http://www.instructables.

com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop
Air Cannon v3
by trebuchet03 on June 12, 2006
Table of Contents
Air Cannon v3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Intro: Air Cannon v3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Step 1: Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Step 2: Prepping components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Step 3: Make a Filler Valve Fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Step 4: Fitting it all together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Step 5: Final Assembly, Safety and Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
Author:trebuchet03 author's website
I'm an Engineer in San Francisco. Mass producer. Former Intern. Rapid Prototyper. Sometimes, I post Instructables. My Favorite number: 42
I've been here for a long time - some say, too long. I interned with instructables a few years ago and am now a happy office neighbor of the omnipotent
Robot.
eMail: trebuchet03 ~[at]~ gmail.com
Intro: Air Cannon v3
A pneumatic cannon for launching plastic soda bottles.... or ketchup packets. Almost all parts can be obtained from home depot and probably any local hardware store
with a plumbing section.
Bigger is cool looking... But not always better. I have found smaller more robust designs to be far more fun that the gigantic heavy cannons. I can recharge (with a foot
pump) and reload in less than 30 seconds and hold this thing much easier than its heavy breathing counterparts. Other than this design, I no longer build using PVC as it
does fail catastrophically.
I made this particular cannon to be used for physic's demos for middle and high school physics students. 2l bottle fail at surprisingly high pressures (relatively) and have
served as a reservoir very well.
Image Notes
1. Pardon the hair... what can I say... it was college. And my roomates kept the place very very cold :/
2. webcam mounted behind peep hole...
Step 1:Parts List
All parts are 0.5" unless specified
1 2l bottle of soda - minus the soda and washed out
1 .75" sprinkler valve with manual switch
1 45 elbow
2 female/male 90 elbow
1 female/threaded adapter
1 end cap
1 .5" thread-> .25" threaded bushing (mine is galvanized)
3 1.5" long pieces of pipe
2 2-2.5" long pieces of pipe
2 .5" female - .75" threaded adapter
1 4 wayfitting
1 Tire Stem with schrader valve (walmart or autoparts store) - home depot did not have this item
PVC cement
Teflon Tape
1 male threaded cap OR 1 gauge (might be listed as manometer)
Optional Add on (for bypass and a later project)
3 more 1.5" tubes
1 ball valve
1 45 elbow
1 3 way Tee
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
Image Notes
1. Having the manual bypass HERE is very important for making firing quick and
easy.
Step 2:Prepping components
Disassemble your valve. I am not going to be modding it as it is really unnecessary for this project. Taking it apart simply makes it easier to paint.
While the paint is drying (if you choose to paint), now is a good time to cut your tubes if you have not done so already. PVC saws (looks like a metal string) are cheap and
effective. I personally use a band saw to zip though everything. Guitar strings also work, just be very careful - it will eventually snap and the filament will be extremely hot
(I've had burns from this). Guitar strings also have a tendancy to wrap themselves around when they snap.
Now is also a good time to sand off any burrs and lightly sand the mating edges of the fittings and tubes.
Image Notes
1. one way flow -- pay attention to this for final assembly ;)
2. walmartapple red
3. If you want to -- you can make this with an electronic trigger... The solenoid is
rated for 24 volts... But using a single 9v battery works for lower pressures.
Image Notes
1. Solenoid plunger... We need to keep the solenoid on - even if you are not
going to use it. Unless you mod your valve of course - but it is not worth it IMO.
Step 3:Make a Filler Valve Fitting
Using a dremel (or even a regular drill) -- cut a hole in the center of your cap. Chamfering the inner edge will help greatly in getting the stem on.
Tire stems are a press (or pull :P) fit. So make the hole as small as you possibly can. .5" caps are a tight fit, but it fits nontheless.
When you think you're ready -- push the stem through the back of the cap. Then pull it through as hard as you can. Pull one way and then another direction until you
notice an edge pop out and set itself on the outside of the cap.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
Image Notes
1. holy veins! This is what happens when you don't weigh a whole lot (or when you
get older)...
