# a blowgunner asking for help



## wise_son_x (Apr 5, 2011)

Hello I am here to get your input in a projet I am working on

As I am a avid blow gunner and member over at

http://blowgun.lefora.com/

But this project isn't quite a true blowgun build the link below is the project as it is I see many issues with it and I think you will to any input the is will be taken we @ the bg forum have new idea for the dart and are kicking them around but I know there s a better way than a glove I look forward to you guys input

http://www.commenthow.com/full_article/display/1429113/Rubber-Powered-Dart-Launcher-Darts


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## capnjoe (Jun 3, 2012)

I made one of these from a piece of bamboo last year. I drew too far once and wound up with a skewer in my hand.
No fletching or weighting, though.
Fun to play with and pretty accurate to about 15 feet. You took it some further by slapping it to a pistol frame.
Good thinking! It gets your hand out of the way.

I protected the rubber with a strip of duct tape wrapped where the skewer makes contact. It prolonged the life of the band.


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## Sean (Nov 17, 2011)

You might take a look and post it over on... http://blowgunforum.com/ for some more responses as well.


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## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Following the link it looks like a mini rubber powered crossbow using a tube as the guide channel which isn't a very efficient because it limits the power stroke to the length of the dart, my suggestion would be to keep it a "blow" gun with a slingshot rubber powered plunger (compression chamber) to create the air pressure.

I would probably use two tubes connected by a return air hose; one as the compressor and the other as the blow gun, the compressor tube would be slit most of it's length guiding he plunger and allowing it to gain power/momentum before hitting a small compression stage at the end, a strong "explosive puff" of air would then be transferred back to the shooter end of the blow gun by the return air hose. Would probably be more efficient with a the plunger traveling toward the shooter and a short U fitting instead of the longer return air hose but I'm not real comfortable with the idea of pushing powerful slingshot bands away from me and letting them snap back in the direction of my face/body.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

Hello and welcome :wave:


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## wise_son_x (Apr 5, 2011)

thanks for the input so far i like the idea lil bear has but i did want it rubberpowered


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## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Rubber was what I had in mind, double Theraband gold at a minimum.

Giving it a bit more thought you would probably want to use a larger diameter tube for the compression stage, so that the volume of air available from the plunger colliding with and pushing thru the air chamber is greater than that in the blowgun stage, otherwise no matter how hard/strong/fast that initial blast of air is you'd have a vacuum effect before the dart left the tube.


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## capnjoe (Jun 3, 2012)

That's sharp thinking. It hit me like a wave that peaked in my brain.
Would two inches be enough of a compression chamber?


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## capnjoe (Jun 3, 2012)

Also, why would you need the addition of another tube? Wouldn't a direct "puff" delivery be enough?


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## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Yes a 2 inch inside diameter would be perfect mostly because it makes the math easy, PiR2, so that 2" ID pipe has an easy 3.14159 square inch area and 18.875 cubic inches for a 6" compression chamber which would coincidently have roughly the same volume as a 96 inch long 0.5" ID blowgun pipe, reduce that length by half to allow for air compression, friction, etc. and it should be perfect for a 4 foot 0.5" ID blowgun length.

Short wide double bands connecting to the back (shooter side) of a heavy plunger so that the the bands are never slack applying force (pull) all the way through the plunger stroke.

Like putting your thumb over the end of a garden hose to make the water shoot farther air velocity should also be increased by reducing that large 2" diameter down to the 0.5" exhaust diameter.

Energy transfer yea-haw; the mass of a relatively heavy 2" diameter 6"+ long round nose* TB gold powered piston slamming into an air compression chamber transferring that energy to propel a relatively lite dart with much less mass at hopefully much greater velocity.

*Rounded nose on the piston/plunger because like modern ammunition with slow burn powder it's better to have the dart start off slower gaining speed in the first half of the tube before feeling the full force of the air blast and reaching maximum velocity as it exits, and the piston should not only accelerate faster but also ease into the compression chamber instead of slamming into a flat solid wall of and quite literally bounces off loosing a good deal of energy in the process. At least that's my theory.


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## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

Delete sorry double double post :stupidcomp:


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## LittleBear (Mar 24, 2012)

I was thinking something like this:

An approximately 40" long (depending on the desired draw length) section of 2" ID pipe (2 1/4" pvc might work) with two parallel 33" long slots cut 1 inch from the shooter side end to 6 inches from the target side with a reducer attached to the target side end.
A snug fitting 6 1/2" long round nose piston could be inserted into the pipe with a little Vaseline and a guide bolt that fits through the slots in the tube and the back 1/2 inch of the piston.
Attach a 4 foot blow gun 90 degrees from the slots on what will be the top of the assembly, using the slot free ends to secure the blowgun pipe so that the shooter side ends line up.
Attach a large diameter (~3/4") air hose from the reducer (target end) to the shooter side of the blowgun pipe.
Attach a handle securely to the target side end of the compressor tube.
Attach bands to the handle/target side end of the compressor tube, and the piston bolt.
This way the whole assembly is only 4 feet long, you would hold it and shoot it just like a slingshot, drawing back on the piston bolt just like the pouch of a slingshot.
When you let fly because of air let in by the slots and maybe other air holes if needed the piston should pick up speed and more importantly momentum flying relatively unobstructed down the tube until reaching the air chamber (solid 6" end with reducer) at which point air trapped in the chamber will be compressed and hopefully "explode" out of the reducer end just like a Stomp Rocket. 
It would be more efficient to connect the blowgun pipe directly to the font of the compressor ram tube but then the assembly would be 7 feet long instead of just 4.

Loading: With luck and that bit of Vaseline you could simply insert the dart into the front of the blowgun pipe and it would be sucked all the way back to the shooter end of the pipe when you draw the piston back.

Disclaimer: Might work might not who knows? I don't, what I do know is that it could be *dangerous*, should *not* be tried without safety precautions and *responsible* adult supervision, since the above is just my thoughts on how it *might* be done I will *not* take responsibility for any part that does not work :WasntMe: but will gladly take all credit given for any part that does B)


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2013)

I made these same things but used a rubber band and no tube and it works great!


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2013)

Co2 powerd blow gun!


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