Building a Custom Valve Air Cannon for ~$50

[MrPapergunner]

can it shoot paintballs?

[13rbridge]

u can also make the piston out of hot glue

[nerf986]

you should use pvc-u pipe because its cheap and you only have 2 use pvc-u solvent weld

[TheSpetznazi]

Does this work for FUS RO DAH?

[FourthWallAirsoft]

do you have a full list of what is needed?

[versatilechicken]

please reply. how does the air get into the chamber surrounfing the barrel?

[tchomiak1096]

a couple questions, would this work if you put a reducer farther up on the barrel from 1 to a little more 2 inches so the cannon could shoot tennis balls? and would the sock being wet interfere with the cannon's performance?

[corydaniel1997]

Would this work with a bike pump and where did u get the rubber thing what store and isle

[ninjashofner98]

could you send me the diagram? if you have it

[bauerds]

About how much room does your piston have to move back and fourth when the cannon fires?

[Nighthawkinlight]

@bauerds About 3/4".

[bauerds]

@Nighthawkinlight Thanks! i love the design. I'm thinking about making a portable version and running it off a hpa paintball tank and regulator. One ball valve will fill the chamber from the tank to the desired pressure set by the reg and the other will be for firing like yours.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@bauerds Sounds good. Be sure you do not fire it enough times in a row for the CO2 to cool the PVC. It becomes very brittle when it's cold.

[bauerds]

@Nighthawkinlight actually Im using compressed air. CO2 and PVC scares me, haha.

[ExplodingGrandma]

Where can i buy a schrader valve like that?

[Nighthawkinlight]

@ExplodingGrandma I'm sure you could find something if you looked up brass schrader valve on google.

[DDSproductions08]

@Nighthawkinlight I got mine from an auto parts store, works fine with enough teflon tape

[nooneknowsmefromcc]

hey could you send me a parts list with the sizes so i can shoot tennis balls and mini nerf footballs? thanks very much

[scott91372]

This is like one I made years ago . I used 4' 4" pvc and 6' 2" pvc, 3"rubber quick cap as my valve. At the valve end I cross drilled with a 1/4" 20 threaded rod and sealed the threads to hold the 2" barrel. Great Video.

[cloudcally]

i built mine from kipkay for about $60

[xH0LLIDAYx]

Could you please make a list of exact pieces of PVC you used and possibly scale the sizes to a 2 inch barrel. Thanks

[jason022593]

Dude, you kinda sound like Kipkay.

[GamerSwag]

can you incorporate a spring piston type mechanism into a cannon?

[2MCHNV]

havent seen a system like this before thats some great engineering nice work!!

[smeagle9999]

why so complicated? does it work better?

[smeagle9999]

my head imploded then exploded and now im ok

[KSCPERFECT]

Is the piston an airtight fit or does it have room on the sides of it.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@KSCPERFECT It is a close fit, but it is not airtight.

[KSCPERFECT]

@Nighthawkinlight How does air get past it then and into the resivor??

[cloudcally]

@KSCPERFECT you have to glue it with pvc cement and primer

[KSCPERFECT]

In your drawing how does the high pressure get past the piston since it is an airtight fit.

[Shar4ie]

@sidthekid13 Hey, I was looking for the same thing. I found them at Ace hardware under "Tank Valve" or something like that. they are about $3. Good Luck.

[micmivf]

how does preasure build up near the front around the barrel

[Shar4ie]

@micmivf The air leaks around the piston, because there is not a seal between the outer pipe and the piston.

[werewolf7789]

could 3in dia sced 40 pvc pipe handle 150 psi safley

[pumaman4eva]

now my question is, would it be better to sub that ball valve with a sprinkler valve?

[ban0003]

on the paper you wote vacume in the barrel? you dont need one, aslo it says that a vacume suck the piston back but its really pressure difrental

[Nighthawkinlight]

@ban0003 Vacuum is relative to pressure differential. A low pressure area is a vacuum to a high pressure area.

[mattrob72]

OK, very important: Schedule 40 represents a dimensional specification, not a pressure rating or material strength. Technically speaking, pipe made from styrofoam can be marked Schedule 40. There are a bunch of fittings in this video that are not pressure rated and not safe to use.

Pressure rated pipe and fittings are marked clearly with their pressure rating or pressure specification. Check the wiki on PVC pipe for some acceptable ratings.

Align your barrel before welding to avoid stress.

[RM85RID3R]

so its a very complecs spud gun still pretty sic though

[MrOutsideguy]

Very nice and easy to build cannon thanks for the vid!!

