When you are looking for a way to have fun while not breaking the bank. Building a pneumatic cannon is a great way to learn about science and have fun along the way.

The types of pneumatic cannon you can build really depends on your level of expertise and available resources. All pneumatic cannon have a few components that are the same regardless of the budget involved. The four common elements of your pneumatic cannon are a filling valve to allow air in. Then there is the air chamber which holds the air that will be released. Next is the pressure release valve which will allow the air to push the projectile out. And finally the barrel which allows the projectile to spiral out of the pneumatic cannon building critical speed in the process.

The type of barrel you use for your pneumatic cannon plays a major role on whether or not it will be effective and accurate. Most budget conscious builders rely on PVC piping as the material of choice for their pneumatic cannon. The reason that most people use this material is its relative inexpensive costs plus ease of sourcing for it. The inherent strength of PVC makes is very suitable for the rigors that are common when a person is using a pneumatic cannon.

When you are designing your pneumatic cannon a major consideration is how you are going to get the compressed air into the chamber for it to fire. If you have an air compressor you can attach it to the barrel. Attaching an air compressor does present some challenges since it can be cumbersome and expensive. What some pneumatic cannon builders do is use a CO2 cartridge as the air source for their testing needs.

In order for your pneumatic cannon to fire properly the entire unit must be air tight otherwise the air chamber that contains the compressed air will not be able to generate enough pressure to drive the potato out. The way you can test for leaks of the barrel is to immerse it in wet soapy water and then lift it out of the water. If you see air bubbles coming out of the barrel then you have a leak and it must be plugged.

When you do use a pneumatic cannon you must be aware that it has a tremendous amount of power behind it and you should never ever aim it at anyone else. The speed in which the projectile comes out can break glass and dent metal so it is something that is not to be taken lightly. If you follow the basic safety rules then you will have fun with the pneumatic cannon for years to come.

You may have heard of a potato gun before but there is also another option called the pneumatic cannon which is another term for a potato gun but it has some different qualities than the run of the mill potato gun.

The primary difference between a pneumatic cannon and a potato gun is the type of propellant that is used. With a potato gun petroleum based fuels are used where a pneumatic cannon uses compressed air to move the projectile from the mouth of the cannon. The pneumatic cannon is a bit more complicated that the average gun because of the need to keep everything airtight. The pneumatic cannon success is predicated on the ability to maintain a constant air pressure level.

Your pneumatic cannon will also need both a pressure release and filling valve for the compressed air to shot out of your pneumatic cannon with enough velocity to not only overcome gravity but hit the target. One of the most popular positions to hold a pneumatic cannon when firing it is like a Bazooka, on your shoulder so the source of the compressed air either from a CO2 cartridge or an portable air compressor.

Before you can load your pneumatic cannon for firing you need to make sure the system is totally air tight. Cover the cannon with warm soapy water and then lift it out and look for any leaks, If you see bubbles coming out then you have a leak and need to seal it.

Now that the pneumatic cannon has passed the first challenge of having an airtight chamber the next step is performing a test shot. Most pneumatic cannon enthusiast use a potato as their projectile of choice. The firmness of it and low cost presents many opportunities to fine tune your the distance and accuracy of your pneumatic cannon.

When in the field make sure to never point your pneumatic cannon towards anyone regardless if it is loaded or not. There have been reports of some pneumatic cannon reaching muzzle velocity of such great speed to cover 1,000 feet. So you can imagine the damage a person would feel with a projectile that has been shot over 1,000 feet.

Your first pneumatic cannon may reach or even exceed 1,000 feet of distance however the only way to achieve it is with tweaking it. When you change the amount of air being forced into the chamber and the positioning of the barrel even slightly it can have a significant difference on the results being generated.

Like all hobbies the building and use of a pneumatic cannon will give you hours of enjoyment. Since the options of creating the pneumatic cannon is only limited by your imagination and budget the results you get will be quite astonishing.