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Author: trebuchet03 author's websiteI'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 omnipotentRobot.

eMail: trebuchet03 ~[at]~ gmail.com

Intro: Air Cannon v3A pneumatic cannon for launching plastic soda bottles.... or ketchup packets. Almost all parts can be obtained from home depot and probably any local hardware storewith 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 footpump) 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 itdoes 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 haveserved as a reservoir very well.

Image Notes1. 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 ListAll parts are 0.5" unless specified

1 2l bottle of soda - minus the soda and washed out1 .75" sprinkler valve with manual switch1 45 elbow2 female/male 90 elbow1 female/threaded adapter1 end cap1 .5" thread-> .25" threaded bushing (mine is galvanized)3 1.5" long pieces of pipe2 2-2.5" long pieces of pipe2 .5" female - .75" threaded adapter1 4 wayfitting1 Tire Stem with schrader valve (walmart or autoparts store) - home depot did not have this itemPVC cementTeflon Tape1 male threaded cap OR 1 gauge (might be listed as manometer)

Optional Add on (for bypass and a later project)3 more 1.5" tubes1 ball valve1 45 elbow1 3 way Tee

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Image Notes1. holy veins! This is what happens when you don't weigh a whole lot (or when youget older)...2. Cutty PVC is quite messy :P3. She fits! Barely...

Step 4: Fitting it all togetherHopefully 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 tonaturally 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 mindon 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 everythingtogether - be srue to push as far as you can while twisting (to prevent leaks).

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Image Notes1. These parts are not cemented.

Step 5: Final Assembly, Safety and FiringWhen 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.

SAFETYI 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 andplace the whole thing in a wooden box. I then slowly bring the pressure up to 90psi and I stay here for about an hour.

FIRINGI 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 thatketchup 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 foilwrapper 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 youare 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. Leteveryone know you are about to fire and pull the trigger.

You will get wet -- I tend to hold it out the side a l ittle bit.

Image Notes1. This was the first version I made... before painting...

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 96 comment

think3000 says: Jul 23, 2011. 6:42 PM REPI 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 canshoot 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 REPThe 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, didthey remove it from the design?

crashbash says: Jul 8, 2011. 12:57 PM REPIs 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 afterthe 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 realpaintball gun!

AdmiralNiik says: May 16, 2010. 2:14 AM REP You say you no longer use PVC for safety. What do use now?

atomicturkey27 says: Dec 1, 2008. 1:50 PM REPdo 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 REP

if you are still wondering, yes, it will work.

knex luver123 says: Feb 20, 2010. 4:02 PM REPi luve the hair harry potter

The Lightning Stalker says: Sep 13, 2007. 10:16 PM REPThere'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 betterthan a band saw or friction saw/guitar strings. They make special PVC "scissors" that have extra leverage and a ratcheting mechanism. They're the bestthing to use on smaller diameter pipe. They cut clean and leave no shavings.

nutsandbolts_64 says: Dec 3, 2009. 2:48 AM REP 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 REPI'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 REPHow 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 togo on.

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raziel47201 says: Nov 21, 2009. 6:16 PM REPI have 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 psiwould 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 coldertemperatures around like 30 degrees farenheit or so.

pirate of doom says: Mar 25, 2009. 7:54 AM REPif the bottle gets scratched...... Hopefully your face wont be ripped up.

trebuchet03 says: Mar 25, 2009. 8:10 AM REPPET tears, it doesn't make shard fragments ;)

Thundertydus says: May 26, 2009. 9:15 PM REPI 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 REPAll 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 aslong as it fits in the barrel... and if it doesn't make it bigger ; )

Thundertydus says: Jul 25, 2009. 9:47 PM REPWell, 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 REPYou 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 foldthe 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 REPDidnt think of that, great idea!

foxtrotfire says: May 5, 2009. 2:10 PM REPit 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 REPoh 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 reallydangerous 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, 2inch 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 makeit easier to hold? just idle critiszizm...

trebuchet03 says: Jun 18, 2009. 9:01 PM REPust 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 bottlefailures 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 thetrigger) 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 firedliterally hundreds of water bottle rockets (and the occasional ketchup packet). It's been highly successful, reliable and aesthetically pleasing. And sinceit's got more than just PVC pipe, police officers have either liked it or taken no interest (both good for questionably legal devices).

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smithn says: Jan 8, 2008. 2:50 PM REPHow 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 REPyeah 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 outafterwards) 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!!!! notnice!!! 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 REPIt fails by exploding and sending PVC all over the place at very high speeds

Evilthingamabober says: Feb 21, 2009. 8:36 PM REPThen screw this thing, lets make a PIPE BOMB! : :-) :D :> ☺

frankinator says: Jan 20, 2008. 5:01 PM REPhow 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 REPJust use an 1 inch female threaded addapter

trebuchet03 says: Jan 8, 2008. 4:11 PM REPA 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 pressuretest 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 ahammer 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 andhit 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 REPbut if your using a Pet bottle that will fail first.

baheuwill says: Mar 18, 2009. 8:46 AM REPWe 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 REPAre 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 thevalve 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 thewrong way - it won't work... Assuming it's a diaphragm type valve.

Deathcapt says: Jan 22, 2009. 6:28 AM REPI 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 bicyclepumps 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 REPi 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 ofhose? how to attach it?

turkeypig144 says: Nov 21, 2008. 2:49 PM REP

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 itthe 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 REPWhat do you shot out of that?????????????????

bruno13069 says: Nov 6, 2008. 2:51 PM REPSomething 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 topower 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 ofthe 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 neverneeded it.

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starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 12:31 PM REPWhere did you get the sprinkler valve?

trebuchet03 says: Oct 15, 2008. 1:06 PM REPHardware store ;)

starwing123 says: Oct 15, 2008. 3:28 PM REPThanks

walkerpedia says: Sep 22, 2008. 8:38 PM REPi thought u said that it fired soda bottles???

trebuchet03 says: Sep 22, 2008. 9:21 PM REPStep 5Firing 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 REPsoda bottles are rated to 125 psi at best, but i've known them to burst at 60 psii'd say make it replaceable and have chicken wire around it

you don't need the solenoid if you can modify the valve like sohttp://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=305&

Coffee bean says: Jul 20, 2008. 1:12 PM REPwell they don't shatter like pvc they split but most likely something else will fail first

trebuchet03 says: Jan 31, 2007. 12:22 AM REPIf 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) andhave 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 itin 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 REPhey 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 REPyou 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 mostco2 tanks so use galvanized steel

Coffee bean says: Jul 14, 2007. 10:51 PM REPwhat 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 REPHey why not a back pack of 2 liter bottles?

gnose says: Jun 7, 2007. 6:30 AM REPwhy not a jerry can?

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