In message <9511211648.ZM512@black.uni.net>, pab@uni.net writes:
>On Nov 21, 8:00am, Warner Losh wrote:
>>
>> I'll ping him today (I need to see him today to see if I can borrow
>> his spud gun for the holidays, but that's another story).
>>
>
>What's a spud gun ?
Potatoe Canon. Basically, a PVC construction with a 1.5" ID barell (this is
small enough to core the bottom-of-the-bag potatoes; with a larger bore,
you'd need quality baking potatoes), beveled muzzle to core the
projectile (a very slight chamfer on the inside diameter, in addition to the
heavy bevel outside gives a better seal and maximum velocities),
4" diameter, 10" long chamber for propelent, removeable end cap
to load the propellent, a spark gap in that end gap to ignite it, and a
magnetic gas barbeque grill ignitor to power the spark gap (we think
we get about 40K volts out of it).
You cut a potatoe in half, and ramrod it down to just in front of the
chamber. Fill the chamber up with Aqua Net hair spray (This stuff
is great! Isobutane, propane, SD alcohol, and all sorts of other
flamable bits), and close it. Aim, and fire.
It launces a potatoe with INCREDIBLE velocity - enough to atomize
if it hits something hard within 50 feet.
Great fun to be had by all - the first time I brought it in to work,
we had all of engineering out in the parking lot playing with it
at lunch.
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