From: griestk@wpi.WPI.EDU (Professional Freak)
Date: 6 Dec 93 08:06:43 GMT
In article <CHH8Cu.4AM@cnsnews.colorado.edu>,
Panther Modern <raymondb@ucsu.Colorado.EDU> wrote:
> I used to have plans for something called an "ice gun" It was a device
>which used dry ice routed through pipes to fire projectiles, the author
>reccomended AA batteries. Anyway, I know that isn't really pyro, but it
>seems to be related.. So if anyone has it, I would appreciate if you could
>post it on here. THanks.
This is AN article on dryice guns, exactly as I got it, so tab damage or
whatnots aren't my problems. I personally haven't had opportunity to play
with this, due to the lack of initiative to go track down some dry ice...
Good luck, though, and be careful...
----------------------------
From: floater@hardy.u.washington.edu (Auston Peddicoat)
Date: 19 Oct 1993 04:04:40 GMT
I found the following file and thought it was interesting enough to try.
Anyone out there ever try somthing like this? If so I would appreciate
some more info (ie: if it works!, modifications, etc). Here it is:
(spelling mistakes aren't mine!)
In the past, many people have experimented with the power generated
by the conversion of dry ice into gaseous carbon dioxide. The most
common use that I have seen is the dry icy ice bomb is easily made by
using a two liter plastic bottle, some hot water and some crushed dry
ice. To make one, one simply puts about a cup and a half of crushed dry
ice into the bottle, adds hot water, caps the bottle and throws it.
These bombs are not a joke, and have been known to blow a metal trash
can fifteen feet into the air, as well as bursting the bottom of the
can. If you make a dry ice bomb, you had best throw it before it
explodes due to the enormous force generxplosion of the bottle. A
friend of mine waited a bit too long on throwing one, and he jammed
three of his fingers badly, got a huge bruise on his left leg, and one
of the plasic fragments was propelled with enough force to puncture his
tennis shoes and cut his foot all to hell. In short, be careful with
these things.
One day in May of 1985, an idea was introduced to me by a friend.
His plan was to control the force of the expanding dry ice and harness
it to a useful end. The r ice gun. In following these plans, please
keep in mind that when dry ice is finished expanding, it can generate
pressures of up to 2400 PSI...for this reason, I recommend that when
arming the gun and when disarming it, you hold all valves OPEN, and that
you wear a pair of protective goggles at all times. I will take no
responsibility for injury that occurs because of the content of this
file, or through the use of this information. This information is
intended for educational purposes ONLY.
Materials needed:
----------------
The materials required will vary for each gun produced because of
the nature of the construction itself and the effect produced by using
different parts. The following parts, however, are necessary for a gun
with moderate power and range:
1- Standard valve. I recommend the kind that is just a lever and
turns 1/4 turn to open or close and has 3/4" connectors.
1- Blow gun (These can be found at auto parts stores... shop
around a little and get one with the highest pressure rating you
can find (probably 150 PSI)). This will be sometimes referred
to as a valve also.
1- Length of hot water PVC piping...this will be used for the
barrel. I recommend that you use 3/4" piping, because that is
the kind that fits paint pellets of the type used in KILLER
best. Note, however, that it is possible to launch anything up
to the size of an egg with plea provided that the barrel is
large enough in diameter.
You will also need various lengths of regular lead or steel piping
(to construct the actual gun), and adapters to get the blow gun to fit
the rest of the gun (blow guns usually have connectors that are 1/4" in
diameter, while the rest of the gun (except the dry ice container)
should be constructed with 3/4" fittings). You will also need an end
cap to go on the end of your dry ice container and probably an elbow
joint.ts: --------------
1- Standard valve (same kind as above, but with a shorter
lever).
1- "T" joint with 3/4" connectors all around.
1- 6 or 7 inch length of 3/4" diameter pipe.
1- 3/4" end cap.
Form-a-gasket and pipe dope
Construction:
------------
Because of the nature of the gun, step-by-step plans are not
possible. However, a diagram of the gun will give you an idea of what
has to be done, and construction tips should prove enough to allow focus
the project.m: -------
trigger (part of the blow gun) standard
adaptor______________ : valve
\ : \
: : :
______________________ : _ ; _____:______
! !\__ __!__________________________________ /! \
! barrel ! __!__!__! ! O ! \
!______________________!/ joint B____________/ : : : I \ \
blow gun_____________/ : : I / \ \
er________/ : I / !_____!<-joint A
adaptor____________________/ / ! !
elbow joint________________________/ /! !
dry ice container_____________________/ ! !
end cap_______________________________ _!_____!_
\!! !!
