Copperhead Prime

[spud yeti]

Wow, i like it, looks so proffessional! I have been interested in building a gun in copper piping for some time and I was just wondering what is best for glueing/joining the joints?? Nice gun though...

[Hotwired]

I expect you're meaning the solder fittings but there are joints there that use brass compression fittings.

For the solder fittings the most robust method is to solder it, the whole flux, solder and blowtorch thing.

You can buy solder ring fittings which have a ring of solder built into them so you don't need to fiddle with solder wire but the rings on the fitting don't look as good as normal fittings.

I used a copper/brass glue called JustForCopper instead - you roughen the inside of a normal solder fitting and the pipe it's to attach to and put a layer of glue on both surfaces, push together, twist 360* and it grips in seconds. Holds up to 500psi.

If I could have I might have prefered to solder the fittings but some were very fiddly and close together meaning I might unsolder other fittings as I attached other sections because the blowtorch heats quite a sizeable area.

[spud yeti]

Thanks man, I think I will experiment with the solder because I have a soldering machine and enjoy experimenting.
Thanks for the help though.
btw i was talking about the copper joints but thanks for both the info!

[spud yeti]

O yes, one other question! (haha, being kind of new sucks sometimes!!) In the photo on your posts your cannon has a small piece of flexible looking pipe that goes from the handle to the back of the gun at the bottom. What exactly is it/where can you buy it from?? because I have been looking for something similar.
Sorry about all the questions!
Thanks though

[TwitchTheAussie]

Just a smaller tube of copper really. I take it you know how a QEV and piston valve works?

[Slugfoot]

because I have a soldering machine and enjoy experimenting.

Whoa! Hang on! If you are talking about using a soldering iron you will be wasting your time. Soldering irons are for soldering electronic components to circuit boards etc. If you want to solder copper pipe you will need to use a gas torch.

[Hotwired]

The bendy bit of pipe is 8mm copper - it's sold in coils in the plumbing section of DIY places and you can bend it by hand - just don't try to bend it too much or it will dent or collapse.

[joannaardway]

because I have a soldering machine and enjoy experimenting.

Whoa! Hang on! If you are talking about using a soldering iron you will be wasting your time. Soldering irons are for soldering electronic components to circuit boards etc. If you want to solder copper pipe you will need to use a gas torch.

Exactly. Most eletrical soldering irons work at 15 to 25 W. Butane ones might do 50 to 120W, but that's not enough.

Even a puny gas blowtorch is doing at least 400W, and the really beefy ones will do 3000W barely ticking over.

Most of my solder work is done either with my brother's hand torch (1400-1500W) or my father's really big one that runs off a 4kg propane tank (about 3100W at maximum output).

[spud yeti]

yeah, i have both and used wrong name in writing! sorry! haha, that would get me NOWHERE!! Thanks on the copper tubing information, I just wasnt sure and wanted to check what it was. Thanks anyways guys, nice to get some more experienced input

[squad-coq]

hi
i have a question

how does the blow gun works?

can someone explain it with a paint drawing?

thanks



and may by can you make a list of al the parts that you need?

[origin unknown]

Ok... the blowgun exhausts air on one side of the diaphram, or piston, which creates a lower pressure on that side of the diaphram/piston, which in turn opens the diaphram/piston and releases the air from the chamber.

[hi]

i
and may by can you make a list of al the parts that you need?

pipe work well.

as for how the blow gun works. you press the button and it opens, i find that pushing it with my thumb works nicely.

ok, i wont be so sarcastic. just go the the plumming store and look around, you will find most of the stuff you need. a blow gun can be found at any hardware store and most likely you will have to get a QEV on the internet.

[Hotwired]

A blowgun is a very simple valve - you press the lever down and air can blow through it.

There actually is a parts and supplier list for this cannon on the UKSGC forum but it's budgeted for £100 using UK suppliers and special discounts through the owner of the UKSGC forum.

If you're not in the UK you'd have to source your own parts with whatever cost they have.

It's not really something you should be trying to duplicate when you're not aware of how a blowgun works but quite a few people have made simplified variations of it which could be a lot easier to follow.

[squad-coq]

oke that i understand but
i don't understand how to make a tricker how you did it

i went to the store and my idee is to do it like this

100cm pipe 15 mm to a connector 15mm/ 1/4 (bu?/=inch??) to a blow gun and than a
1/4/ 15 mm(or 20 mm) to the other end of the blow gun and on that a other pipe 15 mm(20mm) than a 15 mm ending with a hole in it and there in a ventil

the first pipe is the (i call it a launch pipe) and the other one the air room(chamber)

and than you pump air in the the air room (chamber) and when you pull the tricker it fires
all thais thing i can buy in the netherland so that is no problem

but wy do you need than a QEV ??? and than how does that thing works???

the blow gun only is good ore not???

[lukemc]

A blow gun is meant to slowly release air, so to use it as main valve, your performance would suck. QEVs are meant to dump lots of air in a split second giving you MUCH better performance.

(cleaned up by Pete Zaria. PS, the blowgun is used to pilot [or actuate] the QEV, like a trigger.)