More Tinkering

Chapter 18 Flip-flop Air Gun

Make compressed air shoot stuff safely.

In this age of mass shootings, the last thing I think we need is more weaponry. That said, you can learn a heck of a lot from making this little beauty, and nobody will get hurt either. It’s powered by compressed air and comes from a long tradition of artillery generally termed “spud guns.” That’s because they usually shoot sections of potato. Instead, we’ll shoot sections of old flip-flops and paper rockets.

I have seen three types of spud gun: explosive, plunger, and air pump. The explosive one requires spraying highly flammable liquid into a chamber, closing it, and ...