+-------+
NOTES:
1- The dry ice container can be any size...the one I use is about 6
inches long by 2 inches in diameter. The lare chamber is, the
more shots the gun will fire before reloading is necessary.
2- The elbow joint can be left out...it will only make the gun in
the shape of a straight rod rather than a "traditional" gun
shape.
3- The barrel length can be any length you like, but very long ones
are cumbersome and very short ones don't allow much accuracy. I
recommend a length of about 2 1/2 to 3 feet.
4- All joints except the two mar' should be tightened as much as
possible and sealed by coating the threads with the
form-a-gasket and then putting the two pieces together and
tightening them as much as possible. If you like, you can also
caulk around the finished and tightened joint.
5- The joint marked 'B' should be tight, but DO NOT SEAL IT unless
you do not intend to ever use more than one kind of barrel.
6- The joint marked 'A' should not be sealed with formt like the
others because it is the one that you will be filling the dry
ice into the gun through. To fill the gun with dry ice, detach
the dry ice chamber pipe from the elbow joint. Load the
container with as much crushed dry ice as it will hold. Then,
coat the threads of one of the pieces of the joint with pipe
dope. This will prevent leakage of the carbon dioxide after it
has changed into gaseous form.
7- amber should be about 1 1/2 inches in length for a fairly
powerful gun. The longer the pressure chamber is, the more
powerful the gun. On a gun with a three inch pressure chamber,
we shot a AA battery 500 (yes, hundred) feet across a parking
lot. Such high power, however, is dangerous, and is not
recommended for use in games such as Killer, but rather for
target practice (on INANIMATE objects).
How to operate-----------------------------
Once you have the dry ice gun built and loaded, the first thing you
must do is to open the standard valve and immerse the gun in water.
This is to check for leaks. If any leaks are present, they will show up
as streams of bubbles rising from the gun. If any are found, tighten
the offending joint and put the gun back in the water. When all leaks
are gone (if necessary, take the whole thing apart and rebuild it from
scratch to eliminate leaks, eher end of the pressure chamber), release
the pressure built up so far by closing the standard valve and then
operating the trigger. You should hear a 'woosh' sound, and the gun
should kick slightly. This indicates that all is working properly.
When loading the dry ice gun, it is important to keep both valves OPEN
until the dry ice container is secure, and then close both valves. Even
after you are sure that the gun has no leaks anywhere, it is good to
immerse the dry ice c it is attached to the gun) in water. This warms
the dry ice and causes it to change into gaseous carbon dioxide.
After the dry ice container has been immersed for 5 minutes or so,
remove the gun from the water and dry it off. The gun is now ready to
be fired.
Firing the dry ice gun:
----------------------
This is the simplest step of all. To fire the gun simply place the
projectile (I recommend paint pellets) in the barrel of the gun, open
the standard valve for about a second e it. You should hear a muffled
rush of air as some of the gaseous CO2 is bled into the pressure
chamber. Aim the gun at who/whatever you wish to hit, and squeeze the
trigger. For more power, you can leave the standard valve open and
squeeze the trigger.
Disarming the dry ice gun:
-------------------------
To disarm the gun, open both valves until you can no longer hear
the pressure escaping through the barrel of the gun. Then, unscrew the
dry ice container and place it in cold wa 3 to 4 minutes, or until all
of the remaining dry ice has evaporated. When all of the dry ice is
gone, clean the threads on the dry ice container and elbow joint, and
store the gun in a clean, dry area.
Suggested modifcations:
----------------------
The only really nice modification that I've discovered is to
replace the pressure chamber pipe with a "T" joint and valve so as to
make a gun with long, medium, and short range capability. To do this,
construct the pressure chamberhe gun like this:
___adaptor I
: ______________________________________ ________I___
_____ _ :/! ! I
___#__!o!/ ! ! I
! ! ! I
! ! "T" joint ! O
________! ! !
: \ ! !
: \!_____ _____________!____________
: ! ! ^
: !_____________! !
:__blow gun !______O______!<-standard standard
! I ! valve #2 valve #1
! I !
! I !<-short length
_!______I______!_ of piping
!! !!
+---------------+
end cap___
What this does is make a pressure chamber with a variable length.
The following chart shows the combinations in which the valves may be
used to create different ranges.
RANGE ! INSTRUCTIONS
--------+--------------------------------------------------------
short ! Open valve number 1, hold it open for about a second,
! close it, and then open valve #2.
--------+--------------------------------------------------------
medium ! Open valve number 1 for about a second and close ite valve #2 closed.
--------+--------------------------------------------------------
long ! Open valve #2 before opening valve #1. Open valve #1
! for about a second, then close it.
--------+--------------------------------------------------------
The trigger can be squeezed at any time following any of the above
procedures. Have fun!
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