What is Potato gun?
{{orphan|date=May 2009}} A '''potato gun''' or '''Potato cannon''' is a type of [[cannon]] that uses [[combustion]] or [[air pressure]] to fire a [[projectile]]. They are called potato guns because [[potato]]es are a commonly used projectile. There are two main types of potato guns. Combustion guns use a [[Flame|flammable]] [[fuel]] and [[Combustion|igniter]] to move an object. Another type uses compressed air. Potato guns are usually built of [[PVC]] or [[ABS]] (a type of [[plastic]]) [[pipe|piping]]. If using air to power your potato cannon you need around 50 to 70 psi to shoot a potato. == Combustion potato guns == ===Parts=== Combustion potato guns have 4 parts. These are the [[Barrel (weapons)|barrel]], combustion chamber, a cap, and an igniter. *Barrel: The barrel is the part of the gun which the projectile is fired from. It is usually a smaller [[diameter]] than the combustion chamber. *Combustion chamber: This is the part where the [[fuel]] is put. The igniter is also in the combustion chamber. *Igniter - A [[device]] which set the flammable fuel on fire. [[electricity|Electric]] [[grill]] igniters and [[magnesium]] [[latern]] lighters are often used. This could be called a ''trigger''. *Cap - The cap is connected to the combustion chamber. It is removed to add fuel and replaced when the gun is fired. ===Operation=== #the operator will put a projectile into the barrel. A [[ramrod]] is often used to push it all the way down to the end of the barrel. The projectile must fit tightly into the barrel so that the pressure of the [[explosion|expoding]] fuel is strong enough to move it. This is why potatoes are often used. With a large potato, the unneeded part of potato would be cut off when the potato is forced into the barrel. This creates a projectile that is almost the exact size as the inside of the barrel. #The cap is removed and a flammable fuel is put in the combustion chamber. [[Aerosol]] [[hairspray]] is a popular fuel because it ignites easily. Once fuel is added, the cap is replaced. #The cannon i