Frivolous & Fun: Must-Make Recreational Projects

Listen to MSNBC host Tucker Carlson discuss his spud gun addiction on the Popular Mechanics Show (podcast):

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You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but Tucker Carlson, host of MSNBC’s Tucker, is a Right Guard man. It’s not the rugged scent that draws him in, though. It’s the butane propellant.

Butane? In his deodorant? Well, yeah. How else is Carlson going to get the explosive power he needs to launch a potato from the barrel of his custom-built spud gun at over 300 mph? “I love the smell of Right Guard in the morning,” says Carlson, who was introduced to spud gunning in 2001 at a friend’s house in rural Maine. “He hit a birch-log deer lawn sculpture with a potato, and all four legs popped off. I thought, ‘You know what? This is my future.’”

Carlson has plenty of projectile-loving company. The humble potato has spawned a subculture of enthusiasts who trade construction tips and fuel ideas online (Static Guard! Air freshener!). Many are willing to invest hundreds of hours--and sometimes hundreds of dollars--in their quest for spud-gun supremacy. But, the thrill of launching an oblong lump of starch can be had for much less time and money.

“People think the more they spend, the better it will work,” says Joel Suprise, impresario of the online store Spudtech.com. “But that’s not necessarily true. Even a basic model that you can put together for 25 bucks will give you a range of 200 to 300 yards.” For those who want more distance, Suprise sells hopped-up artillery with long, rifled barrels and larger combustion chambers. Some use pure propane for combustion. “You can get an easy 400 yards and 400 mph out of those,” he says.

Safe Spud Gunning
While launching potatoes into the stratosphere may seem like childish fun--actually, it is childish fun--the activity has produced its share of mishaps, including what Suprise calls “chemical-thermal removal of body hair.” Here are some tips for growing old with the sport.

1) Buy pressure-rated PVC. “Always use Schedule 40 or 80 PVC pipe,” Suprise says. “The cheap stuff has a cellular core that’s really just a piece of rigid foam. It’s incredibly dangerous.”

2) Wait before firing. “The solvent may dry in a few minutes, but it’s not cured until 24 hours have passed,” Suprise says. “When you glue PVC together, you’re actually solvent welding. And it takes a full day for that weld to set up.”

3) Take your spud gun seriously. “Do not point it at anything you don’t want to damage,” Suprise cautions. “These things can be extremely dangerous. Treat them with the same respect as a shotgun.”

Materials: $30

Build it
1) Schedule 40 PVC is available from plumbing and home centers, as is PVC primer and cement. The cement takes 24 hours to cure.

2) This spud gun uses 1.5-in.-dia. pipe for the barrel. It is connected via a 1.5 x 4-in. bushing and a coupler to a 10-in. length of 4-in. pipe--the combustion chamber. That pipe is linked to a cleanout adapter and endcap (which is removed to add fuel).

3) A grill igniter is wired to a pair of machine screws that extend through the combustion-chamber wall. Hello, spark. Buh-bye, potato.