[SpankeyMe95]

where do you live in michigan

[Nighthawkinlight]

@SpankeyMe95 Central. I won't get much more specific that that.

[Robbieburnett1]

that is so cool im guna make

 it

[THESCHILLDOG]

@sidthekid13 more like apple stem

[coolerthanu2393]

how do you know when to stop pressurizing it?

[zakamooza]

toooooo long vid

[Nighthawkinlight]

@sidthekid13 Sorry for the delay. You might have to look for it online. Look for a brass 'schrader valve'.

[ChristyTV]

You are a genius!

[deh7335]

Wow vacume. Good ideas. Bad spelling.

[cubsfreak13]

@Nighthawkinlight Would it be possible for you to provide a complete parts list for me to use when I go to the store? I could keep looking over the video, but I'm afraid I will miss a part or two. If you could, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@cubsfreak13 I would have to go through the video and count everything same as you. I should have written everything down back when I made it, but I didn't. Now my drawings are lost.

[farmboyEN]

Would a 1 1/4" inch barrel instead of a 1" barrel be a terrible idea?

[Nighthawkinlight]

@farmboyEN You would likely need to use a larger chamber than 2".

[MusicIsTheVeryBest]

How does the high pressure come in those 2 place ??

Doesn't the piston seal those place off ??

[Nighthawkinlight]

@MusicIsTheVeryBest The piston is made to leak slightly.

[classclownof2015]

Hey mate I'm going to build a air gun but I want to get the most bang for 50 buck so do you think this is the best possible gun btw it's either this or the double chambered one plz reply soon thanks

[mcbrimi]

if you write >$50 it means that X>$50. (x representing the amount you spend). is then more that 50 dollars. so yes i dont know if this was your intention however i dont think it is. so just that you know :)

[oldman32123]

would it make much of a difference if you didn't have the valve. just released the air directly form the air chamber into the barrel.

[Nighthawkinlight]

@oldman32123 The cannon will still function fine, but be less powerful that one with a high quality piston valve.

[oldman32123]

@Nighthawkinlight i was just going to make a mini one to shoot marbles.

[parker5013]

im working on a piston cannon now that is a really close design to this one but mine has a 4" chamber and a 2.5" barrell for tennis balls my piston is made of two plywoood circles with a small length of 3" pipe in the middle but it has o rings around it and it has a check valve inside the piston so u dont lose any air in the chamber when u fire it

[Nighthawkinlight]

@parker5013 I would like to see it when you're done, it sounds like a very nice cannon.

[Makeshiftweapons2XL]

Check out the mr red rooster for other ideas

[rangersmustang]

Where did you get the rubber seal?

[Nighthawkinlight]

@rangersmustang It's simply a rubber washer available at most hardware stores.

[sooperdude1992]

@rangersmustang use a cistern outlet washer.. theyre the best, nice n soft

[harlostatus]

where can i get a schrader valve thats threaded like that, and about how much do they cost? all i can find is ones for bikes with rubber sealed around them to glue on to inner tubes

[Nighthawkinlight]

@harlostatus Try ebay. I found it at a local hardware store for a few bucks. They're around, but you may have to look several places.

[harlostatus]

@Nighthawkinlight i checked out 2 hardware stores and an auto store. all i can find ore snap in low pressure valves. as far as ebay goes, i cant tell from the pics of each item which ones will work. do u think if u have a spare minute you could send me the link to the right kind on ebay? it would be insanely helpful

[Nighthawkinlight]

@harlostatus Message sent

[yumyum1100]

ok what you said is to complecated

[SuperCheezball]

@jamesbakerandfriends

I dont understand why you are calling his designs pathetic. It would be great to see if you could come up with anything better but if you even could have been stuffed to go watch the low pressure test with the same cannon you could see that its pretty impressive.

[jamesbakerandfreind]

LOL,, thats fucking pathetic,,,,,, what a fucking loser

[Nighthawkinlight]

Lol at troll. I'm sorry you have so little to entertain you.

[Nighthawkinlight]

I should have back when I made the video. I no longer have the drawings. Just watch the video and write the parts down as you go. Having the understanding of what each part is used for is much more valuable than a list anyhow.

[talkbeer]

I would like to know how to connect a compressor to the air chamber. I've seen lots of videos about building air guns/ cannons but none of them show exactly how the compressor is connected to the gun. Please help!

[Nighthawkinlight]

I use a schrader valve. The chamber is filled with the same fitting as a tire. Some people have used a quick attach fitting for a compressor hose and screwed it right into the chamber.

