any way, but people often tell me I should be a politician or a lawyer. Though I am not always sure if it is a compliment or not...

Hey BC

Eloquent writing and intelligent thought processes speak for themselves.
If you were a politician or ...

Dude (no-limit)

Clide is about as close to a god as it gets in the spud world.
He's an engineering student (probably a real engineer by now) and he never talks crap when he makes a post.
If you follow Clide's advise you cannot go wrong- he really knows his stuff.

ps Clide what are you up to these ...

Regarding not having a lathe, I have had huge success by hooking the piston up to a drill/drill press. It's much more ghetto, and probably not as safe as possible, but it works a treat. But even if you do have cash for a lathe - what else are you going to use it for? My guess would be not much ...

Hey BC

You're right about it being a long reading exercise, but it was well worth it!

I think you raised important issues, particularly safety - and abuse in posts.. and your writing style is particularly eloquent. (you involved in politics by any chance?) Your passion for the sport is inspiring ...

I cannot believe that there are only two registered spudders in the WHOLE OF AFRICA...

Damn!

The finish and workmanship on this piece of art (cannon) is unbelievable!!!!

Dude it must have cost you a fortune, and you must have access to a workshop that most of us have only ever dreamt of.

Forgive me for saying that it looks like you bought it from a shop!

Well done!

Rob

I personally think pneumatics are more reliable than combustions, based on personal experience.

Myself, i am a pneumatic man. You can do so much more with them and i think they are harder to build (which is a good thing).

I agree with you to a degree MJP.

The point i was getting at, is that ...

Combustion.

For being uncomplicated.
For ease of construction.
For reliability.
For least expensiveness (not sure if thats a real word)

For a regular Joe who stumbles across this site and decides to give spudding a whirl, combustion is the easiest way to get a spud in the air....

Rob

ps I tried ...

I've found that about 40mm of high tensile steel wire pushed through a piece of cork that is cut to size (from a wine bottle) makes an excellent dart.

It take a bit of time to make them, but well worth the effort.

Can someone answer this for me-
Is it possibly to have too much pilot volume? I have a 3" Tee, and the pilot volume is about the size of a 3" cap.

Yes, too much pilot volume is a common problem. A larger pilot valve does help, though it's best to try to reduce this volume somehow, either by re ...

Nice job mate.

I like the versatility of multiple barrels, just a little concerned that with the softball barrel your chamber/barrel ratio may be a little small?

But if it shoots well, i guess it's no matter...

ps. Nice girlfriend!!!!!

For those of you who are not quite competent in the soldering/glueing department, it is quite possible to build this gun with compression fittings only.
That way all you need is a spanner or two.
It is also very easy to overtighten a compression fitting - too tight, and you'll damage the little ring ...