My potato cannon is not igniting, I have tried adding different levels of butane and hair spray (roughly between 3 and 9% of the chambers volume) and it still won't ignite. Are my arcs to small? Or is there something I'm missing? I'm using a standard barbeque igniter and it makes obvious arcs, but I still don't get any ignition. If someone would know how to fix this please let me know. Thanks.
Re: Potato cannon not igniting
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2023 11:22 am
by jackssmirkingrevenge
For a simple combustion you need a decent spark gap, in my experience around 6mm when using piezo igniters. How are you metering your fuel? Are you using a syringe for the butane?
What are you using as an igniter?
Re: Potato cannon not igniting
Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2023 6:09 pm
by D_Hall
As hinted at in the previous post.... The most likely cause is incorrect fuel/air ratio. Unfortunately, this is not an easy thing to measure with a "spray and pray" potato gun. First things first? Ditch the hair spray (that is an affront to the potato gun gods!), and find a way to MEASURE how much butane you're putting in.
As hinted at in the previous post.... The most likely cause is incorrect fuel/air ratio. Unfortunately, this is not an easy thing to measure with a "spray and pray" potato gun. First things first? Ditch the hair spray (that is an affront to the potato gun gods!), and find a way to MEASURE how much butane you're putting in.
Absolutely agree! Precision matters. Swap out the hair spray for a more controlled fuel source and consider adding a gauge to measure butane. It could make a significant difference in your potato gun performance. Happy launching!