The potato gun satisfies an appetite for destruction

The potato gun satisfies an appetite for destruction

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The Washington Post has an epic article about the art and lore of the venerable spun gun, our own William Gurstelle is quoted too! … – “Payne and his neighbor, Dave Anders, embarked on their particular adventure armed with Wal-Mart bags stuffed with $97.09 worth of PVC pipe, sparking flint, ammunition, targets, beer and hair spray. They would labor through the night, shaping these humble materials. It was a ritual as old as that of the early inhabitants of North America when they flaked humble rock into the Clovis points that became the spears with which they would conquer the wilderness. Rob and Dave built a spudgun.” Thanks Daniel! – Link.

Pictured here, our spun gun from MAKE 03…

Related:
DIY Spud gun remix… – Link.
HOW TO make Advanced Spud Guns – Link.
$25 Potato canon – Link.

From the pages of MAKE
The Night Lighter – Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered, high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. MAKE 03 – Page 108.

6 thoughts on “The potato gun satisfies an appetite for destruction

  1. TheEggplant says:

    I have some videos posted on blip.tv from a college event. It was a physics student picnic, and one of the professors brought out the “grapefruit launcher” and talked about how it worked and launched grapefruits.

    Part 1 Before Launch
    Part 2, After Launch

  2. tms10000 says:

    What’s the obsession with potato guns? You’re gonna take somebody’s eye out!

  3. MadScott says:

    Wear eye protection! Ask any ER worker.

    cf. “Potato Gun ocular Injury” Barker-Griffith, A.E. et al. Ophthalmology. 1998 Mar;105(3):535-8.

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