[talkbeer]

@Nighthawkinlight: I have no idea about all these valves. It's the first time I've come in contact with any of these fittings... I need to build an air-spraying network, for which I need a chamber to store compressed air, and some way to connect a compressor to this chamber so that I can store the air for later use. I have access to three compressors (4 bar, 7.5 bar, and 12 bar) with tube diameters 10mm, 15mm and 22mm. I need an airtight connection between the compressor tube and my air chamber.

[Nighthawkinlight]

That's a fairly simple task. If you go into any half decent hardware store and explain what you need to do they should be able to get you what you need with no problems. They make portable air canisters just for that sort of thing. Anywhere between 3 and 90 gallons are typically available.

In this case, making your own would not be a good idea. PVC is not meant to hold air pressure in the first place, it could not stand up to the rigors of commercial use.

[talkbeer]

@Nighthawkinlight: Thank you, that gives me a direction!

[elliotmotoX]

vacuum not vacume :)

[codmetoo]

50 dollars i made mine for 15 dollars

[m8430]

Why over complicate something so easy to make????

[robotpredator8]

thanks

[robotpredator8]

hey can u try making a smaller 1 with the same force as that cannon?

[Nighthawkinlight]

This is already quite a small cannon, but yes, it can be done.

[filmaddict23]

Where did you buy the schrader valve?

[Nighthawkinlight]

At a local hardware store. If you cannot find a nice brass one like I did at a store it may be replaced by a common rubber one. Or a brass valve may be bought online.

[wxb200]

Vacume? Vacuum...

[axs307]

i WOULD LIKE TO ADD A PRESSURE GAUGE TO YOUR DESIGN,NOT SURE WHERE TO PLACE IT THOUGH..

[Nighthawkinlight]

You have two choices. You could add it on the opposite side of the coupling from the fill valve, showing you the pressure of the rear chamber, the highest pressure in the gun during filling - Or in front of the piston through the wall of the male adapter, showing you the front chambers pressure, the pressure the projectile will be fired at. Wherever you decide to place a gauge, make the hole through a fitting as well as the pipe itself. The double thick wall will help maintain chamber integrity.

[axs307]

Thank you for the info..One other thing could I make around the piston air tight,drill a hole in it and use a one way valve...Just a thought I had...s air goes into the front chamber through the valve...p.s your design is awesome...

[Nighthawkinlight]

What you describe is the ideal piston. That will work nicely. The simplest way to make a one way valve is to drill the hole so that the edge of the rubber gasket that seals the barrel covers it. When you fill the chamber the edge of the gasket is pushed up allowing air to pass, but when the dump valve is opened the negative pressure behind the piston pulls the gasket against the hole sealing it.

[axs307]

One other thing could a spring be used behind the piston to help cushion the force (a lite tension spring) of the piston hitting the back of the cannon.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Yes. That is what I use the sock for on my piston. A spring or rubber bumper will also do nicely.

[Nighthawkinlight]

The piston likely needs to be a tighter fit. A wider washer on the front end might be enough to seal around the piston as the air pressure drops behind it. Ideally, as little air as possible should be able to pass by. If too much air can move around the piston, the area behind will never be allowed to drop to a pressure low enough to open the vacuum seal on the barrel. Even if the piston does not slide as easily, a good fit is more important. It should only have a small leak to fill the chamber.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Unless you have very extensive experience working with PVC, 50 psi is all I would recommend. I go much higher because I am confident in my ability to glue fittings and the like.

I have thought about adding an air gauge, but I designed this cannon to be inexpensive. It is simple enough to regulate pressure at the compressor. Many of my other cannons have pressure gauges.

I thought I had mentioned in the video to let the glue fully cure before pressurizing. I meant to anyhow.

[playloudnproud]

how fast does yours shoot? The one that my friend and i built shoots about 600-700 mph.

[Nighthawkinlight]

I have not clocked it.

[vwrFEW]

with pvc i highly doubt that thats over 1000 fps. its possible but i realy think you are lying

[playloudnproud]

what are you talking about?

[prefermetal]

Thanks Nighthawkinlight.

That's cleared it up nicely.

Again - a great project with a lot of work to convey to other constructors.

D

[Nighthawkinlight]

Your welcome, and thank you.

[prefermetal]

Thanks for your prompt reply Nighthawkinlight.

I still have problems with this though.

