Got Valves?

[Zero]

I don't know how much this forum caters to the spudgunning crowd, but if these work the way I think they do you can make some serious artillery with one of these:

<a href="http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/Category/NTE_LLCATDSP.d2w/report?cgrfnbr=1503&PHOTOS=on&prlngth=201301.0000" target="_blank">http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/Category/NTE_LLCATDSP.d2w/report?cgrfnbr=1503&PHOTOS=on&prlngth=201301.0000</a>

4500 PSI solenoid valves, kids. I've seen what a regular old Rainbird valve at 100 PSI can do to a car. I'm picturing big things involving lathed metal rounds and scuba tanks, here...

~Zero the Inestimable

[mark]

Hey zero! Good to see you here. They do like spudguns hear, ecept they prefer them in the Improvised Weapons section.

[Zero]

I figured it wasn't a weapon per-se (or a weapon yet), so in the general nature of "chemical and material aquisition" I put it here. Feel free to move it as needed, of course.

~Zero the Inestimable

[Anthony]

No mention of flow rates or fitting sizes, although I presume DO3 and DO5 is some kind of standarised size.

Are these valves hydraulic, or intended for gases? If they're hydraulic then apparently they will leak with gas.

[nbk2000]

I've got some info for my PDF on air-powered mortars and howitzers used by the military for training purposes. The 80mm mortar can shot a mortar projectile to a kilometer. These things ROCK!

[Arkangel]

Check out the link from Sparky in the "my new spudgun" thread. It's an interesting site, especially the part where he describes a "cannister round" for a paintballing. Combine that with the pepperball round and you've got a very interesting crowd control weapon.

In particular, look at this link

<a href="http://www.corin.com/bill/paintball/aircannon/" target="_blank">http://www.corin.com/bill/paintball/aircannon/</a>

In the Q&A section there's a question about how big can a spudgun can be? Apparently, the California Department of Transportation uses a big fuck off spudgun called an Avalauncher. They use them to bust up dangerous snow formations. (Don't bother with the now dead link to the Discovery channel) There is also something called the LoCat system that has a longer barrel and high operating pressures that can chuck a projectile FIVE kilometres! :D

[Zero]

In southern delaware there's an obscure little contest called the Pumpkin Chunkin fesitval. People build some pretty amazing air cannons there, all of them with bores large enough to fire pumpkins that are larger than basketballs. I've talked to someone who built a bowling ball cannon once, too. He says under the right conditions they can get just over a mile with it. Now that's scary.

What I do notice is that the page makes no mention of how big these valves are, nor how much they weigh. If they're hydraulic valves they're probably designed to be mounted to some piece of heavy machinery and not for being carried around. I'll have to look into that as well.

~Zero the Inestimable

[Bignutsami]

There is a website devoted to that contest somewhere, cant find it now but.

The guns used to launch the pumpkins were massive, as in the "pressure chamber" the size of a semi-trailer and the barrel 4 times as long.

The valves arent that expensive, so probably not that big, but I would think flow rate and voltage would be the limiting factor with those valves.

Suppose everyone saw the pumpkin gun on junkyard wars, those bastards were pretty smart.

[RTC]

It say's on the page what there for, there for oil.

[Anthony]

It's got shipping weights - 3 to 13lb

[BoB-]

I love the Punkin Chunkin contest, the 2000 winner was "Old Glory" with 4,085 feet, this is with an 8-10lb. pumpkin. I'm sure it could launch more aerodynamic projectiles a much longer distance. Heres some of Punkin Chunkins many sites;

<a href="http://www.atbeach.com/punkinchunkin/" target="_blank">http://www.atbeach.com/punkinchunkin/</a> (I think this one is official)

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/8558/" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/8558/</a>

<a href="http://www.norwellma.com/pumpkin.htm" target="_blank">http://www.norwellma.com/pumpkin.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.onager.net/frmst7.htm" target="_blank">http://www.onager.net/frmst7.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/question502.htm" target="_blank">http://www.howstuffworks.com/question502.htm</a> -This one is really cool, its a "how stuff works" article on punkin chunkin.

[Zero]

GPM ratings are listed for liquids, but who knows what that will be for air. I suppose it could be calculated but I can't think of how at the moment.

Yes, ever since that episode of Junkyard Wars I've been looking for a butterfly valve like that. I wonder how much one of those will cost you if you bought it new?

~Zero the Inestimable