2. Cutty PVC is quite messy :P
3. She fits! Barely...
Step 4:Fitting it all together
Hopefully you get the general idea from the picture of the end goal.
The longer lengths of tube are for the reservoir (2l bottle) and for the filler stem post. Ideally, everything should be in the same plane except for the gauge post. Therefore,
I recommend you make attaching the reservoir the last thing you cement together. I find an angle of about 45 degrees is ideal for the gauge post - this allows your hand to
naturally hold it and allows easy viewing of the gauge while refilling.
If a part has threads, do not cement. Instead - wait until after you paint (if you choose to do so) and use the Teflon tape to seal everything.
The last picture is with the optional add on. Everything AFTER the ball valve was not cemented in place. It will not be holding pressure and allows me to change my mind
on what should go there (ie another 2l bottle). If anyone needs a better description, let me know and I'll take the time to go more in detail.
Image Notes
1. These fittings are not pushed in all the way. When you cement everything
together - be srue to push as far as you can while twisting (to prevent leaks).
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
Image Notes
1. These parts are not cemented.
Step 5:Final Assembly, Safety and Firing
When the cement has cured for a few hour you can not attach the sprinkler valve. Be sure to use teflon on the pressurized side.
Keep tightening and make sure you stop when the solenoid is facing downward. This makes a nice little point to grab on and puts the manual bypass switch at your
fingertip.
I currently use a 3' barrel. Honestly, this is too short for loaded projectiles, but it is almost too big for water bottle rockets.
SAFETY
I always pressure test my guns above what their normal operating pressure is. I tend to stay around 60psi and I tested at 90psi. I attach my air line to the filler valve and
place the whole thing in a wooden box. I then slowly bring the pressure up to 90psi and I stay here for about an hour.
FIRING
I purposely leave the teflon tape off of adapter on the barrel side. This allows me to unscrew and make the whole thing easier to transport and load projectiles. I find that
ketchup packets will fit if coaxed in there slowly while twisting. But, don't fire at higher pressures - otherwise the packet rips open inside the barrel and a rectangular foil
wrapper shoots falls about 3 feet away.
Firing water bottle rockets: Fill a 2L (or even a smaller 20oz bottle) a third to halfway full and set it on the ground. Charge the reservoir to your firing pressure. When you
are ready to fire, make sure your firing range is clear and push the barrel into the full length of the bottle.. Pick up the whole cannon/rocket and point upwards. Let
everyone know you are about to fire and pull the trigger.
You will get wet -- I tend to hold it out the side a little bit.
Image Notes
1. This was the first version I made... before painting...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 96 comments
think3000 says: Jul 23, 2011. 6:42 PM REPLY
I built a cannon sort of like this one for launching tennis balls and t-shirts i used an inner tube bike pump adapter attached to my air compressor and i can
shoot them well over 150 yards i wonder if you hooked yours up to an air compressor it might go farther.
crashbash says: Jul 8, 2011. 4:59 PM REPLY
The model I bought looks EXACTLY like this exept for the flush trigger, it doesnt have one, its made by the same manufacturer and its the same model, did
they remove it from the design?
crashbash says: Jul 8, 2011. 12:57 PM REPLY
Is there an adapter from the PVC screw to the 2L bottle screw? Also if you wanted to make this a paintball gun, put a 3 way connector on the part right after
the sprinkler valve, the extra connection facing up, fill a 2L bottle with paintballs and screw in! the paintballs will fall into the chamber to be shot out like a real
paintball gun!
