SpudFiles Wiki - User contributions [en]

Good technical examples & articles

2010-05-30T09:41:54Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, because that's just big-headed. I know I ''(Ragnarok)'' did it, but I'm a self confessed hypocrite.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18733.html Old Bessy Sureshot, by AdiabaticManiak.] Not the most sophisticated cannon, but one of the few lever action ones.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17312.html Mr Porter, by Brian the Brain.] What happens if a 2" porting piston valve and 500 psi come together.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17827.html Old Shatterhand, by Brian the Brain.] An exceptionally well made multi-shot hammer valve cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=Quick_Dump_Valve The Quick Dump Valve, by Technician1002.] An air valve that is mechanically triggered and reset for high reliability. Link fixed.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18846.html XM2, by wngovr.] Beautifully built cannon with an integral pump.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine.] One of the very early examples of machined cannons.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17090.html Small Pistol Grip Combustion, by CrashTestDummy II.] Demonstrating that simple cannons need not look it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17794.html The BL520, by jagerbond.] (Reviewed by PCGUY). A well thought out and built cannon from Spudfiles' sponsor.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16725.html The Gauntlet of Clara Ann, by Radiation.] For having one of the most grandiloquent cannon names on the forum.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15211.html Triple Thunder cannons, by Starman.] Neatly built, well known and good performers - they had to make the list.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16882.html BACH, by Daccel.] Although not finished, this is one of the most viable methods to speed up hybrid operation.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17948.html The Cobra Venom, by Moonbogg.] A topic that documents the production of a high quality machined hybrid.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17845.html "I has full auto", by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Jack finally builds a full auto pulsed BBMG after... I've forgotten. A long time, either way.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Mini'''

*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7858.html Pneumatic Pengun, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] For being one of the first examples of less ghetto minis.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t20377.html Pico-ax, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] The smallest working launcher on Spudfiles!
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18619.html Keychain Pengun, by jor2daje.] Nigh on minuscule, and with a mini pump
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17102.html Mini Keychain, by jook13.] For being the first keychain spudgun.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17408.html 300 WinMag Coax, by jook13.] A gun... inside a bullet.

And thus we prove that success in Minis depends on a username starting with a J.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.
*[[Tools redefined]]: What tools really are.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

The reasons behind the rules

2010-03-24T00:44:07Z

Ragnarok:

Every now and again, we get a newbie who comes through, doesn't read the rules on sign up, then posts a topic that's against them. 
More rarely, they have read the rules, but don't agree with them.

Most commonly, the problem is with either Rule #2, or Rule #3.
Either way, the line "Why is it not allowed", or something similar tends to come up if the original poster gets back before the moderators lock the topic.

This page gives some of the reasons why these rules are here.

==Rule 2==
Rule 2 specifies: ''Discussion of shooting anything at any person and/or animal is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

When we see this rule broken, it often refers to the shooting of animals, rather than people, so I'll deal with that first. 
This may sound a little harsh. The arguments against it are usually like:
* People hunt everyday, why is discussion of shooting animals not allowed? It's no worse.
* Hey, I've got an (insert calibre here) rifle, and I go hunting every weekend, what's your problem?
* I've got squirrels (or other critters) I need to deal with and no other method.

The reason we don't allow it is that spudguns in general are neither accurate enough to ensure a hit in a "kill-zone", nor powerful enough to ensure a clean kill if they don't. ''(There are exceptions. A few cannons on this forum would be up to the task with the right projectile, but those cannons are the exception, not the rule. Nor will I be identifying the cannons up to the task)'' 
This means that there is a very real likelihood of you having a target you have merely injured, if you hit it at all.

Given that most spudguns are not set up for a quick repeat shot, and that has no more guarantee of finishing it cleanly that the last one did, that means that it's either left in pain, or you have to find another method to end its pain.
Most of you would probably baulk at going over to your target - which is in very real agony, and going to die a slow agonising death - and cleanly breaking its neck to end its misery. This would even be inadvisable, as a wounded animal can be very vicious and might well attack you.

Someone might justify leaving an animal in pain in so many ways. I can assure you, no reason is acceptable. This is why we do not allow the discussion of shooting of animals on this forum. 
We can't stop you doing it outside our knowledge if you're a psychopathic type that doesn't care a jot for the animals, but we don't want to hear about it on this forum.

Shooting at people is common sense. Would you take a loaded pistol, and fire it at your friend? I sincerely hope not. 
Treat spudguns as if they were as dangerous as any powder burning firearm. I know I just told you that they weren't good enough to ensure a clean hunting kill, but the inverse is also true. They're not bad enough that you can't guarantee that it won't kill or severely injure your target, especially if it hits in ''just'' the wrong place.

==Rule 3==
This states: ''Discussion of solid propellants, explosive devices or incendiary projectiles fired specifically from a spud cannon is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

Firstly, this is because it's highly dangerous. [http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/9523117.html Take Ryan Meerdink's example.] He used solid propellant in a PVC cannon (although the article doesn't make this clear, this fact later became evident). He ended up '''very''' dead. 
You might not be so stupid. You might do it in a more solidly built metal cannon. That still offers no guarantee you haven't made a potentially fatal mistake. 
Also, people are sometimes idiots. Someone may come along, and make a connection if they see PVC cannons and solid propellants mentioned on the same site, then make the same mistake as Ryan.

Secondly, it's because spudguns are already on shaky legal ground in many countries, and they get away with existing only because they DON'T use solid propellants or fire explosive/incendiary projectiles. Putting solid propellants on a spudgun site may destroy the legal loopholes that spudguns currently enjoy.

Again, we can't stop you if you insist on doing it without telling us. It's still highly irresponsible to do so though.

----

While I'm here, solid propellants only applies to fuels that do not require a gaseous oxidiser (Air, Oxygen or Nitrous oxide are all possible gaseous oxidisers). For that reason, if a cannon uses flour/sugar/other fine powders that have to be suspended in the air to burn, they do not violate the rule.

Why aren't my questions being answered?

2009-10-20T01:23:09Z

Ragnarok: Grammar error.

==A common complaint==
'''You:''' ''I've come to the forums looking for information. I've asked a question, but no one is posting the exact answer to it. They're giving me links to pages that has information I didn't ask for, or telling me to do my own research. I mean, this is a forum, how about you actually help me?''

'''Me:''' Yes, I know you came to the forums looking for information, but spudguns can be (and are) dangerous, and a big part of what we try to do on this site is...

== Train people to think more independently. ==
This is so they are able to make intelligent decisions when building a spudgun without needing to run to the forum to ask about it.

If we drop only the information you specifically WANT on your lap, this doesn't supply you with everything you NEED - because you probably don't know what you need to know. As each cannon, builder and method is different, we won't know what you need to know either.

If you do your own research, you'll find a lot of this other information that you NEED while searching for what you WANT. 
Ergo, by doing your own research, you become more independent. This is important for safety. If you rely on us to tell you about something, then you might do action X without realising it's unsafe. If you're able to think independently and scientifically, you'll know without having to be told - hence, making things safer.

Next, you're forgetting...

==We're human too (well, most of us).==
You might well find our apparent unwillingness to be free with information irritating. Imagine our point of view, given that we get people coming through on a regular basis who won't do their own research - we get pretty annoyed when every second newbie asks the same question as the one two before them and is unprepared to read anything but what has been posted in threads they have started.

Imagine if everyone here was unwilling to do their own research and didn't demonstrate independent thinking. We'd have a total mess, several injured/dead members and no forum at all.

Thirdly, you might be lucky, but....

==We don't have days full of free time.==
We don't live to serve the forum newcomers with all the information they want. We simply do not have the time to hang around typing out a full post to every answer, so to save our time, we give links to older topics which asked similar questions, outside websites - and try to get you thinking more independently so that you need to ask less questions, saving our time further.

Now, I guess you're interested in impressing people, and...

==It makes you look good to do your own research!==
Those people we can eventually cajole into doing some research are the normal crowd, so that's our benchmark. Considering that, if a newbie comes through having done their research, they immediately get moved up a dozen levels in our estimation. Someone we can get to do their research soon after arriving also gets a boost.

However, inversely, someone we can't coax into reading for themselves gets dropped a few rungs.

Lastly, but not to be forgotten...

==We may not believe it safe to give you the information==
There are several reasons this can happen, three common ones are below.

1) You might have said something that rings alarm bells with us - a dangerous misunderstanding we want to correct before passing you what you asked for. 
2) Perhaps you're asking how do do something that appears beyond your skill level - perhaps it's even something the pros would hesitate from doing (us knowing its difficulty). 
3) Or maybe you've come in with a post that looks like a rejected ream from the infinite monkey room.

Now, if you're asking about #1, it should be fairly obvious - we'll be focusing on your error. Accept our info and move on, you'll get an answer soon if you do. 
If you're questioning us about #2, we'll be telling you it's difficult. It's worth listening, because our advice will likely save you money and disappointment.

Point #3 is the glaring thumb here. If someone comes in here writing like a drunken illiterate who's not even using his native language, this doesn't impress us. Indeed, poor writing will naturally make them appear less intelligent than good writing. Invoking #3 is more likely to get us to pick them up on both of the other points, because we will naturally think less of their skill level.

Doing this makes them look, quite frankly, thick - and makes us less likely to believe they will safely use our information. No amount of quoting "itz teh interweb dood speeling doesnt matta" will shift our viewpoint.
Now, aside from the fact we will think less of their intelligence, why should we put effort into the answer when no effort went into the question? ''(Not to mention that we may simply not be able to tell what the question is in some of the more egregious examples we have seen!!!)''

Yes, we know dyslexics are out there. We make allowances for the odd spelling or grammatical mistake - because it's easy to tell the difference between someone who has difficulty but has tried, and someone who is just being plain lazy.
Cleaning up posts (indeed, there is even an integral forum spell checker), will immediately get better results from the forum.

==Conclusion==
If you've bothered to read this, that's a start - reading this article might not be what you asked for, but it tells you why we don't spoonfeed you with every tidbit of information you might ask for.

So, there are our reasons. I hope that's explained this to you. 
'''NOW GO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, AND STOP BEING SO LAZY!'''

