In this article, the author of the YouTube channel "NightHawkInLight" will tell you how to make a javelin thrower and fire spears yourself.
Materials
- PVC pipe
- tee
- Thin-walled tin pipe
- Steel wool
- Copper wire
- Reinforced tape.
Instruments, used by the author.
-, cutting disc
- Vise, knife, marker, hacksaw, scissors, pliers
—
— .
Manufacturing process.
The javelin thrower, which will be discussed, will allow you to launch a spear or harpoon twice as far as the distance at which a person’s hand can throw it. Compare the two amplitudes of the flying spear.
Initially, the author was going to make a javelin thrower of wood, as it has been done for many thousands of years. He had a maple board at hand. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the author came to the conclusion that the poor arrangement of the fibers makes the structure too fragile.
So, he chooses a PVC tube as the material. I’m borrowing this idea from the backyard Bowyer’s channel. This is a tube 60 cm long and half an inch in diameter.
On one side of the tube he makes a small cut, for which darts could catch. This groove should be deep enough so that it can catch on the end of the spear.
A much more difficult phase of the project is to give the tube a curved shape. To do this, the author gently warms up the PVC with a construction hairdryer or gas burner until the plastic becomes as soft as rubber. You can then flatten the tube by clamping it between two wooden blocks. But you can leave it as it is. This is a purely aesthetic issue. Much more important is to give the tube a neat bend.
Next, the author warms up the hook, and bends it outward, so that it has tight contact with the shank of the spear.
Another innovation of the author is a plastic adapter, which will act as a handle.
Spears will be made from half inch PVC. These tubes have thinner walls and, accordingly, a lower weight. You will need a tube about 1.5 meters long for each spear.
These will be fire spears, so that the tip of the tube will be bound by iron, which will not allow the plastic to melt. A half-inch steel pipe 25 cm long will serve as a spear tip and a protective coating against fire. This part of the spear is easiest to do in a vice, but you can also use a hammer.
So, part of the pipe is made flat, and then cut to the point with a grinder or a hand saw.
In this form, the tip will delaminate and its aerodynamic properties will not be the best. Therefore, the author gives him a spoon-like shape with a hammer. In this case, both layers will be tightly fitted to each other. Now the tip will not bend or split when it hits a hard surface.
To freely put on a steel pipe on PVC, you have to cut the plastic along. Then the tube will possibly be flattened somewhat. A steel pipe will easily reach the point where the cut ends, and then its landing will become more dense. Now the tip will not slip.
To fly in a straight line, a dart needs tail stabilizers. The author constructs them from reinforced adhesive tape. One section of it is glued along the tube on one side, and the other on the opposite. As a result, both cuts stick together. This gives the fin rigidity. The same author repeats three times.
With scissors, the author gives the wings an aerodynamic shape.
It's time to try what these darts are capable of. They turned out to be heavier than similar wooden ones. However, making them was easier, and at a cost, plastic came out cheaper than wood.
To turn these darts into fiery ones, it is enough to drill a through hole in a steel tube, pass a copper wire through it and bend it in the form of two hooks looking forward. They are needed in order to hold combustible material.
In this project, the author used extruded thin steel wool. Material of this type burns strongly enough so as not to go out in flight.
The author wraps the tip of the spear with this material in the place where the hooks are built. Steel chips ignite from a lighter or from a 9-volt battery.
The flight of the spear resembles the launch of a firework. A spectacular sight.
Be sure to follow the fire safety rules!
Thanks to the author for a simple but interesting idea for entertainment!
All good mood, good luck, and interesting ideas!
Author video can be found here.