The end cap fits and runs in 2 inch pipe yes? The 1.25 inch end cap inside 2 inch pipe was very sloppy with a lot of room. The 1.5 inch is a lot better fit in the 2" pipe with about 1/8 inch space.

With a gasket on ( where from?) the end cap seals the barrel end which is 1 inch tube, yes?

1.25" is the inside diameter of the pipe that the cap is meant to fit over.

I don't follow the sentence above.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Then perhaps I remember incorrectly the cap size. If the 1.5" cap fits inside the 2" pipe, use it. You want as close a fit as possible.

The rubber washer was bought at a hardware store among the nuts, bolts, gaskets and other things. And yes, the rubber washer is mounted on the front of the piston and seals against the 1" barrel when the gun is pressurized.

Sorry I did not answer all you asked the first time. I was trying to fit everything into one comment and forgot about the washer.

[prefermetal]

chinnerz2

Are you sure the piston end is 1.25?

It sure seems to need a 1.5.

Also can you give an idea of the unknowns like the barrel and the chamber lengths and other shorter pipes?

Is the rubber gasket bought or made- Where from?

Looks a very nice project. You have obviouly put a lot into your presentation.

[Nighthawkinlight]

The piston is a 1.25" end cap. 1.25" is the inside diameter of the pipe that the cap is meant to fit over. Therefore the outer diameter of the cap itself is much larger.

Barrel and chamber lengths are not crucial, so long as the barrel extends a few inches out of the back of the chamber. My chamber is ~2.5', barrel ~4'. The piston slide is ~4" long. The piston must have enough room to move 1/2 the dia. of the barrel away from it, but no more than the full ID. So 1/2" min. for this gun, 1" max.

[Nighthawkinlight]

Thanks for your comment. Feel free to ask more questions of desired.

[gizmoguyar]

what store did you get the 1.25 end cap at ? I can't find 1.25 inch pvc.

[Nighthawkinlight]

I don't remember. Look around. Most places are not stocked as well as they should be with plumbing supplies.

[spinafire]

Thanks! I have 5 guns right now, but no piston valve cannon. This is really helpful!

[Danjh123]

I just finished building one of these and it has serious power !

[jordanw2013]

Why make it so complicated? there are alot easier ways to doing this and work better

[chinnerz2]

Yes there are easier ways, but no, no they dont. This type of valve has the quickest exhaust of any rifle which you can build at your house. A quicker exhaust results in a higher amount of pressure hitting the projectile a lot quicker, which ultimately results in higher velocity. The second thing about this type of valve is that it can be controlled with a smaller ball valve or even a blowgun, this is important because it causes the gun to jerk less when fired, improving accuracy

[gizmoguyar]

the air in this design has to change directions as it expands into the barrel.

there are numerous other ways to make the piston valve have less drag and turbulance. just look at a few of the other potato guns on youtube.

out of all of them this would be my last choice.

[chinnerz2]

yes but you see i was talkin about piston valve guns in general, in contrast to your standard ball valve airgun.

[lemmonsinmyeyes]

@jordanw2013 complexity = fun

[Shar4ie]

@jordanw2013 Yes, There are easier ways of doing it, but they are not as efficient. The Pressure valve works way faster than a ball valve and still faster than a sprinkler valve. So, with his design he gets more compressed air pushing faster. So the projectile has more air behind it before it leaves the barrel. With a ball valve, not all the air has escaped when the projectile has already left the barrel. With his design a canon will get a lot more power than any regular valve.

[Brd1515]

abs better?

[Nighthawkinlight]

No. It is to weak.

[jalolwtf]

damn pvc is cheap there, here i pay 5 bucks for a meter of 1 inch pipe

[sausage1254]

but make sure its sch40 in america or where im from the pressue rating is pn12

[grappler321]

can a bike pump be used to power this ??

[Nighthawkinlight]

Yes, but it will take several fast pumps to start with to seal the piston against the barrel.

[cambigfoot88]

yup

[Forsakenarchangel24]

what about sch80 PVC?

[Nighthawkinlight]

That would work well, but you must find a piston that will fit in the smaller internal diameter.

[chinnerz2]

you may be able to form your own piston out of materials like epoxi, this will result in greater flexibility in sizes of pipes.

[Aresftfun]

I suck at drawing

[HaydenPK]

you spelt vacuum wrong

[TheScaffoldgod]

ty so much for the help a 3 inch end cap with the bumper and the rubber added to it i would think plus the piston could be abs ? and would the tight fit affect performance of pison ty again for the help

[Nighthawkinlight]

The end cap is the piston you understand right? I imagine a 3" ABS end cap might be hard to find. PVC would be much more likely. The piston should slide fairly easily, so long as it is not tight enough to get stuck it should be fine.