Good technical examples & articles

2009-09-26T07:20:00Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, because that's just big-headed. I know I ''(Ragnarok)'' did it, but I'm a self confessed hypocrite.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18733.html Old Bessy Sureshot, by AdiabaticManiak.] Not the most sophisticated cannon, but one of the few lever action ones.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17312.html Mr Porter, by Brian the Brain.] What happens if a 2" porting piston valve and 500 psi come together.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17827.html Old Shatterhand, by Brian the Brain.] An exceptionally well made multi-shot hammer valve cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php/Quick_Dump_Valve Quick Dump Valve by Technician1002.] An air valve that is mechanically triggered and reset for high reliability.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18846.html XM2, by wngovr.] Beautifully built cannon with an integral pump.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine.] One of the very early examples of machined cannons.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17090.html Small Pistol Grip Combustion, by CrashTestDummy II.] Demonstrating that simple cannons need not look it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17794.html The BL520, by jagerbond.] (Reviewed by PCGUY). A well thought out and built cannon from Spudfiles' sponsor.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16725.html The Gauntlet of Clara Ann, by Radiation.] For having one of the most grandiloquent cannon names on the forum.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15211.html Triple Thunder cannons, by Starman.] Neatly built, well known and good performers - they had to make the list.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16882.html BACH, by Daccel.] Although not finished, this is one of the most viable methods to speed up hybrid operation.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17948.html The Cobra Venom, by Moonbogg.] A topic that documents the production of a high quality machined hybrid.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17845.html "I has full auto", by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Jack finally builds a full auto pulsed BBMG after... I've forgotten. A long time, either way.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Mini'''

*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7858.html Pneumatic Pengun, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] For being one of the first examples of less ghetto minis.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18619.html Keychain Pengun, by jor2daje.] Nigh on minuscule, and with a mini pump
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17102.html Mini Keychain, by jook13.] For being the first keychain spudgun.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17408.html 300 WinMag Coax, by jook13.] A gun... inside a bullet.

And thus we prove that success in Minis depends on a username starting with a J.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.
*[[Tools redefined]]: What tools really are.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Good technical examples & articles

2009-08-10T19:29:25Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, because that's just big-headed. I know I ''(Ragnarok)'' did it, but I'm a self confessed hypocrite.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18733.html Old Bessy Sureshot, by AdiabaticManiak.] Not the most sophisticated cannon, but one of the few lever action ones.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17312.html Mr Porter, by Brian the Brain.] What happens if a 2" porting piston valve and 500 psi come together.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17827.html Old Shatterhand, by Brian the Brain.] An exceptionally well made multi-shot hammer valve cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18846.html XM2, by wngovr.] Beautifully built cannon with an integral pump.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine.] One of the very early examples of machined cannons.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17090.html Small Pistol Grip Combustion, by CrashTestDummy II.] Demonstrating that simple cannons need not look it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17794.html The BL520, by jagerbond.] (Reviewed by PCGUY). A well thought out and built cannon from Spudfiles' sponsor.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16725.html The Gauntlet of Clara Ann, by Radiation.] For having one of the most grandiloquent cannon names on the forum.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15211.html Triple Thunder cannons, by Starman.] Neatly built, well known and good performers - they had to make the list.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16882.html BACH, by Daccel.] Although not finished, this is one of the most viable methods to speed up hybrid operation.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17948.html The Cobra Venom, by Moonbogg.] A record of the production of a high quality machined hybrid.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17845.html "I has full auto", by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Jack finally builds a full auto pulsed BBMG after... I've forgotten. A long time, either way.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Mini'''

*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7858.html Pneumatic Pengun, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] For being one of the first examples of less ghetto minis.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18619.html Keychain Pengun, by jor2daje.] Nigh on minuscule, and with a mini pump
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17102.html Mini Keychain, by jook13.] For being the first keychain spudgun.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t17408.html 300 WinMag Coax, by jook13.] A gun... inside a bullet.

And thus we prove that success in Minis depends on a username starting with a J.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.
*[[Tools redefined]]: What tools really are.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

User:Ragnarok

2009-08-09T20:28:04Z

Ragnarok:

*'''Real Name:''' David
*'''Aliases/Nicknames:''' Too many to name all of them. Obviously, Ragnarok is one of them.
*'''Gender:''' None, for tax reasons.
*'''Date of Birth:''' 9th November 1988
*'''Nationality:''' British
*'''Height:''' 188cm (6' 2")
*'''Weight:''' 75 kg/165 lbs
*'''Hair:''' Auburn
*'''Eyes:''' Grey
*'''Cannons:''' Too many to name. Includes cannons such as HEAL and Behemoth.
*'''Biography''': Student Engineer, attempted artist, successful nutjob.
*'''Notes:'''
** Apparently resembles Prince Harry. Occasional jokes to this extent may crop up.
** May be some kind of alien - because he knows too much.
** Evidently indestructible.
** Any humour you may perceive in Ragnarok's posts is an illusion.

Quick Dump Valve

2009-07-30T00:32:58Z

Ragnarok:

'''Article Flag''' 
As an article relating to spudding hardware, this should be presented in a more neutral format - it currently reads like an advertisement. 
It should also be presented in a third person point of view, as newcomers won't be able to associate "I" or "Me" usefully. 
Flagged by [[User:Ragnarok|Ragnarok]] 20:32, 29 July 2009 (EDT)

== The Quick Dump Valve ==

The quick dump valve is a variation on a traditional barrel sealer piston valve. In the section on piston valves, various configurations are covered and the advantages and disadvantages of each. A quick dump valve may be used where the traditional valves shortcomings cause problems for the builder. It was noted in the piston valve section in the wiki that as a barrel sealer valve nears a 1:1 ratio, the pilot pressure needed to open the valve drops lower, and when they pop open, they do so with more force and speed. They become temperamental as the ratio approaches a 1:1 ratio as the force to start opening the valve drops. They tend to stick or are unable to vent the pilot low enough to fire it. As a result, piston valves that won't fire are a common problem.

The Quick Dump Valve or QDV was built to take advantage of close ratio piston valve advantages of speed while fixing the disadvantages of the temperamental nature of them failing to fire reliably or seal properly to build chamber pressure.

Spool valves are balanced design valves with several o rings that move past ports and are operated by the rings crossing ports to join some in the same segment or separate them. They are noted for the ability to switch high pressures with little force to operate the valve. Typical uses are the hydraulic controls on heavy machinery such as a backhoe. Normal spool valves have both ends of the valve rod at atmospheric pressure.

A QDV when closed has the appearance of a spool valve. The air source under pressure is sealed off in the chamber with an o ring on both sides of the port. What makes this different than a typical spool valve is when it is opened, the supply pressure is then applied to the end of the spool. This pressure provides a positive feedback to the spool so as it opens, the force opening it rapidly increases as supply pressure in the outlet port pushes on the piston.

Unlike a piston valve that uses pressure in a "Pilot" area to hold the valve closed, the QDV has no pressure on the pilot area of the piston to hold it closed. In this manner it is much like a spool control valve.

A video on the valve theory is posted here; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No3nI07mlQo The Quick Dump Valve]

The official contest where the design was posted is here;
[http://inteltrailblazerschallenge.wikispaces.com/The+brag+zone IntelTrailBlazers Engineering Challenge]

The first mention of the valve on Spudfiles is in this thread. One of the members noticed the contest page before I joined Spudfiles and posted the valve.
[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/interesting-new-valve-design-t17617.html Interesting New Valve Design]

This is a video of the T Shirt launcher in action. They won the competition with the design.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Klxqav_6NM Quick Reload T Shirt launcher]

Quick Dump valves can be constructed as either a coaxial design with the valve inside a chamber, or built inside a T for an external valve. I prefer the coaxial designs myself for the best COF values possible.

There are several QDV cannons on Spudfiles to show some options in building them. The oldest known Quick Dump Valve spudgun is shown below. It is made from non pressure rated cellular core ABS DWV pipe to test the properties of the pipe in air cannon applications. This cannon is still functional in 2009.

[[Image:WikiOverview.jpg]]

The oldest is constructed with ABS. The valve is located in the breech of the chamber. The barrel is a long pipe that extended all the way though the chamber with ports cut into the pipe between the chamber and barrel. A plastic bag was stuffed into the barrel to highlight the ports for the photo. Otherwise they were too dark to see very well.

[[Image:ValvePorts1.JPG]]

This design works well. The drawbacks are the piston needs a rod shoved into the breech rope pull hole to reset the valve between shots and the design did not use floating o rings, so it pulls a little hard.

The piston is made from a piece of PVC pipe and a couple pipe caps and o rings. Any sturdy cylindrical object can be used that will hold the pressure and forces.

[[Image:CoreDetail.JPG]]

For safety on this design, it is very important to remember that shoving anything into the barrel does the same thing as pulling the rope. It opens the valve. ''' Never shove anything into this design of valve while it is under pressure.''' Load it and then add pressure.

The spudfiles page on the cannon is here;
[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/abs-cellular-core-test-cannon-t17968.html ABS Cellular Core Test Cannon, also known as the apple cannon]
It was posted as a materials test discussion on using unrated plastic pipe in air cannons.

Later improvements to the design included using a rod instead of a rope to open and close the valve. The piston if permitted to slide freely on the rod can be made to operate quickly without having to accelerate the control trigger rod. In operation, when the rod is pushed in, a pin on the rod pushes the piston closed. To fire the rod is pulled back through the piston which retracts the pin behind the piston out of the piston travel area. Then a nut on the end of the rod pushes the front of the piston pulling it open triggering it. Once the valve cracks open, the air pressure between the piston and projectile pushes the valve open with the same pressure it applies to the projectile.

The valve can be relocated to the barrel end of the chamber.
This permits easy detachment of the barrel and the ability to attach various size barrels with minimum dead space.

A model of the T Shirt launcher shows the construction detail with the improvements. In Spudfiles, it is called the Marshmallow Cannon. It was built for a high speed marshmallow launching competition. With a removable and interchangeable barrel selection, it is easy to adapt to shooting gumballs, jawbreakers, batteries, tennis balls, and t shirts. With a 36 inch long t shirt barrel the 1 inch valve is able to toss shirts 200 feet.

The Spudfiles entry is here;
[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/quick-dump-valve-t17858.html The Quick Dump Valve]
The spudfiles entry has links to a theory of operation video as well as more photos.

The tank as before is coaxial design with a valve body in the center. Unlike the earlier design, the barrel is removable and the valve is located at the barrel end of the chamber instead of the breech. The new design uses a rod to trigger and reset the valve.

[[Image:WikiTank.jpg]]

The valve core removed from the tank shows the piston with floating rings, rod, bumper, stopper, and trigger and reset pins.

[[Image:WikiVavleCoreAssy.jpg]]

A close up view of the piston shows the o rings fit loose in a floating O Ring design. The spudfiles page and linked videos show how this style of o ring installation lowers the friction in the valve.

[[Image:Piston_rings.jpg]]

The ports between the chamber and valve body can be seen inside the valve.

[[Image:WikiTankEnd.jpg]]

View of the assembled cannon with the tennis ball barrel. It tosses tennis balls 100 yards.

[[Image:Tennis_ball_barrel1.jpg]]

With high speed of operation and a high flow, the cannon is able to deliver high speeds. The photo is a 2X4 that was split with a couple jawbreakers.

[[Image:Split1a.JPG]]

Photos are copyright by Technician1002. Please ask before using elsewhere.

