Air launcher

[Dapph2]

Use a line throwing catapult, cheaper, lest fuss and not limited to one try or carrying a compressed air supply.
Easy yo make your self?
View attachment 522773

Instead of having a messy coil in a box we were shown how to wind a hollow ball of cord , so the cord came out the middle as the hammer attached to it was sent on its away
This tube vid from 2min 20sec shows the basic idea but uses wool .

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[Kram]

And 45 -50 foot poles in towns & cities

re your package
Would a six inch tube of machine sewn nylon filled with a mix of sand and unused cat litter make a soft tube fireable weight ?

No.

Plaited 8 core Dacron 300 lb breaking strain shark fishing line would work so long as you use a blinded arrow tip . My Dacron line is about as thick as this line I .

No. The line needs to be thicker 1.5-2mm dyneema. It is not judt the strength of it. A thin line will try to cut into the tree and get stuck when pulled. Its also got to be pulled by hand. Thinner will get tangled.

More importantly, I already have suitable line and throw bags.

Going across a river is a bit different to going up, and back down a dense tree canopy.

Use a line throwing catapult, cheaper, lest fuss and not limited to one try or carrying a compressed air supply.
Easy yo make your self?
View attachment 522773

Yes, these are common, as said above I might make similar, but I like the compressed air launcher idea.
I have a battery compressor which will do it.

 

[Erie Fred]

The spud guns I have seen around here all use hairspray for the fuel.
I would think ether would work as well.

 

[Dozzer]

No.

No. The line needs to be thicker 1.5-2mm dyneema. It is not judt the strength of it. A thin line will try to cut into the tree and get stuck when pulled. Its also got to be pulled by hand. Thinner will get tangled.

More importantly, I already have suitable line and throw bags.

Going across a river is a bit different to going up, and back down a dense tree canopy.


Yes, these are common, as said above I might make similar, but I like the compressed air launcher idea.
I have a battery compressor which will do it.

I have built tyre inflator using a old lorry air tank and 1" ball valve, the big problem with any of these is the air release mechanism, how quickly/efficiently the valve release the compressed air will determine the projectiles velocity. so ideally you need a trigger style valve if you need any sort of constancy.

 

[addjunkie]

Its all about technique, even with a gun, offshore bringing in offload tankers we used to use a gun, always head towind too, quite surprising how often folk would miss. But by hand though not the right technique this works

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[Kram]

I have built tyre inflator using a old lorry air tank and 1" ball valve, the big problem with any of these is the air release mechanism, how quickly/efficiently the valve release the compressed air will determine the projectiles velocity. so ideally you need a trigger style valve if you need any sort of constancy.

Yes the tyre bead blasters are designed for the purpose, they have a valve that I think uses the balance of air pressure across it. When you vent the trigger side, tank pressure opens the valve quicker than a person could.

 

[julianf]

I have built tyre inflator using a old lorry air tank and 1" ball valve, the big problem with any of these is the air release mechanism, how quickly/efficiently the valve release the compressed air will determine the projectiles velocity. so ideally you need a trigger style valve if you need any sort of constancy.

On mine, I found that a standard full bore (I suspect it was 22mm) ball valve actually worked fine, so long as it was operated with conviction.

I considered, at the time, having some sort of sprung, triggered mechanism, but, as I say, it was easy enough to exceed the limits of UK law with a standard, manually operated, lever ball valve.

 

[knighty]

trouble with plastic is it goes brittle....i may have made (long since gone) one that launched golf balls.. didnt find them many times

this is full on high pressure thick wall industrial stuff... should last a good long while

 

[gaz1]

heres a build video

 

[Kram]

On mine, I found that a standard full bore (I suspect it was 22mm) ball valve actually worked fine, so long as it was operated with conviction.

I considered, at the time, having some sort of sprung, triggered mechanism, but, as I say, it was easy enough to exceed the limits of UK law with a standard, manually operated, lever ball valve.

The plan would be to test it at low 10 or 20psi and gradually increase until it does the job and no more. Perhaps fit a pressure safety valve to prevent higher pressure misuse. I dont know if that is required on air guns, if it is built with a good safety margin, what is to stop somone putting a bit more, or double, in?

Perhaps the bead blaster volume is too much, but it does have the valve.
Your's used bog standard 22mm plumbing ball valves?

I have some 1 and 2L CO², N²O and argon disposable bottles I could repurpose. I dont imagine the M10 thread would be too limiting. The alu tanks would be compact and light and imaginenone would be enough if using higher pressures.

 

[julianf]

So far as I recall it was a 22. I guess it could have even been a 15, but it wasn't anything special.

Old air guns were spring or gas ram operated so "set" rather than adjusted on the fly. I don't know about ones now that use compressed air tanks.

Id suggest to experiment a bit with barrel lengths also. You can imagine that the length of the barrel will, somewhat, smooth improper gas release. (Short barrel and the projectile may clear the end before the full pressure is released - long barrel and a load of different negative problems)

I think your seal on the bore will be the most critical thing. Could you use "hakisacks" or whatever they're called rather than a square lump?

They, iirc, have a leather outer, which would probably seal on a bore well, and disallow gas through the projectile itself.

 

[julianf]

Ps I suspect you may stray into illegality.

Your muzzle velocity will have to be significant as your projectile will loose speed so rapidly.

Might be fine, and might not be somthing you're concerned about, but the weight of the projectile is so much that the speed before reaching the ft/lbs may not be that useable.


Edit :

The squash ball one was outside of being visible, to the extent that, on the first firing, I did not think it had launched, whilst, actually, the speed was well in excess of what I could see when looking at the end of the contraption. It was totally unsuitable for its intended purpose.

 

[jsf55]

Without checking all the thread, wouldn't a spear gun do the job? less pointy bit ?

 

[Kram]

Without checking all the thread, wouldn't a spear gun do the job? less pointy bit ?

Seems they are specialised crossbow/catapults mostly using bands for energy, designed for under water use, and with a price to match!
A bolt/arrow would be more aerodynamic but without the weight, its not coming down. Only suits extremely tall and open canopy trees.

 

[Anguz]

mine had a pilot operated 1 inch ? (maybe)solenoid valve with the manual overide button

 

[Beanwood]

I have a 4 pot airfed dummy launcher. You could buy that, and if it didn't work the first time, have 3 more goes, before having to recharge It's also remote controlled so if it goes badly wrong, you can pretend it was someone else...

 

[Dozzer]

I think we are missing the fun element of this project

 

[gaz1]

go old school bow and arrow with a plastic ball on the end

 

[Dapph2]

The spud guns I have seen around here all use hairspray for the fuel.
I would think ether would work as well.

Quick start ?

 

[Dapph2]

Kram, we also used a screw on rod device to push up the inside of 7 to 15 m hollow fibre glass poles to put in various phone wires where it was too dangerous to have a normal wooden pole climbed ( spiked railings , animal enclosures in zoo's etc. )

The line was threaded through the tip weight and pulled tight as you fed the device up the pole to keep the end upright. Once clear of the top you let the tension off the line and the weighted part of the device tumbled forward and down to the ground pulling the pull cord with it to the ground . It was good when attached to a decent set of alu tree pruning rods for pulling up hand pull chainsaw lengths to cut 5 inch thick branches where branches were stripping overhead wires during storms .

https://www.baileysupplies.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/Rigging_Head_1A_1400x.jpg?v=1426952563