cheap ignition

Boom! The classic potato gun harnesses the combustion of flammable vapor. Show us your combustion spud gun and discuss fuels, ratios, safety, ignition systems, tools, and more.
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:25 am

I've built all of my spud guns with bbq igniters. What is the cheapest way of ignition that can be used over and over because i plan on making a bunch of guns and i don't want to buy a whole bunch of bbq igniters? :lol:
User avatar
StealthSpud
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:43 pm

Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:34 pm

Well you can get lanter sparkers cheaper, but at my friend bought like 12 bbq ignitors for like a buck each where we live.
Killjoy
Sergeant
Sergeant
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 12:51 am
Location: New Mexico

Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:13 pm

Alright you didnt use all caps this time.
Theres a lot of different igntion methods that are cheap, igniton coil (junkyard, discharge the capacitor on a camera flash circuit into it to get a big ass hot spark), those long nose lighters for like a grill or fire place (wallmart. Got a little piezo sparker in them), disposable camera flash circuit (check the How to), steal the bbq ignitors out of your neaghbors grills (just kidding, don't do it bad idea), flyback transformer circuit (old tvs, just have to buy the parts to make the circuit to run it), Amazing 1 has a portable high voltage setup that runs off a nine volt (it ain't cheap though). Theres some others but i can't think of them right now.
User avatar
85Dave
Private 2
Private 2
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:08 am

Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:08 am

i still suggest lighters

i got a pack of 10 on eBay for about $10 total

there was a pack of 20 too i think


http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-10-Gas-LIGHTER- ... dZViewItem

cant beat that price (from what I've seen)

they are refillable too so you don't have to take one apart and put another fuel take in it
User avatar
sgort87
Corporal 5
Corporal 5
Posts: 994
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2005 10:32 am
Location: Lockport, Illinois

Donating Members

Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:56 am

Yep, they still suck, are ugly, and cause burns through the hole in the pvc.

You are an idiot if you insist this is the best ignition source. Sure, cheap. Nowhere near good or reliable.
dgr-c
Private 2
Private 2
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:28 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:17 pm

BIKER180360 wrote:i plan on making a bunch of guns and i don't want to buy a whole bunch of bbq igniters? :lol:
Two words: alligator clips
SpudBlaster15
First Sergeant 3
First Sergeant 3
Seychelles
Posts: 2400
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:12 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:10 pm

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras nec placerat erat. Vivamus dapibus egestas nunc, at eleifend neque. Suspendisse potenti. Sed dictum lacus eu nisl pretium vehicula. Ut faucibus hendrerit nisi. Integer ultricies orci eu ultrices malesuada. Fusce id mauris risus. Suspendisse finibus ligula et nisl rutrum efficitur. Vestibulum posuere erat pellentesque ornare venenatis. Integer commodo fermentum tortor in pharetra. Proin scelerisque consectetur posuere. Vestibulum molestie augue ac nibh feugiat scelerisque. Sed aliquet a nunc in mattis.
Last edited by SpudBlaster15 on Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:23 pm

today i just made my first igniter. All the others i bought. this is made out of one of those long igniters somtimes used for camping. I took it apart and got the ignition source out of it. I then took a piece of plastic and put three sections of wire on it and spaced them apart to get three long sparks of electricity. I then connected the wire (the one i took off the camping lighter) to the spaced out wires (on the piece of plastic) one on each end of the two outside wires on the piece of plastic and it shoots out a pretty good spark. i'm going to make better though. i've decided to do some experimenting and make a great ignition :!: 8)
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:26 pm

SpudBlaster15 wrote:The best ignition system consists of either a flyback circuit setup, or a camera flash circuit discharged through an ignition coil. Stun guns would be second best. If you want a cheap, interchangable ignition system however, I would suggest using a lantern lighter. They are around $2 each, so you can afford to buy several of them to use on different cannons.
ty. i'll try it . i've heard about it before but i kindof got turned away but now that i've got to thinking about it it sounds pretty good. :idea:
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:34 pm

85Dave wrote:i still suggest lighters

i got a pack of 10 on eBay for about $10 total

there was a pack of 20 too i think


http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-10-Gas-LIGHTER- ... dZViewItem

cant beat that price (from what I've seen)

they are refillable too so you don't have to take one apart and put another fuel take in it
everyone says bad things about lighters but i have got mine to fit exactly and it is burn proof.i did this using a drill press and a spade bit. it slipped right in there then i put a nut on the backside and it works fine. we'll good enough for me. i'm still going to try some other ways though and experiment with the ignition setups a bit :idea:
Killjoy
Sergeant
Sergeant
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 12:51 am
Location: New Mexico

Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:54 pm

*Cough*using the F*ckin edit button*cough*
Yeah those long nose lighters are great for when you need an ignitor for a mini or are low on cash.
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:10 pm

low on cash i'm 14 i don't have a job i have an allowance and i've created a business. i don't have a ton of money . my big combustion cannon uses a grill/bbq igniter and my mini uses a long nose that has been taken apart and modified to be a three gap igniter. i'm with 85dave though from what i've experienced so far in my use a bbq igniter is my best. 8)
BIKER180360
Private 3
Private 3
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:12 pm

Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:20 pm

sgort87 wrote:Yep, they still suck, are ugly, and cause burns through the hole in the pvc.

You are an idiot if you insist this is the best ignition source. Sure, cheap. Nowhere near good or reliable.
ok. but u need the right tools if u make it right it's fine . i've made it right on first try and it works perfectly. i don't see anything wrong with that. the grill igniter that i bought works great with a perfect record of starting perfectly. :angry4:
crsaz
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:21 am

Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:53 pm

Do like I did use an electric bbq ignitor, it's got a 9v battery an 2 coils in side. I could split it to 4 spark gaps but I went the easy way and did only 2, the ignito has 2 on it, but here is the thing about mine, I have a 4 pin screw on connecter on my gun so I can disconect my ingnition system and use it an every othe combustion or hybrid I make. I just have to rig the gun with a female connector-total cost in parts=free :lol: I used stuff lying around my house. It helps that my dad use to do a ton of work with electronics, he still does but he is the service manager so he can just tell someone else to go do it, but he has to do some of the more complicated things like installing/calibrating truck scales,train scale and other scale of the sort like on at an apache attack helicoptter plant and a truck scale in area 51-he has been to some pretty cool places.
Mic Whitey
Private
Private
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:45 pm

Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:27 pm

I use lateran lighters the most. cheap, easy to use and effective.
I also use a car ignition coil. I hooked up my strobe light to it and I can
get a 2" spark. the electric igniter works great when I use MPS gas.
Post Reply