Substitute for a firing chamber - ...any suggestions?

Guides and discussions about building water blasters and other water warfare devices such as water balloon launchers.
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LtDan64
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Post by LtDan64 » Fri Apr 08, 2005 6:53 pm

Okay. Here's what I'm working with:

Once upon a time, I took apart my (first) XP70 at a friend's house. Time ran short on my visit and I needed to go home, so we decided to leave it at his house on the workbench in the garage. He told me that his dad found the firing chamber (I forget if we dropped it or something, and didn't bother to find it before I left or how that happened...) Anyway, he said his dad threw it away. So, I'm missing that. Also, I have the broken trigger mechanism from my second XP70 sitting in the one missing a firing chamber. I tried to fix that before, almost successfully, but I only used a bit of crazy glue (my first time working with the stuff) and it didn't quite hold. Anyway, that repair is really straightforward, perhaps someone could suggest a better glue or a different method for that?

So, the trigger is easy enough. Not so obvious is what to do about not having a stock firing chamber. One of my first ideas was to just seal the hole that used to lead to the firing chamber (somehow... duct tape was my first idea, but I knew that wouldn't be enough...). But now that I think of it, would that mean the whole system would still be based on separate tanks? ...cuz if so, that would prolly result in something like having to pump one time to fill the firing chamber (tiny space) for each individual shot. Not much of a solution in my opinion, it's not designed to be (almost) a piston action blaster. I suppose I could modify it (at great labor) to make this a pressuriezed reservoir soaker, but what I most want is some way to replace the firing chamber with a suitable substitute.
...I am WAY open to suggestions.
Thanks! :bm1000: (the second one is me)




Edited By LtDan64 on 1113004489
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isoaker
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Post by isoaker » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:12 am

Well, the firing chamber is pretty much a sturdy piece of plastic with an opening capacble of fitting snugly in the tubing/seal area. A small plastic bottle may be 'good enough' if you find one with a similar sized neck to the hole the original chamber went into. Of course, what ever you choose to use must be able to withstand the pressure it'll experience as a pressurized chamber. Anoter option could be to search around for older broken pressuzired reservoir soakers and cannabilize the reservoir for use as your XP70's pressure chamber (since those pieces of plastic were meant for storing pressure). You'd just need to ensure you could seal the tank on well to the blaster (using O-rings/vinyl tape/etc to ensure a solid seal). However, more than just being sealed, you need to ensure whatever you put on as a new tank is VERY SECURELY held down to prevent 'flying tank syndrome'. If I recall correctly, the PC of the XP70 has a lip area near its opening that is clamped down by the body casing of the blaster. Thus, when pressurized, the chances of it popping out and launching into the air is minimal. If you're putting in something else, there's a good chance it won't have a lip that will be held down well. The last thing you'd want is a tank smacking you or someone else because it suddenly launched off of your modded soaker.

There are many things that could potentially be used. However, to actually make it work well and safely is another issue. Just be aware of the potential problems and dangers before attempting using anything as a replacement. Whatever is used MUST be able to withstand the pressure, otherwise it may crack or even explode when pressurized. The seal between the new tank and the blaster must be air-tight (no kiddin'! :goofy:) or you'll lose pressurized water/air. Finally, the new PC must be securely attached to prevent it from suddenly launching when pressurized. It should be mounted well so even if the blaster is hit or dropped, the chance of the pressuzed PC launching is basically none.

:cool:
:: Leave NO one dry! :: iSoaker.com .:

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