AdmiralNiik says: May 16, 2010. 2:14 AM REPLY
You say you no longer use PVC for safety. What do use now?
atomicturkey27 says: Dec 1, 2008. 1:50 PM REPLY
do you have to use an orbit valve? I have a rainbird that isn't in a cannon yet. will that work too?
toogers says: May 15, 2010. 4:46 PM REPLY
if you are still wondering, yes, it will work.
knex luver123 says: Feb 20, 2010. 4:02 PM REPLY
i luve the hair harry potter
The Lightning Stalker says: Sep 13, 2007. 10:16 PM REPLY
There's this "plastic fusion" paint that might stick really well depending on what kind of plastic the valve is made of. There's something that works even better
than a band saw or friction saw/guitar strings. They make special PVC "scissors" that have extra leverage and a ratcheting mechanism. They're the best
thing to use on smaller diameter pipe. They cut clean and leave no shavings.
nutsandbolts_64 says: Dec 3, 2009. 2:48 AM REPLY
I've seen those "PVC scissors" before, maybe on TV. They're incredibly, but not as much, huge. Should be easy to spot when you need it. Unless you
were in a warehouse it would be lost for sure.
The Lightning Stalker says: Dec 19, 2009. 1:51 PM REPLY
I've never seen one that big. They're usually about the size of tin snips and can cut pipe up to like 1.25".
nutsandbolts_64 says: Dec 3, 2009. 3:04 AM REPLY
How much does this cost? I would like to see something below Php 300.00=6 dollars, because I'm in a tight budget here. Not much spare money for me to
go on.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
raziel47201 says: Nov 21, 2009. 6:16 PM REPLY
Ihave to ask just for curiosity sake if i decided to use copper pipe for this air cannon and a empty fire extenguisher bottle for the reservoir how many psi
would it approximatly hold and would it be safer? because ive known the integrity of pvc and any other kind of plastic to be compremised in colder
temperatures around like 30 degrees farenheit or so.
pirate of doom says: Mar 25, 2009. 7:54 AM REPLY
if the bottle gets scratched...... Hopefully your face wont be ripped up.
trebuchet03 says: Mar 25, 2009. 8:10 AM REPLY
PET tears, it doesn't make shard fragments ;)
Thundertydus says: May 26, 2009. 9:15 PM REPLY
I have a challenge for you! can you make this so that it has a 1 shot capacity, and shoots a huge cloud of flour? Plz ibby it
Charles IV says: Jul 24, 2009. 4:00 AM REPLY
All you have to do is stick some flour down the barrel. That's the beauty of pneumatic air cannons you can shoot anything at the neighbors as
long as it fits in the barrel... and if it doesn't make it bigger ; )
Thundertydus says: Jul 25, 2009. 9:47 PM REPLY
Well, i know that, but i mean, add like a clip or something, that has ejecting shells with compact flour in them or something like that
Charles IV says: Jul 31, 2009. 5:56 PM REPLY
You could try wrapping a piece of paper around an item the same diameter as your barrel then fold over one end, put the flour in, then fold
the other end over. So when you fire it it blows out the paper on each end and shoots the flour.
Thundertydus says: Aug 2, 2009. 10:41 PM REPLY
Didnt think of that, great idea!
foxtrotfire says: May 5, 2009. 2:10 PM REPLY
it will hurt your ears tough (and trying to put about 10 bars on a PET bottle is a BAD idea, trust me>_<)
ilpug says: Jun 18, 2009. 7:57 PM REPLY
oh ye of little intelligecne... thiz is a great design with lots of potential, just why do you insist on using such a wimpy air resevoir??? soda bottles are really
dangerous when they explode, and damage your hearing alot. overpressurize this and you will get holes in u. use five bucks and make a one foot long, 2
inch diameter pvc chamber that you can get up to 120 psi insted of the little 20 psi you have in that bottle. also, why dont u make a differnet desighn to make
it easier to hold? just idle critiszizm...
trebuchet03 says: Jun 18, 2009. 9:01 PM REPLY
just why do you insist on using such a wimpy air resevoir???
Because the math states the reservoir is too big for a reasonable length barrel.
soda bottles are really dangerous when they explode, and damage your hearing alot. overpressurize this and you will get holes in u.