User:Ragnarok

2009-07-22T22:41:36Z

Ragnarok:

*'''Real Name:''' David
*'''Aliases/Nicknames:''' Too many to name all of them. Best known as Ragnarok (sometimes RagnarokEOTW), but occasionally seen as variation on Marco Skoll.
*'''Gender:''' None, for tax reasons.
*'''Date of Birth:''' 9th November 1988
*'''Nationality:''' British
*'''Height:''' 188cm (6' 2")
*'''Weight:''' 75 kg/165 lbs
*'''Hair:''' Auburn
*'''Eyes:''' Grey
*'''Cannons:''' Too many to name. Includes cannons such as HEAL and Behemoth.
*'''Biography''': Student Engineer, attempted artist, successful nutjob.
*'''Notes:'''
** Apparently resembles Prince Harry. Occasional jokes to this extent may crop up.
** May be some kind of alien - because he knows too much.
** Evidently indestructible.
** Any humour you may perceive in Ragnarok's posts is an illusion.
*'''Links''':
**[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/profile,mode,viewprofile,u,4741.html Spudfiles profile]
**[http://www.youtube.com/user/Ragnarokcrew Youtube profle] - Currently blank because I had to delete what was in there because of copyright issues.
**[http://ragnarokeotw.deviantart.com/ Ragnarok's DeviantArt page]

Good technical examples & articles

2009-07-22T22:34:36Z

Ragnarok: /* ADDING TO THIS PAGE */

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, because that's just big-headed. I know I ''(Ragnarok)'' did it, but I'm a self confessed hypocrite.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.
*[[Tools redefined]]: What tools really are.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Good technical examples & articles

2009-07-19T11:32:00Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, unless you qualify for being a forum veteran. If you don't know if you are a veteran, you aren't.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.
*[[Tools redefined]]: What tools really are.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Good technical examples & articles

2009-05-07T19:22:32Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, unless you qualify for being a forum veteran. If you don't know if you are a veteran, you aren't.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t18108.html Suppressor Tutorial.] Quite a long video, but lots of information on suppressor (or silencer, if you must) construction.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

User:Ragnarok

2009-04-15T11:31:15Z

Ragnarok:

*'''Real Name:''' David
*'''Aliases/Nicknames:''' Too many to name. Best known as Ragnarok (sometimes RagnarokEOTW)
*'''Date of Birth:''' 9th November 1988
*'''Nationality:''' British
*'''Height:''' 188cm (6' 2")
*'''Weight:''' 75 kg/165 lbs
*'''Hair:''' Auburn
*'''Eyes:''' Grey
*'''Cannons:''' Too many to name. Includes cannons such as HEAL and Behemoth.
*'''Biography''': Student Engineer, attempted artist, successful nutjob.
*'''Notes:'''
** Apparently resembles Prince Harry. Occasional jokes to this extent may crop up.
** May be some kind of alien - because he knows too much.
** Evidently indestructible.
*'''Links''':
**[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/profile,mode,viewprofile,u,4741.html Spudfiles profile]
**[http://www.youtube.com/user/Ragnarokcrew Youtube profle] - Currently blank because I had to delete what was in there because of copyright issues.
**[http://ragnarokeotw.deviantart.com/ Ragnarok's DeviantArt page]

Good technical examples & articles

2009-04-15T11:16:39Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

==ADDING TO THIS PAGE==

* Please put cannons in the right category, and '''alphabetically by user'''. (This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars.) Articles have no particular order of preference, but try and add them to the right category.
* Avoid adding a really recent cannon unless it's a very good example.
* Don't add your own cannons, unless you qualify for being a forum veteran. If you don't know if you are a veteran, you aren't.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Good technical examples & articles

2009-04-15T10:39:52Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

If adding cannons to the list, please put them in the right category, and alphabetically by user. This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars. Also, avoid adding a recent cannon unless it's REALLY special.
Articles have no particular order of preference.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowforward loader. Also notable for the HEAR valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

User:Ragnarok

2009-01-26T20:35:04Z

Ragnarok: New page: *'''Real Name:''' David *'''Aliases/Nicknames:''' Ragnarok; Skoll; Matthew; Marco; Marco Skoll; Harry; HRH Wales; The Terminator; Immortal; Werewolf; El Diablo; Lofty; Deadeye; The Flinch;...

*'''Real Name:''' David
*'''Aliases/Nicknames:''' Ragnarok; Skoll; Matthew; Marco; Marco Skoll; Harry; HRH Wales; The Terminator; Immortal; Werewolf; El Diablo; Lofty; Deadeye; The Flinch; Jawdropper; Thin Air; Ninja
*'''Date of Birth:''' 9th November 1988
*'''Nationality:''' British
*'''Height:''' 188cm (6' 2")
*'''Weight:''' 75 kg/165 lbs
*'''Hair:''' Gold
*'''Eyes:''' Grey
*'''Cannons:''' Too many to name. Includes cannons such as HEAL and Behemoth.

Why aren't my questions being answered?

2009-01-22T01:03:02Z

Ragnarok:

==A common complaint==
'''You:''' ''I've come to the forums looking for information. I've asked a question, but no one is posting the exact answer to it. They're giving me links to pages that has information I didn't ask for, or telling me to do my own research. I mean, this is a forum, how about you actually help me?''

'''Me:''' Yes, I know you came to the forums looking for information, but spudguns can be (and are) dangerous, and a big part of what we try to do on this site is...

== Train people to think more independently. ==
This is so they are able to make intelligent decisions when building a spudgun without needing to run to the forum to ask about it.

If we drop only the information you specifically WANT on your lap, this doesn't supply you with everything you NEED - because you probably don't know what you need to know. As each cannon, builder and method is different, we won't know what you need to know either.

If you do your own research, you'll find a lot of this other information that you NEED while searching for what you WANT. 
Ergo, by doing your own research, you become more independent. This is important for safety. If you rely on us to tell you about something, then you might do action X without realising it's unsafe. If you're able to think independently and scientifically, you'll know without having to be told - hence, making things safer.

Next, you're forgetting...

==We're human too (well, most of us).==
You might well find our apparent unwillingness to be free with information irritating. Imagine our point of view, given that we get people coming through on a regular basis who won't do their own research - we get pretty annoyed when every second newbie asks the same question as the one two before them and is unprepared to read anything but what has been posted in threads they have started.

Imagine if everyone here was unwilling to do their own research and didn't demonstrate independent thinking. We'd have a total mess, several injured/dead members and no forum at all.

Thirdly, you might be lucky, but....

==We don't have days full of free time.==
We don't live to serve the forum newcomers with all the information they want. We simply do not have the time to hang around typing out a full post to every answer, so to save our time, we give links to older topics which asked similar questions, outside websites - and try to get you thinking more independently so that you need to ask less questions, saving our time further.

Now, I guess you're interested in impressing people, and...

==It makes you look good to do your own research!==
Those people we can eventually cajole into doing some research are the normal crowd, so that's our benchmark. Considering that, if a newbie comes through having done their research, they immediately get moved up a dozen levels in our estimation. Someone we can get to do their research soon after arriving also gets a boost.

However, inversely, someone we can't coax into reading for themselves gets dropped a few rungs.

Lastly, but not to be forgotten...

==We may not believe it safe to give you the information==
There are several reasons this can happen, three common ones are below.

1) You might have said something that rings alarm bells with us - a dangerous misunderstanding we want to correct before passing you what you asked for. 
2) Perhaps you're asking how do do something that appears beyond your skill level - perhaps it's even something the pros would hesitate from doing (us knowing it's difficulty). 
3) Or maybe you've come in with a post that looks like a rejected ream from the infinite monkey room.

Now, if you're asking about #1, it should be fairly obvious - we'll be focusing on your error. Accept our info and move on, you'll get an answer soon if you do. 
If you're questioning us about #2, we'll be telling you it's difficult. It's worth listening, because our advice will likely save you money and disappointment.

Point #3 is the glaring thumb here. If someone comes in here writing like a drunken illiterate who's not even using his native language, this doesn't impress us. Indeed, poor writing will naturally make them appear less intelligent than good writing. Invoking #3 is more likely to get us to pick them up on both of the other points, because we will naturally think less of their skill level.

Doing this makes them look, quite frankly, thick - and makes us less likely to believe they will safely use our information. No amount of quoting "itz teh interweb dood speeling doesnt matta" will shift our viewpoint.
Now, aside from the fact we will think less of their intelligence, why should we put effort into the answer when no effort went into the question? ''(Not to mention that we may simply not be able to tell what the question is in some of the more egregious examples we have seen!!!)''

Yes, we know dyslexics are out there. We make allowances for the odd spelling or grammatical mistake - because it's easy to tell the difference between someone who has difficulty but has tried, and someone who is just being plain lazy.
Cleaning up posts (indeed, there is even an integral forum spell checker), will immediately get better results from the forum.

==Conclusion==
If you've bothered to read this, that's a start - reading this article might not be what you asked for, but it tells you why we don't spoonfeed you with every tidbit of information you might ask for.

So, there are our reasons. I hope that's explained this to you. 
'''NOW GO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, AND STOP BEING SO LAZY!'''

Good technical examples & articles

2009-01-20T03:21:14Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

If adding cannons to the list, please put them in the right category, and alphabetically by user. This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars. Also, avoid adding a recent cannon unless it's REALLY special.
Articles have no particular order of preference.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowfoward valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.
*[[Spudfiles Forum Jokes]] Worth a read, to help you gauge the forum's sense of humo(u)r before you misinterpret something.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

The reasons behind the rules

2009-01-20T00:47:21Z

Ragnarok: /* Rule 3 */

Every now and again, we get a newbie who comes through, doesn't read the rules on sign up, then posts a topic that's against them. 
More rarely, they have read the rules, but don't agree with them.

Most commonly, the problem is with either Rule #2, or Rule #3.
Either way, the line "Why is it not allowed", or something similar tends to come up if the original poster gets back before the moderators lock the topic.

This page is here to explain why these rules are here.

==Rule 2==
Rule 2 specifies: ''Discussion of shooting anything at any person and/or animal is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

When we see this rule broken, it often refers to the shooting of animals, rather than people, so I'll deal with that first. 
This may sound a little harsh. The arguments against it are usually like:
* People hunt everyday, why is discussion of shooting animals not allowed? It's no worse.
* Hey, I've got an (insert calibre here) rifle, and I go hunting every weekend, what's your problem?
* I've got squirrels (or other critters) I need to deal with and no other method.

The reason we don't allow it is that spudguns in general are neither accurate enough to ensure a hit in a "kill-zone", nor powerful enough to ensure a clean kill if they don't. ''(There are exceptions. A few cannons on this forum would be up to the task with the right projectile, but those cannons are the exception, not the rule. Nor will I be identifying the cannons up to the task)'' 
This means that there is a very real likelihood of you having an injured target, if you hit it at all.

Given that most spudguns are not set up for a quick repeat shot, and that has no more guarantee of finishing it cleanly that the last one did, that means that it's either left in pain, or you have to find another method to end it's pain.
Most of you would probably baulk at going over to your target - which is in very real agony, and going to die a slow agonising death - and cleanly breaking it's neck to end it's misery. This would even be inadvisable, as wounded animals can become very vicious, and will likely attack you.

Someone might justify leaving an animal in pain in so many ways. I can assure you, no reason is acceptable. This is why we do not allow the discussion of shooting of animals on this forum. 
We can't stop you doing it outside our knowledge if you're the kind of sick bastard that doesn't care a jot for the animals, but we don't want to hear about it on this forum.

