Shoot a matchstick with power, blast toothpicks into fruit, and lob fiery darts over twenty feet!

01

CLOTHESPIN GUN

SAFETY KEY:

+ Sharp Objects

SKILL LEVEL:

EASY

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

APPROXIMATE TIME:

20 minutes

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

+ Wooden clothespin with metal spring

+ Wood glue

+ Scrap paper

+ Sharpie

+ Utility knife

+ Wooden matchsticks

+ Fruit (for target practice)

 

LET’S BEGIN

BUILDING YOUR POCKET PISTOL

1.  Push on the clothespin sideways to break the tension, separate the pieces, and remove the spring.

2.  Hold the two wooden pieces back to back so the notches line up near the center. Using the Sharpie, mark the top piece about half an inch from the hole. Color from the mark up to the notch, and add an angled marking on the bottom.

3.  Color in the sections of the pin that you’ll be cutting away.

4.  With your utility knife, carefully carve out all of the areas marked with your Sharpie.

Notch carved out more on lower right in diagram

5.  Add a dab of wood glue to a piece of scrap paper. Carefully slide the pieces facedown through the glue and press them together. Wipe away any excess glue and let sit for about ten minutes.

6.  Push one end of the spring into the inner chamber, and hook the other end over the outside notch that you carved out following the angled mark. With the spring in place, your pocket gun is finished and ready for action!

TARGET PRACTICE

All we need now is ammunition! Slide a matchstick loosely into the gun barrel. As you push in the match, the gun cocks itself automatically and is instantly ready to fire. You can hold it just like a little pistol, and when you’re ready to shoot, simply pull the trigger. It’s amazing to see how much power is in the spring!

ALSO TRY: If you’re feeling really adventurous, try lighting the matches first, then lobbing the fiery darts high into the air.

TARGET PRACTICE WITH FRUIT: If you break off the tip of the match, it exposes a broader surface, propelling it faster. Test it on an apple; it will impale the apple. The closer you are, the deeper it penetrates.

Now you can turn a simple clothespin into a spring-loaded pocket pistol! Experiment with different ways to fire them, from accuracy shots to soaring flames, with this mini weapon of mass satisfaction.

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FUN FACT: There were over one hundred US patents issued for clothespins between 1852 and 1857. Clothespins lost their value quickly in 1938 when the first electric clothes dryer was introduced to the public.

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