How to Make a Rubber Band Machine Gun

How to Make a Rubber Band Machine Gun thumbnail
A rubber band machine gun is cheap and easy to make, and delivers a lot of fun.

A rubber band gun is a simple toy that requires little effort to make and can provide hours of fun for children and even some adults. A toy like this gives you the ability to fire multiple rubber bands at a time without having to reload another rubber band, like other simple designs for rubber band guns. This means that with a rubber band machine gun, you have the ability to hit multiple "targets" at once.

Things You'll Need

  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Yarn
  • Rubber bands
  • Knife
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut four or five notches into the top of a ruler, depending on how many rubber bands you plan to launch in rapid succession. You'll use these notches to hold the rubber bands in place and keep them from getting them tangled with each other or flying back at you.

    • 2

      Pull some yarn out of its spool until you have an amount equal to the length of your ruler. Do not cut the yarn at this time. The yarn will act as your "trigger," so you need to make sure you'll have enough room when you're done to pull on it with your fingers. If you don't have access to yarn, you can use string as a substitute, however, yarn is a little stronger and therefore won't break as easily when you pull on it.

    • 3

      Lay the yarn and ruler on a flat surface. Place the ruler perpendicularly on top of the yarn, with the two crossing about 1 inch from one end of the ruler.

    • 4

      Tie the end of the yarn into a knot around the ruler, leaving most of the yarn unused. Tie the knot tightly, so the ruler won't slip out of the yarn.

    • 5

      Wrap the yarn around the ruler five or more times, then tie another knot. Cut off the shorter piece of excess yarn from the knot and leave the longer one still attached to the spool until you're ready to fire the rubber bands.

    • 6

      Wrap the yarn around the ruler one more time, then stretch a rubber band over the ruler lengthwise. Put one of end of the rubber band into one of the notches. Repeat this process until you've filled each of the notches, lining up the rubber bands next to each other without any overlap. Putting the rubber bands in the notches like this will keep them from falling into each other or snapping back and hitting you.

    • 7

      Cut the remaining length of yarn, leaving at least 6 inches to serve as the trigger to pull on.

    • 8

      Grip the ruler from the bottom without pressing on any of the rubber bands and pull on the string to release the first rubber band. The faster you pull, the faster the rubber bands will fire.

Tips & Warnings

  • If you don't have a ruler or a paint mixer any small piece of wood in the shape and size of these objects will work for this project.

  • Wear protective gloves when cutting the notches into the wood. Never fire the rubber bands at people or animals.

Related Searches:

References

Resources

  • Photo Credit Rubber Bands image by MrGreenBug from Fotolia.com

Comments

You May Also Like

Related Ads

Featured