How to Make a Air Cylinder (cheap) for an Air Gun.

by qboid in Outside > Launchers

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How to Make a Air Cylinder (cheap) for an Air Gun.

Finished Cylinder.JPG
I've been searching for a cylinder for an air gun but they are very expensive. So I thought of how a bike works. The inner tube has a valve that allows air to be passed into and passed out of when pressure is applied. Using a inner tube is out of the question to be used as an air cylinder.
Inner tube has a great concept but the soft rubber can stretch and pop under alot of pressure. I found that you can use a metal bottle...
I'll explain it all in the tutorial.

(Note; I wont use real pictures just drawings to explain each step because of copyrighting)

The Things You Will Need!

Cylinder with Valve.JPG
Pump with Metre.JPG
Sealant and Gun.JPG
It is important that you have the right items for this. Here is a list;
1. A metal bottle (preferably air tight and has a metal lid)
2. Tyre valve (car tyre valve)
3. Pumper with Pressure metre

The tools you will need are;
1. A drill
2. Drill bit set
3. UniBond all purpose sealant (extra security)

Try getting the bottle from Halfords. It's like around £5. The Tyre valves you can buy online for around £5. Four come in each pack) from sourcingmap.com. You can get a pumper from a car/ bike shop. and the unibond from a DIY store.

Drill a Hole in the Bottle Lid

Bottle drilling.png
Use a drill bit that is the same size as the Tyre valve. (make it a clean straight drill through)

Plug in the Tyre Valve

Valves.JPG
Bootle Lid with Valve.png
Bootle Lid with Valve with Sealent.png
When you plug in your tyre valve there should be two layers of rubber with a space in-between. Try to put one side of the rubber through the lid hole so it stops any air from leaking through the gaps. If air does leak use the Unibond to seal all the holes and leave to dry for 24 hours

Finished Cylinder

Pump With Cylinder.JPG
Pump at 80 PSI.jpg
Now just screw back on the lid (feel free to put some UniBond on the thread of the lid if you haven't got a sealed bottle)... It would be best if you find a unwanted lid that has a rubber seal and drill a whole that matches the valve hole.

Then fill with air using a pressure gauged pump. The air will start to get compressed in the cylinder. Because of how rigid aluminium is compared to rubber, it will not pop under extreme pressure.
If you are still worried you can just make a case for it to keep it secure.

Finished

Your Air cylinder should be filled with compressed air now. You can attach a bike pump adaptor to a blowgun and shoot pellets and BB's.

(Working on a Video Demo.)