Quick simple ball vaulve project.

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Made this a while back as an afternoon project with my boys from used plumbing bits that were lying in my shed so material cost is basically nothing. Never really did any research prior to constructing it but it preforms so well for something that took a few hrs and no outlay it made me start looking at what can be done, which led me to stumble across the awesome SpudFiles site. Not comparing it with some of the high performance stuff that is found in these pages but it did smite me with the spudding bug and thought it might be of some interest to others on here.

Now gathering bits for something a bit more sophisticated.







Preforms best at about 65psi but have cranked it up to 90psi. Large volume chamber and long barrel seem to be a good combination for optimum power from the low pressure. It punches holes through both sides of a plastic bucket with 1/2" cores of potatoes/ carrots/ rhubarb etc

1/2 " copper barrel
2 liter fizzy drinks bottle chamber
Shrader valve fill
1/2" full bore ball valve spring actuated

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

an afternoon project with my boys

lucky boys, great job! The spring-loaded ball valve is an underrated way of achieving high power with commercially available parts, well executed.

[Gippeto]

Made this a while back as an afternoon project with my boys...

Now gathering bits for something a bit more sophisticated.

First off...KUDOS for taking time to build stuff with your kids. 8)

Secondly..."more sophisticated" as in....???

[200BAR]

an afternoon project with my boys

lucky boys, great job! The spring-loaded ball valve is an underrated way of achieving high power with commercially available parts, well executed.

Thanks for the reply, i realize it is about as basic as it gets but it cost me nothing and thought the boys some good plumbing skills . What "commercially available parts" would you suggest for a low cost starter project?

[200BAR]

Made this a while back as an afternoon project with my boys...

Now gathering bits for something a bit more sophisticated.

First off...KUDOS for taking time to build stuff with your kids. 8)

Secondly..."more sophisticated" as in....???

Thanks, i was a bit ferrel as a kid but had freedom in my dads shed to let my imagination run wild, probably the saving of me. Tools were basic and cash was scarce but it helped develop some fairly good lifelong maker skills that have stood me in good stead. Been making thing ever since, no shortage of tools now, old habits die hard so i tend to recycle components out of anything and everything. Trying to teach my boys some of the same skills and it seems to be paying off as they are more at home in the workshop than the house!

Possibly a boy thing but i developed an interest in high speed projectiles from an early age. Made this mini x bow as a 13yr old, just found it the other day and gave it a clean up and a test fire, still as fun as i remember 30 years on and never grown out of it

[img][IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u81/gruffalogriff/DSCN6423_zpsa3517d13.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u81/gruffalogriff/DSCN6432_zps19cd4fb9.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u81/gruffalogriff/DSCN6428_zps98b0b3cf.jpg[/img][/img]

Secondly..."more sophisticated" as in....???

Open to suggestions, something simple but effective for a start maybe a tee valve boom stick? Won a job lot of 1" stainless steel threaded fittings off ebay so thinking that may be a good starting point. Also won a couple job lots of sch40 pressure fittings 1 1/2" - 2" for next to nothing so thinking of a basic combustion cannon would be a good use for them. Again suggestions for a good basic design welcome, quite like the idea of a breach loader with the chamber under the barrel rather than all in a line, plenty of bends so leaning that way but nothing set in stone.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Nice one!

Thanks for the reply, i realize it is about as basic as it gets but it cost me nothing and thought the boys some good plumbing skills

You did well, I'll always remember the day my dad taught me how to apply thread tape, incorrectly

What "commercially available parts" would you suggest for a low cost starter project?

I think you've covered it with this ball-valve build, perhaps a larger caliber sprinkler valve project is the way to go, you and your kids can enjoy launching whatever fits in the barrel

[200BAR]

Thanks jacksmirk that looks like a good starting point for a big bore project, seems like pretty impressive performance for such a low pressure. How much difference in performance does the second sprinkler valve make in actuating the main valve as apposed to just the blow gun? Also is the double air chamber just for volume or is it more efficient than a single large one?

Also thanks for sorting the photo's i assume i had them too large, new to this forum so still learning the ropes.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

How much difference in performance does the second sprinkler valve make in actuating the main valve as apposed to just the blow gun?

Not much, that was just DHall showing off - a blowgun is just fine!

Also is the double air chamber just for volume or is it more efficient than a single large one?

More volume, you're restrained by the valve bottleneck anyway in terms of flow so two chambers doesn't help as a configuration.

Also thanks for sorting the photo's i assume i had them too large, new to this forum so still learning the ropes.

What happened is you posted the IMG code twice:

[img][IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u81/ ... 517d13.jpg[/img][/img]

if you removed the extra (img) and (/img) on each end it would have worked fine.

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Thanks again JSR. Ordered a 2" and a couple of 1" sprinkler valves off Amazon lastnight and 100 b grade used golf balls off ebay, already have a blow gun and plenty of sch 40 fittings so a plan is taking shape.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Good luck with it, it's an opportunity to go into the intricacies of domestic plumbing and solvent welding with the boys