Damage hearing, sure - if it ruptures... "Holes?" Not likely - this is why I pressure any pressurized device I make while filled with water. Luckily,
overpresure for a PET bottle is in excess of 120psi.
use five bucks and make a one foot long, 2 inch diameter pvc chamber that you can get up to 120 psi insted of the little 20 psi you have in that bottle.
That would be about 1/5 the volume and about a quarter of the energy at the pressure's I run... I run at 90 psi max - various resources claim soda bottle
failures ranging from 120-180 psi - and I'm okay with running a 1.33 safety factor with this sort device.
Really, I find 40-60psi the optimal zone for water bottle rockets. More than ~40psi tears ketchup packets before they get out the barrel.
also, why dont u make a differnet desighn to make it easier to hold?
Hey now, don't knock it until you've tried it. It's not only easy to hold, it's intuitive to new people. One hand on the valve solenoid (easy access to the
trigger) and the other on one of the back.
All that said... I published this in mid 2006 - I build the first one in early 2006 and the second one shortly before publishing. Since then, both have fired
literally hundreds of water bottle rockets (and the occasional ketchup packet). It's been highly successful, reliable and aesthetically pleasing. And since
it's got more than just PVC pipe, police officers have either liked it or taken no interest (both good for questionably legal devices).
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
smithn says: Jan 8, 2008. 2:50 PM REPLY
How exactly did you attach the bottle? just glue or some threaded piece? and how exactly does a pvc one fail, is it for safety or it just holds poorly?
milo0is0hot0 says: Mar 21, 2009. 3:42 PM REPLY
yeah it is not funny!!! I was trying to be careful when I pumped up the pressure in a bigger pvc cannon but the gauge I used was broken (I found this out
afterwards) when it blew it does not 'split' or blows it to hundreds of sharp fragments!!! I had several pieces of pvc embedded in my arm and my leg!!!! not
nice!!! I now use steel...because if it blows it will usually split...and the pressure required to break steel is far more than I can easily create!!!
starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 12:42 PM REPLY
It fails by exploding and sending PVC all over the place at very high speeds
Evilthingamabober says: Feb 21, 2009. 8:36 PM REPLY
Then screw this thing, lets make a PIPE BOMB! : :-) :D :>
frankinator says: Jan 20, 2008. 5:01 PM REPLY
how i attched mine was i heated it up and screwed it in and repeated the cycle till it fit a 3/4 inch female fitting
starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 12:41 PM REPLY
Just use an 1 inch female threaded addapter
trebuchet03 says: Jan 8, 2008. 4:11 PM REPLY
A lot a lot of glue ;) PET (soda bottle) and PVC are not compatible and won't solvent weld.... But lather on a lot of glue and it should be fine (just pressure
test to ensure it's a good seal)... For failure.... It breaks into shards - due to it's brittle nature... Throw a bit of pvc under a towel - then smack it with a
hammer until it breaks... That's what failure looks like... Virgin PVC really isn't an issue - it's just as it ages and as it gets dropped, scraped, dinged and
hit that you start tempting failure :/ But if your weld joints are good - it will hold pressure.
Coffee bean says: Jul 20, 2008. 1:08 PM REPLY
but if your using a Pet bottle that will fail first.
baheuwill says: Mar 18, 2009. 8:46 AM REPLY
We can get the ball valve to work with ours but not the sprinkler valve. Too much pressure going through even with 3 9V batteries. Do you have any advice?
trebuchet03 says: Mar 18, 2009. 1:06 PM REPLY
Are those 9V batteries in series, or parallel? How much pressure are we talking about? In another canon of mine, a single 9V battery wouldn't open the
valve when the pressure was above ~50psi - which is plenty enough to launch T-shirts and other such items we were loading. If the valve is oriented the
wrong way - it won't work... Assuming it's a diaphragm type valve.