Shooting at people is common sense. Would you take a loaded pistol, and fire it at your friend? I sincerely hope not. 
Treat spudguns as if they were as dangerous as any powder burning firearm. I know I just told you that they weren't good enough to ensure a clean hunting kill, but the inverse is also true. They're not bad enough that you can't guarantee that it won't kill or severely injure your target, especially if it hits in ''just'' the wrong place.

==Rule 3==
This states: ''Discussion of solid propellants, explosive devices or incendiary projectiles fired specifically from a spud cannon is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

Firstly, this is because it's highly dangerous. [http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/9523117.html Take Ryan Meerdink's example.] He used solid propellant in a PVC cannon (although the article doesn't make this clear, this fact later became evident). He ended up '''very''' dead. 
You might not be so stupid. You might do it in a more solidly built metal cannon. That still offers no guarantee you haven't made a potentially fatal mistake. 
Also, people are sometimes idiots. Someone may come along, and make a connection if they see PVC cannons and solid propellants mentioned on the same site, then make the same mistake as Ryan.

Secondly, it's because spudguns are already on shaky legal ground in many countries, and they get away with existing only because they DON'T use solid propellants or fire explosive/incendiary projectiles. Putting solid propellants on a spudgun site may destroy the legal loopholes that spudguns currently enjoy.

Again, we can't stop you if you insist on doing it without telling us. It's still highly irresponsible to do so though.

----

While I'm here, solid propellants only applies to fuels that do not require a gaseous oxidiser (Air, Oxygen or Nitrous oxide are all possible gaseous oxidisers). For that reason, if a cannon uses flour/sugar/other fine powders that have to be suspended in the air to burn, they do not violate the rule.

Why aren't my questions being answered?

2009-01-19T23:57:58Z

Ragnarok: Small changes in phrasing

Why aren't my questions being answered?

2009-01-19T23:17:56Z

Ragnarok: New page: ==A common complaint== '''You:''' ''I've come to the forums looking for information. I've asked a question, but no one is posting the exact answer to it. They're giving me links to pages t...

Good technical examples & articles

2009-01-19T22:51:17Z

Ragnarok:

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

If adding cannons to the list, please put them in the right category, and alphabetically by user. This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars. Also, avoid adding a recent cannon unless it's REALLY special.
Articles have no particular order of preference.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowfoward valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.
*[[Why aren't my questions being answered?]] For if you've asked a question, but you're getting responses like "Do your own research".

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Spudding Jokes

2008-12-18T13:05:08Z

Ragnarok: /* List (Far from complete) */

A section for spudding humo(u)r that turns up on the forum every now and again.
Out of courtesy, the original poster on the forum should be listed next to each link, even if other posters have added to it. 
Also, please don't copy across every single addition that people have made, they might not be funny if it's taken out of the context of the poster, knowledge of their work and the events of the time it was posted.

== List (Far from complete) ==
*[[You might be a spudder if]] (Originally posted by Drex)
*[[Tools redefined]] (Originally posted by Jackssmirkingrevenge)
*How to deal with frustration - [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html Link to forum page] (Originally posted by Jackssmirkingrevenge)

==One off jokes==

Ok, this section's now here for the less extended jokes...

Q: What do you get if you cross a combustion spudgun with a tennis racket?
A: French Fries
(Jackssmirkingrevenge)

The reasons behind the rules

2008-12-16T23:28:19Z

Ragnarok: /* Rule 2 */

Every now and again, we get a newbie who comes through, doesn't read the rules on sign up, then posts a topic that's against them. 
More rarely, they have read the rules, but don't agree with them.

Most commonly, the problem is with either Rule #2, or Rule #3.
Either way, the line "Why is it not allowed", or something similar tends to come up if the original poster gets back before the moderators lock the topic.

This page is here to explain why these rules are here.

==Rule 2==
Rule 2 specifies: ''Discussion of shooting anything at any person and/or animal is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

When we see this rule broken, it often refers to the shooting of animals, rather than people, so I'll deal with that first. 
This may sound a little harsh. The arguments against it are usually like:
* People hunt everyday, why is discussion of shooting animals not allowed? It's no worse.
* Hey, I've got an (insert calibre here) rifle, and I go hunting every weekend, what's your problem?
* I've got squirrels (or other critters) I need to deal with and no other method.

The reason we don't allow it is that spudguns in general are neither accurate enough to ensure a hit in a "kill-zone", nor powerful enough to ensure a clean kill if they don't. ''(There are exceptions. A few cannons on this forum would be up to the task with the right projectile, but those cannons are the exception, not the rule. Nor will I be identifying the cannons up to the task)'' 
This means that there is a very real likelihood of you having an injured target, if you hit it at all.

Given that most spudguns are not set up for a quick repeat shot, and that has no more guarantee of finishing it cleanly that the last one did, that means that it's either left in pain, or you have to find another method to end it's pain.
Most of you would probably baulk at going over to your target - which is in very real agony, and going to die a slow agonising death - and cleanly breaking it's neck to end it's misery. This would even be inadvisable, as wounded animals can become very vicious, and will likely attack you.

Someone might justify leaving an animal in pain in so many ways. I can assure you, no reason is acceptable. This is why we do not allow the discussion of shooting of animals on this forum. 
We can't stop you doing it outside our knowledge if you're the kind of sick bastard that doesn't care a jot for the animals, but we don't want to hear about it on this forum.

Shooting at people is common sense. Would you take a loaded pistol, and fire it at your friend? I sincerely hope not. 
Treat spudguns as if they were as dangerous as any powder burning firearm. I know I just told you that they weren't good enough to ensure a clean hunting kill, but the inverse is also true. They're not bad enough that you can't guarantee that it won't kill or severely injure your target, especially if it hits in ''just'' the wrong place.

==Rule 3==
This states: ''Discussion of solid propellants, explosive devices or incendiary projectiles fired specifically from a spud cannon is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

Firstly, this is because it's highly dangerous. [http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/9523117.html Take Ryan Meerdink's example.] He used solid propellant in a PVC cannon. He ended up '''very''' dead. 
You might not be so stupid. You might do it in a more solidly built metal cannon. That still offers no guarantee you haven't made a potentially fatal mistake. 
Also, people are sometimes idiots. Someone may come along, and make a connection if they see PVC cannons and solid propellants mentioned on the same site, then make the same mistake as Ryan.

Secondly, it's because spudguns are already on shaky legal ground in many countries, and they get away with existing only because they DON'T use solid propellants or fire explosive/incendiary projectiles. Putting solid propellants on a spudgun site may destroy the legal loopholes that spudguns currently enjoy.

Again, we can't stop you if you insist on doing it without telling us. It's still highly irresponsible to do so though.

----

While I'm here, solid propellants only applies to fuels that do not require a gaseous oxidiser (Air, Oxygen or Nitrous oxide are all possible gaseous oxidisers). For that reason, if a cannon uses flour/sugar/other fine powders that have to be suspended in the air to burn, they do not violate the rule.

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T23:00:47Z

Ragnarok: /* Articles */

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

If adding cannons to the list, please put them in the right category, and alphabetically by user. This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars. Also, avoid adding a recent cannon unless it's REALLY special.
Articles have no particular order of preference.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowfoward valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[[The reasons behind the rules | Explanation of rules that sometimes raise questions.]]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

The reasons behind the rules

2008-12-16T22:58:50Z

Ragnarok: New page: Every now and again, we get a newbie who comes through, doesn't read the rules on sign up, then posts a topic that's against them. More rarely, they have read the rules, but don't agre...

Every now and again, we get a newbie who comes through, doesn't read the rules on sign up, then posts a topic that's against them. 
More rarely, they have read the rules, but don't agree with them.

Most commonly, the problem is with either Rule #2, or Rule #3.
Either way, the line "Why is it not allowed", or something similar tends to come up if the original poster gets back before the moderators lock the topic.

This page is here to explain why these rules are here.

==Rule 2==
Rule 2 specifies: ''Discussion of shooting anything at any person and/or animal is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

When we see this rule broken, it often refers to the shooting of animals, rather than people, so I'll deal with that first. 
This may sound a little harsh. The arguments against it are usually like:
* People hunt everyday, why is discussion of shooting animals not allowed? It's no worse.
* Hey, I've got an (insert calibre here) rifle, and I go hunting every weekend, what's your problem?
* I've got squirrels (or other critters) I need to deal with and no other method.

The reason we don't allow it is that spudguns in general are neither accurate enough to ensure a hit in a "kill-zone", nor powerful enough to ensure a clean kill if they don't. ''(There are exceptions. A few cannons on this forum would be up to the task with the right projectile, but those cannons are the exception, not the rule. Nor will I be identifying the cannons up to the task)'' 
This means that there is a very real likelihood of you having an injured target, if you hit it at all.

Given that most spudguns are not set up for a quick repeat shot, and that has no more guarantee of finishing it cleanly that the last one did.
Most of you would probably baulk at going over to your target - which is in very real pain, and going to die a slow agonising death - and cleanly breaking it's neck to end it's misery. This would even be inadvisable, as wounded animals can become very vicious, and will likely attack you.

Someone might justify leaving an animal in pain in so many ways. I can assure you, no reason is acceptable. This is why we do not allow the discussion of shooting of animals on this forum. 
We can't stop you doing it outside our knowledge if you're the kind of sick bastard that doesn't care a jot for the animals, but we don't want to hear about it on this forum.

Shooting at people is common sense. Would you take a loaded pistol, and fire it at your friend? I sincerely hope not. 
Treat spudguns as if they were as dangerous as any powder burning firearm. I know I just told you that they weren't good enough to ensure a clean hunting kill, but the inverse is also true. They're not bad enough that you can't guarantee that it won't kill or severely injure your target, especially if it hits in ''just'' the wrong place.

==Rule 3==
This states: ''Discussion of solid propellants, explosive devices or incendiary projectiles fired specifically from a spud cannon is prohibited, and may result in a permanent banning of your account.''

Firstly, this is because it's highly dangerous. [http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/9523117.html Take Ryan Meerdink's example.] He used solid propellant in a PVC cannon. He ended up '''very''' dead. 
You might not be so stupid. You might do it in a more solidly built metal cannon. That still offers no guarantee you haven't made a potentially fatal mistake. 
Also, people are sometimes idiots. Someone may come along, and make a connection if they see PVC cannons and solid propellants mentioned on the same site, then make the same mistake as Ryan.

Secondly, it's because spudguns are already on shaky legal ground in many countries, and they get away with existing only because they DON'T use solid propellants or fire explosive/incendiary projectiles. Putting solid propellants on a spudgun site may destroy the legal loopholes that spudguns currently enjoy.

Again, we can't stop you if you insist on doing it without telling us. It's still highly irresponsible to do so though.

----

While I'm here, solid propellants only applies to fuels that do not require a gaseous oxidiser (Air, Oxygen or Nitrous oxide are all possible gaseous oxidisers). For that reason, if a cannon uses flour/sugar/other fine powders that have to be suspended in the air to burn, they do not violate the rule.

