My friends and I got bored recently and made a spud gun. After building it and firing it,

I want to make a more reliable, and less expensive sparker than the grill igniter we used.


I'm trying to think of a way to use a battery ( 9V or something ) and a spark plug. If I

were to connect a 9V to a spark plug, would that necessarily work? I haven't run out to

try this yet, but I would think some kind of capacitor would have to be in place to build

up some kind of charge. Any electrical gurus out there?

Use a coil, spark plug and a battery.

Stun gun powered by 9v battery. Enough said

Edit to mention: You can find ones of decent enough quality for this project at a flea market that has a knife/sword stand. Usually either a 9v or 2 AA batteries power them. ~$20 IIRC from the local market. Or they can probably be had online for cheap as well...

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 01-14-2010).]

Champion spark plugs are the best!

quote Originally posted by Patrick's Dad: Champion spark plugs are the best!

I wouldnt put a Champion spark plug in a dogs butt. hehe

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: I wouldnt put a Champion spark plug in a dogs butt. hehe

agreed.... only a chrysler...

I think that this was what I was referring to.

quote Originally posted by leppy_89: My friends and I got bored recently and made a spud gun. After building it and firing it, I want to make a more reliable, and less expensive sparker than the grill igniter we used. I'm trying to think of a way to use a battery ( 9V or something ) and a spark plug. If I were to connect a 9V to a spark plug, would that necessarily work? I haven't run out to try this yet, but I would think some kind of capacitor would have to be in place to build up some kind of charge. Any electrical gurus out there?

What problems are you having with the grill sparker? I built two spud guns using push button grill sparkers ($10 each from home depot). We use them in the summers. They are now over 3 years old and the sparkers are still working perfectly. I had to replace the wiring inside the gun (I run wires from the sparker to inside the chamber so I can get a dual spark) last summer because the acid from the apples we shoot corroded them a bit, but that was just a few inches of wire and four screws, a negligible cost.

[This message has been edited by ditch (edited 01-14-2010).]

Never thought of a stun gun. That would be crazy effective.


I thought about the coil idea from a car, but that was a little more than I felt like spending.


The problem with the grill igniter is it was crap. 90% of the time when you push the button,

it won't spark. Its just a faulty igniter, and instead of spending another $12 on another one,

I wanted to find something cheaper and a little bit easier. I figured if I can figure out a way

to get a spark plug to fire, it'll never foul out and the wires won't ever have to be messed with.

quote Originally posted by Patrick's Dad: I think that this was what I was referring to.

Yep, nothing like digging out some classic stimpy to wake a thread up.

These work REALLY well for me,and it gives you a really nice easy to use trigger, or you can install your own.

http://www.harborfreight.co...taf?Itemnumber=40122

I run 2 bolts into the PVC that almost touch, actually 4 in total for 2 big sparks. Coupled with propane/mapp gas injection, it fires every time, period.

[This message has been edited by darkhorizon (edited 01-14-2010).]