[TheScaffoldgod]

well im using scd 80 pipes 4 inch camber 2 inch barrel and all the reducers to match basically a end cap a with scdre valve and quick realse on the end of cap the camber with reducer and the barrel ive trived so man i basically need to know what u did for the piston design for the orgianl drawing in your video thanks for the help

[Nighthawkinlight]

I did not actually build an actual working model of that cannon, I simply made the drawing to explain function. I would suggest a 3" end cap as a piston. If it will fit in sch 80, it could be a tight fit.

[TheScaffoldgod]

could u show your piston design for the orgianal drawing u show in the beging of the video please

[Nighthawkinlight]

With literal materials you mean? It would perhaps be made from a machined piece of HDPE rod made to fit in a in a PVC chamber.

[hippoman357]

im looking to use an air cannon for video effects, would this design launch a half pound of loose dirt/dust into a decent cloud?

[Nighthawkinlight]

Yes it would...But you would certainly want to use wadding of some kind or another to keep the dirt from falling back into the valve. You may also want to check out my video 'DIY Explosion FX (How to Make and Use a Creamora)". That will show an easier way to accomplish what you are looking for. Though It is no good to use in a dry area because of the fire hazard.

[lc2dae]

vacume is spelled vacuum

[lc2dae]

co2 compressor?

[marbeja2000]

does it work permanently ? any experience?

[Nighthawkinlight]

Nothing is absolutely permanent, but the design yields a solid cannon. The rubber barrel seal may need replacement every once in a while, or it may survive for years if it never sees high pressures. Either way, that is an easy fix and all that is ever likely to go wrong.

[Gian12ga]

hey where can i find a schrader valve? im having trouble thats all i need too

[Nighthawkinlight]

Most any hardware store or even a place like walmart should have a rubber one that will work fine. They look different and are meant to be installed from the inside. They may be labeled as a tire stem. It takes a bit more looking to find a nice brass one like I did. Check the air compressor area in a large hardware store.

[gb56football]

could u post text with the list of the supplies you need

[Nighthawkinlight]

I'll work on it. I'll need to dig up my papers from making this cannon.

[gb56football]

thanks

[thepyrokid288]

nice gun, well done - i have made a few airguns myself (they are on my channel) but they have only been the simple ball valve kind. i am currently in the process of making a more complex one and yor instructions have really helped. thanks!

[davidworld2k6]

very good this is the time ive seen this design with the chamber an the barrel as one well sort of .nice

[NAUTLIS571]

Nice design. The piston could be a pretty decent ammo for a bigger bored cannon, even thought the pvc is brittle.

[2s7a2m7]

can i put a washer bent to fit the inside bend of that coupling and a nut on the inner side of the intake valve? just to make sure it doesn't bust out?

[Nighthawkinlight]

Yes, if you have enough threads coming through. It is not really necessary though. Even at 100+ psi, the surface area of one of those valves would only have maybe 15 pounds of pressure acting upon it. If the threads dig into the PVC even a little, it should easily hold. I would never tell anyone not to take a precaution they felt was needed however. Always best to be safe.

[2s7a2m7]

Cool thanks I'm looking forward to building one :)

[darthjeff3]

so all the air comes out more at one time than another valve so it shoots harder?

[Nighthawkinlight]

That's right

[walikai]

how does air pressurize in the chamber? if you are only adding air on one side of the piston.

[Nighthawkinlight]

The piston does not have a perfect seal with the chamber walls.

[walikai]

ah, I see, thx

[darthjeff3]

it leaks around the piston into the chamber

[maxpower14843]

last comment sorry for so many but what lengths did you use for the barrel and chamber

[Nighthawkinlight]

I should have measured it for the video but I did not. It is not important. For this size barrel and chamber it would be about right to have the barrel be just under 2x as long as the usable chamber. By that I mean the chamber in front of the piston.

[maxpower14843]

can you scale this up?

[Nighthawkinlight]

Certainly. So long as you can find something suitable to act as a piston.

[Taydrum]

the chamber doesnt have to be a vacuum but just a lower pressure than the high pressure

[Nighthawkinlight]

Of course I mean a vacuum compared to the chamber pressure, it still would be above or at the standard atmospheric pressure.

[Taydrum]

ahh i see

[CrownPressProduction]

you spelt vacum wrong

[Jamailer]

YOU spelled vacuum wrong, dumbass.