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T22:06:39Z

Ragnarok: Sorting cannons into alphabetical order by creator.

This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like.
And the articles that are worth your reading time.

Obviously this page is under construction, somewhat subjective, and most definitely incomplete, but it's here to help a newbie get themselves well aligned with what spudding actually can be.

==VERY IMPORTANT RULE==
Most of these topics are fairly old. Please do not post in any topic that you are linked to from this page unless you have a VERY important technical question that is not answered anywhere in the thread.

Asking for plans in any one of these threads will cause you to become prematurely bald. If you are already bald, you don't want to know what becoming bald again after you are already bald does to you.

If adding cannons to the list, please put them in the right category, and alphabetically by user. This is to prevent any "This cannon is better, so it should be higher up" edit wars. Also, avoid adding a recent cannon unless it's REALLY special.
Articles have no particular order of preference.

==Cannons==

'''Pneumatic'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,208016.html#208016 4.2 Inch Mortar, by biged.] A very well built replica WW2 mortar.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1342.html Sawn-off riot gun, by Brian the Brain.] A cannon that has inspired a great many people.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7862.html S400, by Chaos.] Good looking, well built, and a good performer. 'Nuff said.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7899.html GB Semi, by Clide.] Self loading Golf ball gun. Good demonstration of a blowfoward valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14802.html Portable burst disk cartridges, by Davidvaini.]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12103.html SCTBDC, by DYI.] Big-ass pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6455.html Mini Piston Gun, by ethal1222.] A good lesson in compact building.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6013.html Copperhead Prime, by Hotwired.] Good example of a simple, yet functional design that has inspired imitators.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10446.html 6mm Burst Disc Pneumatic, by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Demonstration of the effectiveness of high pressure and a good valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7694.html RevoSemi, by Keep_it_Real.] A great example of a simple loader.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11453.html HEAL, by Ragnarok.] Because I'm a shameless self-promoter.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7093.html The SWAT, by schmanman.] Just a very large pneumatic.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/gorts-golf-bag-w-vids-contest-t3458.html Gort's Golf Bag, by sgort87.] A portable pneumatic cannon hidden inside a golf bag.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14348.html The Eclipse, by Solar.] One of the best produced cannons this forum has seen.

'''Combustion'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t174.html Revolver X, by Boogieman.] Well known combustion, good demonstration of speeding up shooting.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/spudtech_archive/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12971 57.5mm Oxymortar, by Caffeine]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15766.html Mk2 Rotary barrelled Combustion, by Critical_Al.] Very well made "Rapid-fire" combustion.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t4960.html Taternator II, by Dumbascii.] Taking combustion and just throwing overkill at it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14319.html Wood Combustion, by Eddbot.] Not so serious, and not the world's best technical example, but worth a look, because most people like it.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7878.html Blue Flame III, by Sgort87.] Again, demonstrations of improving rate of fire.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6241.html Collapsible travel combustion, by Sgort87.] Neat concept for a telescoping cannon.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t1575.html Proton Pack, by Sgort87.] Backpack based chamber, sometimes considered for a cannon design.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2736.html 12" Diameter bucket launcher, by Sgort87.] He does a lot of good combustions. Also, adventurous sizewise.

'''Hybrid'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t6822.html HPSCL, by DR.] Often known as the Gen-II tank, an early example (reposted here) of developments in hybrid fuelling.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t9589.html Piston Hybrid, by Fnord.] A demonstration of an alternate hybrid valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7857.html FEAR, by Killjoy.] Just a big ass hybrid. Former holder of the spudgun velocity record.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15524.html HyGaC20, by Larda.] Current holder of spudgun velocity, and preignition mix pressure records. Also nice to look at.

'''BBMG/Strafer'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13762.html Deathray, by Brian the Brain.] Simplify, and add pressure.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t12907.html RC-P240 Vortex cap BBMG, by Imortal87.] A good method of adding magazines to a BBMG.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t10075.html 6mm Semi by Jackssmirkingrevenge.] Not so much a BBMG, but absolutely great for learning about blow forward loaders.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16441.html Ultimate Inline Mk IIIi, by Neospud.] Showing you how a BBMG should be done for practical field use.

'''Other'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13449.html 28.8kj Electrothermal cannon, by Larda.] Cannon powered by plasma. Somehow even more impressive than it sounds.

==Articles==

'''General Forum'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t14659.html A ''VERY'' worthwhile read on spudgunning and the forums.] A read of this will get you pretty up to date with the forum's workings.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16568.html A spudder's tale.] Not essential reading, but nice anyway.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/posting-images-a-step-by-step-guide-t13190.html Posting images a step-by-step guide.] How to post images on Spudfiles properly.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/rules.html Rules.] Main forum rules.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,136508.html#136508 Posting Etiquette.] Posting rules for the Spudfiles forum, differs from the main forum rules.

'''Forum In-jokes'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13069.html How to deal with frustration.] The famous *facepalmheaddeskcombo* explained.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic,p,133222.html#133222 The Flaming Pink Elephant.] A metaphor for the forum's innuendo, as this is what it is as subtle as.

'''Safety'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t7783.html Things not to do.] A list of accidents people have had, and in many cases, how it could have been avoided.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15301.html A tale of shooting yourself in the face.] Again, more accidents.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11431.html Predicting if your cannon's recoil is likely to be dangerous.] It is inadvisable for a hand fired cannon to exceed 100 ft-lbs (135 J) of recoil, and even this will be unpleasant.

'''Construction'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t8157.html How piston valves work.] An explanation of what is arguably the best valve in spudding.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html High pressure compressors.] How to adapt fridge parts into the spudder's high pressure solution.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t2546.html A solution to rifling.] How to rifle a PVC barrel.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/how-to-make-a-pneumatic-cannon-with-a-2-piston-valve-t10381.html How to make a cannon with 2" piston valve.] How to make a 2" piston valve.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/solvent-welding-course-recommended-for-all-t3009.html Solvent Welding Course.] An online course on how to solvent weld PVC correctly.

'''Projectiles'''
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t16438.html A fairly interesting thread on projectile shape vs. drag.] It's a bit incoherent at times, but worth the study.
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t13477.html A theory on dart development.]

'''Aesthetics'''
* [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t15767.html Making a stock for your launcher?] This will be worth some reading.

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T21:14:27Z

Ragnarok:

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T20:56:44Z

Ragnarok: Fixed broken link

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T11:52:49Z

Ragnarok:

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T09:55:52Z

Ragnarok:

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T09:55:07Z

Ragnarok:

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T09:49:47Z

Ragnarok:

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T08:56:27Z

Ragnarok:

Main Page

2008-12-16T08:52:23Z

Ragnarok:

== The Spudding Handbook ==
Welcome to The Spudding Handbook! This wiki format handbook contains all of the information you will ever need to build spudguns, and much more besides. The purpose of this handbook is to explain the principles of spudguns and how they are built and operated. All of the information contained in this handbook is free and available to anybody who wishes to view it.

Look around and enjoy your stay.
--[[User:BC Pneumatics|BC Pneumatics]] 02:13, 31 May 2008 (EDT)
[[Image:Cannon.jpg|frame|An Advanced Combustion Cannon]]
==What is a Spudgun?==
''Main article: [[What_is_a_spudgun%3F|What is a spudgun?]]''

There are many different names for spudguns. They are called potato cannons, spud launchers, potato guns, spud cannons, and a host of others. Whatever you decide to call it, all of the aforementioned describe the same type of device: a device used to accelerate a [[potato]] down the [[barrel]], and launch it some distance. While it may offend some purists, the humble little potato is quickly losing favor to other ammunitions such as [[golf ball]]s, [[tennis ball]]s, and other cheap, uniform projectiles.

==Types of Spudguns==

=== [[Pneumatic_launcher|Pneumatic Launchers]] ===

These use the energy stored in compressed gas to launch a projectile. The launcher's [[chamber]] is [[pressure|pressurized]] and the gas held back from the barrel by a [[valve]]. When the valve is opened the gas is allowed to rapidly expand and escape down the barrel forcing the projectile out before it.

=== Combustion Launchers ===

* '''[[Combustion_launcher|Regular Combustions]]'''

These find the energy needed to launch a projectile from the [[Combustion process|combustion]] of a gaseous [[fuel]] and air mixture. The fuel is added to the air already in the chamber, the chamber is sealed and the mixture ignited. This combustion creates a pressure spike that forces the projectile out through the connected barrel.

* '''[[Hybrid_launcher|Hybrid Launchers]]'''

Hybrid launchers are a special type of combustion launcher that use a pre-pressurised fuel/air mixture. This results in a higher pressure and hotter combustion on ignition, thereby transferring more energy to the projectile.

=== [[BB Machine Gun]]s ===
A [[BB Machine Gun]] (BBMG) is a device designed to shoot a large volume of small diameter ammo, typically plastic airsoft or steel BBs. BBMGs are pneumatic guns but unlike single shot launchers they require a constant gas supply to function.

==Important & Related Links==

[[Index|Glossary/Index]]

[[BCARMS]]

[[Good technical examples & articles]]

[[Useful construction links]]

[[Launcher configuration]]

[[Computer Applications]]

[[IPLA|International Potato Launching Association]]

[[Safety]]

[[Ammunition]]

[[Legal issues]]

[[History]] (A Brief History of Spud Guns)

[[SpudFiles forum guidelines]]

[[Spudding Jokes]]

==External links==

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spud_gun Wikipedia's page on spudguns]
*[http://www.bavetta.com/aircannon.html Air Cannon Barrel Length Numerical Analysis]
*[http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT Gas Gun Design Tool, simulation program for pneumatic guns]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=13324#13324 ATF Correspondence concerning spud gun legality]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com SpudFiles Forum (aka The Spud Cannon Database)]
*[http://www.BCARMS.com BCARMS - Spud Cannon Parts, Accessories, Kits and Launchers]

Good technical examples & articles

2008-12-16T08:51:24Z

Ragnarok: New page: This page is to be filled with the cannons generally considered good technical examples on the forums, or those that people just tend to like. And the articles that are worth your reading ...

Spudding Jokes

2008-11-25T19:39:59Z

Ragnarok:

A section for spudding humo(u)r that turns up on the forum every now and again.
Out of courtesy, the original poster on the forum should be listed next to each link, even if other posters have added to it. 
Also, please don't copy across every single addition that people have made, they might not be funny if it's taken out of the context of the poster, knowledge of their work and the events of the time it was posted.

== List (Far from complete) ==
*[[You might be a spudder if]] (Originally posted by Drex)
*[[Tools redefined]] (Originally posted by Jackssmirkingrevenge)

==One off jokes==

Ok, this section's now here for the less extended jokes...

Q: What do you get if you cross a combustion spudgun with a tennis racket?
A: French Fries
(Jackssmirkingrevenge)

You might be a spudder if

2008-11-25T18:40:23Z

Ragnarok: New page: This was originally posted by [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t14691.html Drex on the 31st May 2008] '''Note by Ragnarok:''' I'm far too lazy to copy much of that topic into th...

