Aerosol Powered Paintball Gun

In this instructable I will show you how to make your own aerosol powered paintball gun. Using an old antacid bottle, a barrel from a paintball gun, and a piezo electric ignition switch. This gun will shoot a paintball over 100 yards.

You will need: Empty antacid bottle, piezo electric ignition switch, barrel from a paintball gun, carpet tacks, electrical tape, and drill with a step bit.

You can find these piezo electric switches inside any electric lighter. Such as a cricket lighter or a grill lighter. Just disassemble the lighter and find the rectangle piece with one or two wires coming out of it.

Now you need to drill a hole in the bottom of the antacid bottle. The hole should be slightly smaller than the base of the barrel, so you can thread the barrel into it. I did this using a drillpress with a step drill bit.

This is an optional step that is not needed if all you plan to shoot is paintballs. I on the other hand, intend to see just what all this gun is capable of. So I put in a wire stopper across the bottom of the barrel. This will keep anything small from slidding down into the ignition chamber.

Drill two small holes in the bottom of the barrel directly across from one another. Insert a small length of wire through them. Leave the ends long enough that they stick up through the bottle to keep it stretched tight.

Push the barrel into the whole you drilled in the bottom of the antacid bottle. Make sure the wires are sticking through and snip off the extra.

Now take your carpet tacks and push them through the antacid bottle, just below where the neck starts to curve. Keep them about a quarter inch apart so that you can get a spark to jump from one point to the other.

Then attach a small length of wire to each one. Attach the other end of one of those wires to the wire coming off of the piezo electric ignition switch. Loop the other wire around the bottom of the switch. Click your switch and check for spark on the pointy ends of the carpet tacks inside the bottle. If you don't get any spark after a few clicks, you may need to move the tacks closer together.

Use the electrical tape to tape up all the electrical connections. Then tape all your wires to the bottle, putting your switch in a convenient spot.

Get some hairspray or other flammable aresol spray. Load a paintball in the top of the barrel and push it down with a stick. Take the lid off of the antacid bottle. Spray a quick burst of hairspray into the bottle and quickly put the cap back on. Point in a safe direction (don't forget this has a long range) and click the ignition switch. You should get a nice bang and some good distance out of the paintball. I hope you enjoy and have fun. Please use responsibly and be careful!