Deathcapt says: Jan 22, 2009. 6:28 AM REPLY
I was thinking the same thing, it's basically the muzzle loading, musket version of a paint ball gun. You should get one of those battery powered bicycle
pumps and you'd have a much faster reload, maybe if you got a bunch of people with similar weapons, you could play some civil war style Paintball
volquete says: Jan 18, 2009. 3:38 PM REPLY
i am going to make a movie!!! do you think i could attach a rubber hose to the end,fill it with blood(fake blood) and it would shoot the blood out? what kind of
hose? how to attach it?
turkeypig144 says: Nov 21, 2008. 2:49 PM REPLY
I used baking soda and vinegar and its perfect you should try to put a third of a 550 ml bottle of vinegar then put half a cup of baking soda in a towel wrap it
the put it in the bottle then put cap quickly shake and the bottle explodes in like 10 secondes its pretty cool i got vinegar in my eyes it burns .
the mysterious unknow says: Nov 10, 2008. 2:34 PM REPLY
What do you shot out of that?????????????????
bruno13069 says: Nov 6, 2008. 2:51 PM REPLY
Something to keep in mind. Garden hoses and 2-liter bottle have the same threading. A number of times at work I've needed a pressure cap for the hose to
power flush the gap between the curb and the pad under the drive-thru window. Use a hot nail or a leather punch to make a small round hole in the center of
the cap. The smaller the hole, the better the jet pressure. Screw the cap onto the garden hose. You can use the tape to get a better seal, but I've never
needed it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air-Cannon-v3/
starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 12:31 PM REPLY
Where did you get the sprinkler valve?
trebuchet03 says: Oct 15, 2008. 1:06 PM REPLY
Hardware store ;)
starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 3:28 PM REPLY
Thanks
walkerpedia says: Sep 22, 2008. 8:38 PM REPLY
i thought u said that it fired soda bottles???
trebuchet03 says: Sep 22, 2008. 9:21 PM REPLY
Step 5
Firing water bottle rockets: Fill a 2L (or even a smaller 20oz bottle) a third to halfway full and set it on the ground. Charge the reservoir to your firing
pressure. When you are ready to fire, make sure your firing range is clear and push the barrel into the full length of the bottle.. Pick up the whole
cannon/rocket and point upwards. Let everyone know you are about to fire and pull the trigger.
frank26080115 says: Nov 21, 2006. 10:12 PM REPLY
soda bottles are rated to 125 psi at best, but i've known them to burst at 60 psi
i'd say make it replaceable and have chicken wire around it
you don't need the solenoid if you can modify the valve like so
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=305&
Coffee bean says: Jul 20, 2008. 1:12 PM REPLY
well they don't shatter like pvc they split but most likely something else will fail first
trebuchet03 says: Jan 31, 2007. 12:22 AM REPLY
If it bursts at 60psi -- I'd think the bottle was compromised beforehand. I've built three of these so far (one powered by the mentos/cola reaction) and
have hit 90psi many times... As of yet, no signs of fatigue and no failures. That valve modification is great -- overkill for this application, but I have used it
in the past for other applications :) Besides, if I removed the solenoid, I'd loose my comfort grip handle :P
poo bum says: Apr 23, 2007. 12:57 AM REPLY
hey im guna build a paintball gun and i was wondering if the 9oz co2 tanks would work. uhh and i want to know if brass gas valve fittings would fit on the co2
tank. if not do u kno what kind of fittings would work?
frankinator says: Jan 20, 2008. 5:08 PM REPLY
you will ned to get a co2 regulator without one that is exxtttrremly dangerous and a lot of brass pipe isn't rated to 1200psi the running pressuer of most
co2 tanks so use galvanized steel
Coffee bean says: Jul 14, 2007. 10:51 PM REPLY
what i did was take a old spider paintball barrel, tape it up a little and hook it up to a ball valve. but you can't use it for play
ionia-co says: May 22, 2007. 11:12 AM REPLY
Hey why not a back pack of 2 liter bottles?
gnose says: Jun 7, 2007. 6:30 AM REPLY
why not a jerry can?
view all 96 comments