This was originally posted by [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t14691.html Drex on the 31st May 2008]

 '''Note by Ragnarok:''' I'm far too lazy to copy much of that topic into this page (I've done the fire three pages). Someone else can do some more.'' 
However, don't just copy the list across blindly. Consider if it will be funny if taken out of context. Something may be amusing if you know DYI said it, and you know about one of his projects/mishaps - but take that away, it may no longer be funny.

For example, this:
"You might be a spudgunner if you have to think of a story to explain why 30kgs of pipe and valves are in your suitcases at the airport"
is funny if you know that it was posted by MrCrowley, and that he brought back a large load of American pipe when on a trip there. Without that context, it's less amusing.

Also, if it's not very good, don't copy it across. Consider this a "best of" compilation.

==The List==

You might be a spudgunner if:
* you can get to the plumbing section of your local hardware store blindfolded.
* you get excited over 1.5" SDR 21 PVC pipe
* you put every object you come across into one of two categories: "good for ammo" or "not good for ammo"
* you know how to pronounce pneumatic
* you know what pneumatic means
* the first place that comes to your mind when you here the word shopping is mcmaster.com
* you don't mind being perceived as 'that mental guy shooting stuff'
* you spend more time thinking about valves than about women
* if every time you buy pipe from a store, somebody asks you 'what are you planning on making?'
* when you see a pneumatic cannon the first thing you do is check for dwv
* your neighbours are used to large explosions
* you have kilos of marbles, bolts and ball bearings in your pockets
* every time you pass the potatoes in the supermarket, you grab the biggest bag they have
* when someone mentions the word potato, you think of them down range
* there are shards of plywood covering your lawn
* you get angry at people destroying pipes
* there are random holes in parts of your property
* you accept payments in pvc
* people consider you the "MacGyver" of pipe
* every piece of plywood you own has at least one or two holes in it
* you think "compressor" whenever you hear the word "fridge"
* you spend at least $2000 on pipes every year
* you bought a PC partly because of Spudfiles
* you can't get to sleep over a propane problem
* You choose to stay at home and design a new gun other than going out with friends
* you see someone drinking a soda, and think "wow that's a really cool bottle, I wonder what pressure it can take."
* you see a construction site, and the first thing you look for is rare types of pipe!
* you know 6 different units for pressure.

'''(Insert more list here)'''

Spudding Jokes

2008-11-25T18:24:04Z

Ragnarok: /* Spudding Jokes */

Tools redefined

2008-11-25T18:23:47Z

Ragnarok:

This was originally posted by [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t12969.html Jackssmirkingrevenge on 1st Feb 2008.] 
The work of several other contributors has been added.

==The list!==

1. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and
flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying.

2. WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar calluses in about the time it takes you to say, "SH**!!!"

3. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age

4. PLIERS: Used to round off hexagonal bolt heads.

5. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle: It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion,
and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

6. VISE GRIP PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the
palm of your hand.

7. OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for setting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside a wheel hub you're trying to get the bearing race out of.

8. WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes.

9. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new disk brake pads, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

10. EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 4X4: Used to attempt to lever an automobile upward off a hydraulic jack handle.

11. TWEEZERS: A tool for removing splinters of wood, especially Douglas fir.

12. TELEPHONE: Tool for calling your neighbor to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack.

13. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for removing dog feces from your boots.

14. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit.

15. TWO-TON HYDRAULIC ENGINE HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of bolts and fuel lines you forgot to disconnect.

16. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A large motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end without the handle.

17 AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

18. INSPECTION LIGHT: The home builder's own tanning booth. Sometimes called drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading.

19. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and squirt oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off the interiors of Phillips screw heads.

20. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to an Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last tightened 70 years ago by someone at Ford, and rounds them off.

21. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50p part.

22. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short.

23. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer now-a-days is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit.

24. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing upholstered items, chrome-plated metal, plastic parts and the other hand not holding the knife

25. ANGLE GRINDER: Renders every object it comes in contact with useless when attempting to save time on a palm sander.

26. MIG WELDER: Used most often as a method for connecting two peices of metal permanently but incorrectly; forcing the use of an angle grinder and then the start of a new project.

27. DRILL BITS: Excellent for flesh removal from under one's finger nail. Also good at disapearing when needed most, especially the larger sizes.

28. EPOXY - A binary adhesive used to preserve failed components in a corrosion resistant sarcophagus that can be admired by future generations, not dissimilar to prehistoric insects trapped in amber

29. SUPER GLUE: An adheisve that commonly attaches one's hand to either the work table or work peice, resulting in some peice of flesh being left behind.

30. PVC PRIMER: Excellent for turning all things purple, whether desired or not.

31. SPIRIT LEVEL: Secondary ruler.

32. TEFLON TAPE: A substance known as tape though not sticky, commonly used to seal small irritating leaks by those installing sprinkler systems, air powered tools, and those calling themselves "SpudGunners".

33. DREMEL: Used for breaking rotary tool bits. Also shows an aversion to physical contact, and will try to escape the hands of any person holding it.

34. PLASMA CUTTER: Useful if you need to get a bit off the end of that plasma rod you've been keeping in the shed.

35. PIPE CUTTER: Used to put pretty spiral patterns in the side of a pipe you wanted to cut in half.

36. BIG WRENCH: Substitute for hammer.

37. MULTI TOOL: Used to add weight to your pocket, or to be left at home when you need it.

38. RANDOM ACTION SANDER: Used to acquire repetitive strain injury.

39. PAINTBRUSH: Used to apply paint to your best clothes that you should have changed out of.

40. AUTO IGNITION BLOWTORCH: Used to light the cooker when the sparker stops working.

41. WD40: Used when something doesn't move but it should.

42. DUCT TAPE: Used when something moves but it shouldn't.

43. BIG HAMMER: Used to release jammed parts.

44. ELECTRICAL TAPE: Very rarely used when electricity is involved.

45. HEAT GUN: cigarette lighter

46. SOLDERING IRON: When a normal iron just doesn't cut it.

47. ADJUSTABLE WRENCH - wrench designed to slowly loosen while you're using it, so on that very last turn of the fitting/bolt/etc., the handle flies forward with respectable velocity. See HAMMER.

48. ALLIGATOR CLIPS - small miracles of sheet metal that allow one to make "permanent" circuits in a matter of seconds.

49. SCISSOR JACK - device found quite commonly in campgrounds and trailer parks around the world, designed to swiftly remove ones digits or appendages when caught between legs.

50. ATV - permanent transportation up to highway speeds, mule, work-bitch, and power source all rolled into one beautiful package.

51. HOT GLUE - see EPOXY.

52. PIPE WRENCH - rounded-bolt remover, hammer, wrench for any bolt above 1", removes trailer balls rusted onto bumpers... very rarely is it used to connect threaded pipe fittings.

53. HEX/ALLEN KEY: Useful for binding two fingers together because it went through them when you were trying to remove the chuck from a pneumatic drill, with it still connected to it's air supply.

54. RUSTY OLD ENGLISH PIPE WRENCH: Designed to help your fist remove your glasses or front teeth when it slips from a 2" fitting.The handle is hardened to cope with repetive impacts to face.

55. HOME MADE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP: Specialised tool to remove front teeth much faster than the rusty old english pipe wrench.

56. UTILITY KNIFE BLADE: Easily replacable sharp object detects nerve endings under your fingernails when seaching through boxes of stuff.
Keeps you from forgetting you have nerve endings..

Tools redefined

2008-11-25T18:23:31Z

Ragnarok: New page: ==Tools Redefined== This was originally posted by [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t12969.html Jackssmirkingrevenge on 1st Feb 2008.] The work of several other contributors has b...

==Tools Redefined==
This was originally posted by [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/topic-t12969.html Jackssmirkingrevenge on 1st Feb 2008.] 
The work of several other contributors has been added.

==The list!==

1. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and
flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying.

2. WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar calluses in about the time it takes you to say, "SH**!!!"

3. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age

4. PLIERS: Used to round off hexagonal bolt heads.

5. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle: It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion,
and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

6. VISE GRIP PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the
palm of your hand.

7. OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for setting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside a wheel hub you're trying to get the bearing race out of.

8. WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes.

9. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new disk brake pads, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

10. EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 4X4: Used to attempt to lever an automobile upward off a hydraulic jack handle.

11. TWEEZERS: A tool for removing splinters of wood, especially Douglas fir.

12. TELEPHONE: Tool for calling your neighbor to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack.

13. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for removing dog feces from your boots.

14. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit.

15. TWO-TON HYDRAULIC ENGINE HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of bolts and fuel lines you forgot to disconnect.

16. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A large motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end without the handle.

17 AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

18. INSPECTION LIGHT: The home builder's own tanning booth. Sometimes called drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading.

19. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and squirt oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off the interiors of Phillips screw heads.

20. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to an Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last tightened 70 years ago by someone at Ford, and rounds them off.

21. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50p part.

22. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short.

23. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer now-a-days is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit.

24. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing upholstered items, chrome-plated metal, plastic parts and the other hand not holding the knife

25. ANGLE GRINDER: Renders every object it comes in contact with useless when attempting to save time on a palm sander.

26. MIG WELDER: Used most often as a method for connecting two peices of metal permanently but incorrectly; forcing the use of an angle grinder and then the start of a new project.

27. DRILL BITS: Excellent for flesh removal from under one's finger nail. Also good at disapearing when needed most, especially the larger sizes.

28. EPOXY - A binary adhesive used to preserve failed components in a corrosion resistant sarcophagus that can be admired by future generations, not dissimilar to prehistoric insects trapped in amber

29. SUPER GLUE: An adheisve that commonly attaches one's hand to either the work table or work peice, resulting in some peice of flesh being left behind.

30. PVC PRIMER: Excellent for turning all things purple, whether desired or not.

31. SPIRIT LEVEL: Secondary ruler.

32. TEFLON TAPE: A substance known as tape though not sticky, commonly used to seal small irritating leaks by those installing sprinkler systems, air powered tools, and those calling themselves "SpudGunners".

33. DREMEL: Used for breaking rotary tool bits. Also shows an aversion to physical contact, and will try to escape the hands of any person holding it.

34. PLASMA CUTTER: Useful if you need to get a bit off the end of that plasma rod you've been keeping in the shed.

35. PIPE CUTTER: Used to put pretty spiral patterns in the side of a pipe you wanted to cut in half.

36. BIG WRENCH: Substitute for hammer.

37. MULTI TOOL: Used to add weight to your pocket, or to be left at home when you need it.

38. RANDOM ACTION SANDER: Used to acquire repetitive strain injury.

39. PAINTBRUSH: Used to apply paint to your best clothes that you should have changed out of.

40. AUTO IGNITION BLOWTORCH: Used to light the cooker when the sparker stops working.

41. WD40: Used when something doesn't move but it should.

42. DUCT TAPE: Used when something moves but it shouldn't.

43. BIG HAMMER: Used to release jammed parts.

44. ELECTRICAL TAPE: Very rarely used when electricity is involved.

45. HEAT GUN: cigarette lighter

46. SOLDERING IRON: When a normal iron just doesn't cut it.

47. ADJUSTABLE WRENCH - wrench designed to slowly loosen while you're using it, so on that very last turn of the fitting/bolt/etc., the handle flies forward with respectable velocity. See HAMMER.

48. ALLIGATOR CLIPS - small miracles of sheet metal that allow one to make "permanent" circuits in a matter of seconds.

49. SCISSOR JACK - device found quite commonly in campgrounds and trailer parks around the world, designed to swiftly remove ones digits or appendages when caught between legs.

50. ATV - permanent transportation up to highway speeds, mule, work-bitch, and power source all rolled into one beautiful package.

51. HOT GLUE - see EPOXY.

52. PIPE WRENCH - rounded-bolt remover, hammer, wrench for any bolt above 1", removes trailer balls rusted onto bumpers... very rarely is it used to connect threaded pipe fittings.

53. HEX/ALLEN KEY: Useful for binding two fingers together because it went through them when you were trying to remove the chuck from a pneumatic drill, with it still connected to it's air supply.

54. RUSTY OLD ENGLISH PIPE WRENCH: Designed to help your fist remove your glasses or front teeth when it slips from a 2" fitting.The handle is hardened to cope with repetive impacts to face.

55. HOME MADE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP: Specialised tool to remove front teeth much faster than the rusty old english pipe wrench.

56. UTILITY KNIFE BLADE: Easily replacable sharp object detects nerve endings under your fingernails when seaching through boxes of stuff.
Keeps you from forgetting you have nerve endings..

Spudding Jokes

2008-11-25T18:12:06Z

Ragnarok: New page: ==Spudding Jokes== A section for spudding humo(u)r that turns up on the forum every now and again. Out of courtesy, the original poster on the forum should be listed next to each link,...

==Spudding Jokes==

A section for spudding humo(u)r that turns up on the forum every now and again.
Out of courtesy, the original poster on the forum should be listed next to each link, even if other posters have added to it. 
Also, please don't copy across every single addition that people have made, they might not be funny if it's taken out of the context of the poster, knowledge of their work and the events of the time it was posted.

== List (Far from complete) ==
*[[You might be a spudder if]] (Originally posted by Drex)
*[[Tools redefined]] (Originally posted by Jackssmirkingrevenge)

Main Page

2008-11-25T18:04:11Z

Ragnarok: /* Important & Related Links */

== The Spudding Handbook ==
Welcome to The Spudding Handbook! This wiki format handbook contains all of the information you will ever need to build spudguns, and much more besides. The purpose of this handbook is to explain the principles of spudguns and how they are built and operated. All of the information contained in this handbook is free and available to anybody who wishes to view it.

Look around and enjoy your stay.
--[[User:BC Pneumatics|BC Pneumatics]] 02:13, 31 May 2008 (EDT)
[[Image:Cannon.jpg|frame|An Advanced Combustion Cannon]]
==What is a Spudgun?==
''Main article: [[What_is_a_spudgun%3F|What is a spudgun?]]''

There are many different names for spudguns. They are called potato cannons, spud launchers, potato guns, spud cannons, and a host of others. Whatever you decide to call it, all of the aforementioned describe the same type of device: a device used to accelerate a [[potato]] down the [[barrel]], and launch it some distance. While it may offend some purists, the humble little potato is quickly losing favor to other ammunitions such as [[golf ball]]s, [[tennis ball]]s, and other cheap, uniform projectiles.

==Types of Spudguns==

=== [[Pneumatic_launcher|Pneumatic Launchers]] ===

These use the energy stored in compressed gas to launch a projectile. The launcher's [[chamber]] is [[pressure|pressurized]] and the gas held back from the barrel by a [[valve]]. When the valve is opened the gas is allowed to rapidly expand and escape down the barrel forcing the projectile out before it.

=== Combustion Launchers ===

* '''[[Combustion_launcher|Regular Combustions]]'''

These find the energy needed to launch a projectile from the [[Combustion process|combustion]] of a gaseous [[fuel]] and air mixture. The fuel is added to the air already in the chamber, the chamber is sealed and the mixture ignited. This combustion creates a pressure spike that forces the projectile out through the connected barrel.

* '''[[Hybrid_launcher|Hybrid Launchers]]'''

Hybrid launchers are a special type of combustion launcher that use a pre-pressurised fuel/air mixture. This results in a higher pressure and hotter combustion on ignition, thereby transferring more energy to the projectile.

=== [[BB Machine Gun]]s ===
A [[BB Machine Gun]] (BBMG) is a device designed to shoot a large volume of small diameter ammo, typically plastic airsoft or steel BBs. BBMGs are pneumatic guns but unlike single shot launchers they require a constant gas supply to function.

==Important & Related Links==

[[Index|Glossary/Index]]

[[BCARMS]]

[[Useful construction links]]

[[Launcher configuration]]

[[Computer Applications]]

[[IPLA|International Potato Launching Association]]

[[Safety]]

[[Ammunition]]

[[Legal issues]]

[[History]] (A Brief History of Spud Guns)

[[SpudFiles forum guidelines]]

[[Spudding Jokes]]

==External links==

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spud_gun Wikipedia's page on spudguns]
*[http://www.bavetta.com/aircannon.html Air Cannon Barrel Length Numerical Analysis]
*[http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT Gas Gun Design Tool, simulation program for pneumatic guns]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=13324#13324 ATF Correspondence concerning spud gun legality]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com SpudFiles Forum (aka The Spud Cannon Database)]
*[http://www.BCARMS.com BCARMS - Spud Cannon Parts, Accessories, Kits and Launchers]

Main Page

2008-11-25T18:03:25Z

Ragnarok:

== The Spudding Handbook ==
Welcome to The Spudding Handbook! This wiki format handbook contains all of the information you will ever need to build spudguns, and much more besides. The purpose of this handbook is to explain the principles of spudguns and how they are built and operated. All of the information contained in this handbook is free and available to anybody who wishes to view it.

Look around and enjoy your stay.
--[[User:BC Pneumatics|BC Pneumatics]] 02:13, 31 May 2008 (EDT)
[[Image:Cannon.jpg|frame|An Advanced Combustion Cannon]]
==What is a Spudgun?==
''Main article: [[What_is_a_spudgun%3F|What is a spudgun?]]''

There are many different names for spudguns. They are called potato cannons, spud launchers, potato guns, spud cannons, and a host of others. Whatever you decide to call it, all of the aforementioned describe the same type of device: a device used to accelerate a [[potato]] down the [[barrel]], and launch it some distance. While it may offend some purists, the humble little potato is quickly losing favor to other ammunitions such as [[golf ball]]s, [[tennis ball]]s, and other cheap, uniform projectiles.

==Types of Spudguns==

=== [[Pneumatic_launcher|Pneumatic Launchers]] ===

These use the energy stored in compressed gas to launch a projectile. The launcher's [[chamber]] is [[pressure|pressurized]] and the gas held back from the barrel by a [[valve]]. When the valve is opened the gas is allowed to rapidly expand and escape down the barrel forcing the projectile out before it.

=== Combustion Launchers ===

* '''[[Combustion_launcher|Regular Combustions]]'''

These find the energy needed to launch a projectile from the [[Combustion process|combustion]] of a gaseous [[fuel]] and air mixture. The fuel is added to the air already in the chamber, the chamber is sealed and the mixture ignited. This combustion creates a pressure spike that forces the projectile out through the connected barrel.

* '''[[Hybrid_launcher|Hybrid Launchers]]'''

Hybrid launchers are a special type of combustion launcher that use a pre-pressurised fuel/air mixture. This results in a higher pressure and hotter combustion on ignition, thereby transferring more energy to the projectile.

=== [[BB Machine Gun]]s ===
A [[BB Machine Gun]] (BBMG) is a device designed to shoot a large volume of small diameter ammo, typically plastic airsoft or steel BBs. BBMGs are pneumatic guns but unlike single shot launchers they require a constant gas supply to function.

==Important & Related Links==

[[Index|Glossary/Index]]

[[BCARMS]]

[[Useful construction links]]

[[Launcher configuration]]

[[Computer Applications]]

[[IPLA|International Potato Launching Association]]

[[Safety]]

[[Ammunition]]

[[Legal issues]]

[[History]] (A Brief History of Spud Guns)

[[SpudFiles forum guidelines]]

[[Spud Humour]]

==External links==

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spud_gun Wikipedia's page on spudguns]
*[http://www.bavetta.com/aircannon.html Air Cannon Barrel Length Numerical Analysis]
*[http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT Gas Gun Design Tool, simulation program for pneumatic guns]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=13324#13324 ATF Correspondence concerning spud gun legality]
*[http://www.spudfiles.com SpudFiles Forum (aka The Spud Cannon Database)]
*[http://www.BCARMS.com BCARMS - Spud Cannon Parts, Accessories, Kits and Launchers]

Gas Gun Design Tool

2008-10-04T02:53:40Z

Ragnarok: /* Suitable parameters for various valves */

Hall Consulting's '''Gas Gun Design Tool''' is a simulation program to aid the design of [[pneumatic cannon]]s. It is available [http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT here].

==Common problems for first time users==
Read, and follow, the [http://thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT/installation.html installation instructions] for GGDT before installing.

In the "Resevoir Data" section (parameters describing the pressure chamber) the default value for "Inner Diam" is 1.95 inch. This value is for a coaxial design where the barrels is within the chamber. For other designs, for example ball valves or diaphram values, this value should be set to zero.

==Suitable parameters for various valves==
''(This section needs a lot more info)''

A rough rule of thumb for calculating the Flow Coefficient (Cv) for various valve types;

Cv = K * D2

Where D is the seat diameter in centimetres, and K is

= 1 for a sprinkler or ball valve
= 2 for a piston of QEV
= 3 for a burst disc.

This formula is not 100% accurate, but it's easy to use, remember, and reasonably accurate.
Using this formula we get a Cv of 3.4 for a 1/2" [[QEV]].

==Physics model==
As of version 4.2, in modeled the following features:

# Valve configuration and opening times. In fact, GGDT models five different types of valve: chamber sealing pilot (see [[piston valve]]s), barrel sealing pilot (ie, barrel sealing [[diaphragm valve]]s and [[piston valve]]s, [[burst disk]], [[hammer valve]], and "generic." Each of these valves have different behaviors and GGDT accounts for these behaviors (more on that below).
# Pressure drop across the valve orifice.
# Temperature (and thus pressure) increase in the valve pilot due to work performed by gun gases on the valve piston/diaphragm.
# Gas leakage from the main valve body into the upper valve chamber ([[pilot]]).
# Performance differences due to different gases.
# Temperature effects on gas properties (and thus, performance).
# Performance limitations due to flow choking in the valve or the barrel.
# Valve effective orifice increases due to lowered valve throat Mach number.
# Temperature (and thus pressure) drop in the barrel due to work performed by the gas accelerating the projectile.
# Gas leakage around the projectile in the barrel.
# Compressibility (Mach) effects on air pressure both in front of and behind the projectile to include the creation of shocks. (see [[shock heating]])

However, it does not consider:

# Energy losses associated with turbulence or frictional forces between the gas and the gun's reservoir/barrel walls. In other words, pressure drops due to bends or rough edges in the gun's plumbing.
# Reservoir fineness ratio's effect on performance.
# Freezing or liquification of gun gases.

However, these are not a major concern in most launchers, as they require very long barrels or very high pressures to notice.
Typically, the GGDT outputs numbers within 5-10% of the measured value, although this is somewhat clouded by not knowing the proper input numbers.

==Use==
See Hall's [http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT page] on use

{{stub}}
[[category:Concepts]]

Common Ammo

2008-05-05T17:12:48Z

Ragnarok:

== Description of the table columns: ==

; Ammo : The type of ammo. For ammo that is cut by the barrel, such as spuds, this gives a typical length of the ammo. The length of the ammo and the barrel diameter determine the actual size of the ammo. For spuds, there is more than one way to [[potato#Selection, cutting and use|cut]] the shell.
; Mass : The mass of the ammo in ounces (oz.) and grams.
; Diameter : The diameter of the ammo in inches (") and centimeters (cm). For ammo that is cut by the barrel, such as spuds, this is the barrel diameter. For ammo that is not cut, such as golf balls, this is the ammo's normal diameter.
; Cd : Coeficient of drag. The Cd of a particular ammo is usually dependent on the velocity of the ammo and whether or not it is spinning or tumbling.
; Terminal Velocity : The maximum velocity the ammo will reach when dropped, in air, form a great height.
; Barrel : Suggestions as suitable barrels for the particular ammo. Primarily for ammo that has a defined size, such as a tennis ball.
; Other Info : Various other bits of information concerning the ammo.

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="text-align:center"
|+ '''Common Spud Gun Ammo'''
|-
| '''Ammo''' || '''Mass''' || '''Diameter''' || '''Cd''' || '''Terminal Velocity''' || '''Barrel''' ||''' Other Info'''
|-
!colspan="7" align="left" | '''Vegies'''
|-
| [[Spud]], 2"L || 2.54 oz., 72g || 1.59", 4.04cm || - || - || 1.5" SCH 40 ||align=left|
* density ~1.1g/cm3
|-
| [[Spud]], 4"L || 5.04 oz., 143g || 1.59", 4.04cm || - || - || 1.5" SCH 40 || -
|-
| [[Spud]], 2"L || 4.20 oz., 119g || 2.05", 5.21cm || - || - || 2" SCH 40 || -
|-
| [[Spud]], 4"L || 8.40 oz., 238g || 2.05", 5.21cm || - || - || 2" SCH 40 || -
|-
!colspan="7" align="left" | '''Balls'''
|-
| Ping-Pong Ball || 0.095 oz., 2.7g || 0.95", cm || 0.460 <br\> (note 1) || 9m/s, 30fps || - || -
|-
| [[Golf ball]] || 1.59 oz., 45g || 1.68", 4.27cm || 0.299 <br\> (note 1) || 40m/s, 132fps || - || -
|-
| [[Tennis_ball|Tennis Ball]] || 2.08 59g || 2.56", 6.5cm || 0.283 <br\> (note 1) || 31m/s, 102fps ||align=left|
* 2.5" SCH 40
* 2.5" SDR 21
* 2.5" SDR 26
|| -
|-
| Baseball || 5.1 oz., 145g || 2.9", 7.4cm || 0.290 (note 1) || 42m/s, 138fps || - || -
|-
| Basketball || 21.2 oz., 600g || 9.5", 24.1cm || 0.500 (note 1) || 20m/s, 66fps || - || -
|-
!colspan="7" align="left" | '''Ball Bearings (BBs, Airsoft, Paintballs...)'''
|-
| 0.177" Copper/Steel BB || 0.0116 oz, 0.33g || 0.177", 0.45cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| 6mm Airsoft || 0.0071 oz., 0.20g || 0.23", 0.6cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| ??" [[Paintball]] || ? oz., ?g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| ??" glass marble || ? oz., ?g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
!colspan="7" align="left" | '''Batteries'''
|-
| AA || ? oz., ?g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| AAA || ? oz., ?g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| [[C_Cell|C]] || 2.4-2.6 oz., 68-74g || 0.996", 2.53cm || - || - || - ||align=left|
* 2" (5.1cm) long
* mass varies by brand
|-
| D || ?? oz., ??g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
!colspan="7" align="left" | '''Other Things'''
|-
| [[CO2_cartridge|12g CO2 Cartridge]] (empty) || 1.05 oz., 30g || 0.73", 1.85cm || - || - ||align=left|
* 0.75" SCH 40 PVC
|| -
|-
| [[Ice]] || ?? oz., ??g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| [[Pycrete]] || ?? oz., ??g || ?", ?cm || - || - || - || -
|-
| [[Beverage_can|Soda Can]] || 13.0 oz., 369g (water filled) || 2.6", 6.6cm || - || - ||align=left|
* 2.5" SDR 26
* [[Sleeved]] 3" SCH 40
|| -
|}
'''Table Notes'''
# The Cd values for the various sport balls (tennis ball, golfball ...) were calculated based on their terminal velocities using the equation Cd=2mg/(Aρvterminal2) with g=9.8m/s and ρ=1290g/m3. The terminal velocities were from [http://www.cord.org/uploadedfiles/CTNJune2002.pdf Terminal Velocity Teachers Notes] and [http://www.gantless.com/paper.html A Penny in Free Fall].

[[Category:Projectiles]]

Computer Applications

2008-03-06T23:57:35Z

Ragnarok: /* Launcher Range Calculator */

The certain members of the spudding community have written computer programs pertaining to spudguns:

==the [[GGDT|Gas Gun Design Tool]]==
Written by David Hall (D_hall of the [[SGTC]]), it is the most commonly used program to predict [[pneumatic cannon]] performance, and is free for the download at Hall's [http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT/].

Accuracy of the predictions is typically within 5-10% of the actual value, although there has not been much testing of very long where the (unaccounted for) flow resistance due to barrel length is significant, or very high pressure launchers where the non-modeled liquefaction of the propeller gas(ses) may take place.

==[[CALM]]==
Standing for Compressed Air Launcher Model this is a Pneumatic Launcher simulator program by AKB of the [[SGTC]]. Since it is written in the Python programming language you can read the code and see how it works. It is not graphical, but produces tables of pressure, velocity, height, etc.

CALM can be downloaded at http://www.qsl.net/wb6zqz/calm.html .

==[[EVBEC]]==
EVBEC stands for Energy & Volume Based Estimator for Combinations. Written by boilingleadbath, it is based on [http://www.burntlatke.com Latke's] chamber:barrel test data.

Hosted on spudfiles, it is free to [http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1212& download] and use.

==[[SpudTool]]==
A great spudding tool made by Boogieman. [http://www.advancedspuds.com/SpudToolonline.htm Click here to try it out]

==[[ProMeterSuite]]==
Spud Calculators galore. Requires Microsoft Excel. [http://www.spudfiles.com/uploader/uploadFiles/ProMeterSuite.zip Download]

==[[Unit Converters]]==
[http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/ UnitConverter] is a handy online converter. You can convert metric pipe sizes to U.S. sizes, pressure, volume, energy and many other kinds of units. Put a shortcut in your web browser and you're never more than a second or two away from converting, for example, cubic inches to liters.

[http://joshmadison.com/software/convert/ Convert] is a downloadable windows application with capabilities similar to UnitConverter. Put a shortcut on your start bar and you're never more than a second or two away from converting, for example, cubic inches to liters.

==[[Launcher Range Calculator]]==
Predicts ballistic trajectory accurately taking into account both atmospheric and ballistic variables. [http://bb.1asphost.com/sigmarhaven/SSpictures/launchers/LauncherRangeCalculatorV2-2.xls Download]

Update in pipeline, with plans to release beta version shortly.

==[[Other Calculators]]==
[http://www.burntlatke.com/calc.html http://www.burntlatke.com/calc.html]

[http://www.1728.com/diam.htm http://www.1728.com/diam.htm]

[[category:Concepts]]

Chronograph

2008-03-04T00:09:03Z

Ragnarok: Redirecting to Chronometer

#redirect[[Chronometer]]

Construction materials

2008-02-17T12:41:55Z

Ragnarok:

==Introduction==

Many materials are readily available for use in construction of a spudgun. The most common, perhaps, are PVC and ABS. Both are so common, that a page has been dedicated to them ([[PVC vs. ABS]]). For information on other materials, see below.

==Common Materials==

* [[Copper pipe]]
* Galvanized Steel Pipe
* Aluminum Pipe

'''Copper Pipe'''

Construction materials

2008-02-17T12:41:43Z

Ragnarok:

==Introduction==

Many materials are readily available for use in construction of a spudgun. The most common, perhaps, are PVC and ABS. Both are so common, that a page has been dedicated to them ([[PVC vs. ABS]]). For information on other materials, see below.

==Common Materials==

* [[Copper Pipe]]
* Galvanized Steel Pipe
* Aluminum Pipe

'''Copper Pipe'''

Copper pipe

2008-02-16T15:45:40Z

Ragnarok:

Copper pipe and fittings are rising in popularity as a spudgun construction material, particularly amongst UK based spudders, due to the rarity of pressure rated [[PVC]] in the country.

==Pros/Cons==

The primary advantages of copper pipe are that it is rated to much higher pressures than PVC, and has better failure characteristics due to it's high malleability preventing shattering. This makes it well suited for making high pressure [[pneumatic cannon]]s and [[hybrid cannon|hybrid]]s.
It is also typically internally very smooth and consistent, which combined with it's high rigidity makes it exceptional barrel material.

The consistent internal diameter also makes it popular for construction of [[combustion cannon]] [[fuel meter]]s.

It is more expensive than PVC (especially larger dimensions) and considerably heavier, and is therefore mostly used for small caliber cannons (1" or less).

==Types & Use==

Copper pipe is usually joined by [[sweating]], using [[compression fitting]]s, or [[Copper epoxy]].
The latter two are slightly more expensive, but require minimal tools to use. Threaded fittings for copper pipe are usually made of brass.

Copper pipe comes in two tempers, annealed and drawn. Annealed copper pipe is very soft, and can usually be bent by hand. Drawn copper pipe is rigid, and will flex rather than bend (to a certain limit). Drawn pipe is the most useful in spudgun construction, since it will keep its shape and not get damaged easily. It is also rated to about twice the pressure as an annealed pipe of the same size.

==Safety==
Copper or Brass pipe/fittings should not be used with [[acetylene]] gas, as copper alloys can act as a catalyst to the explosive decomposition of the gas.

Due to it's relatively thin walled nature, potentially dangerous "sharp" ends can exist on pipe ends that have not been cleaned, and anybody using it should be aware of this.

Cutting of copper has a high attrition rate on rotary multi-tool abrasive discs, which will wear down at a high rate, and break apart regularly. Use of safety goggles is doubly recommended

[[category:construction materials]]