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ELDER POPGUN PRIMER
- "An Hour Before Daylight": This is the title of the memoir. It refers to the mandatory, relentless rhythm of life on his family's farm where work began long before the sun rose. [1, 2]
- Chinaberry & Pop Guns: Growing up without store-bought toys, Carter and the children of the sharecroppers on his farm made their own playthings. They would craft homemade "pop guns" from hollowed-out elderberry or chinaberry stalks, utilizing the hard berries as ammunition to shoot at one another.
I found out about using potatoes instead of chinaberries and sharpening the end of the barrel from this video.
Making a spud gun from elder. Easy kids whittling project
I had to pack the wad for Sawyer because it took some muscle to pack that successful shot but I put it the right spot within the barrel and we got maximum performance: POP!
Popgun
 A popgun | |
| Type | Toy weapon |
|---|---|
| Availability | 17th century (documented)–present |
| Materials | Wood, metal, plastic |
| Features | Pneumatic (compressed air) |
A popgun (also spelled pop gun or pop-gun) is a simple pneumatic toy weapon that uses compressed air (usually via piston action, though sometimes via spring pressure) to expel a lightweight projectile, typically a small tethered or untethered object, producing a distinctive popping sound. Popguns are among the earliest known mechanical toys based on air pressure and have been documented in Europe since at least the 17th century. Unlike pneumatic air rifles intended for target shooting, popguns are designed for low-velocity play, emphasising mechanical feedback and acoustics.
Although primarily associated with children's play, the popgun has also been used to demonstrate pneumatic principles, and appears in figurative language to describe something weak or ineffective.
Etymology
The word popgun is a compound of pop, an imitative explosive sound, and gun. Its earliest English usage is recorded in the 1620s.[1]
Description
A popgun typically consists of a tubular barrel and a closely fitting piston or plunger that compresses air behind a projectile. When actuated, the compressed air forces the projectile, commonly a cork, foam or paper wad, or soft rubber plug, out of the barrel with an audible "pop".[2] Other variants do not launch the obstruction, but simply create a loud noise. This mechanism consists of a hollow cylindrical barrel which is sealed at one end with the projectile and at the other with a long-handled plunger.[3]
Design
Popguns operate through basic pneumatic compression. A typical design includes:
- A cylindrical barrel
- A piston or plunger with an airtight seal
- One or more soft projectiles
When the plunger is pushed into the barrel, the air pressure behind the projectile increases until it is expelled. The sudden release of pressure produces the characteristic "popping" sound.
In some designs, two plugs are used in sequence, creating alternating compression and vacuum effects that amplify the sound.
Physics and mechanism
The fundamental operation of a popgun is based on Boyle's Law, which states that, at a constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume:
| Pressure is inversely proportional to the volume |
where P is the pressure of the gas, V is the volume of the gas.
As the volume V is decreased by pushing the plunger, the internal pressure P increases.
The process follows the mechanical sequence:
- Sealing: The projectile is firmly seated in the muzzle, creating an airtight seal.
- Compression: The user rapidly advances the plunger. This reduces the volume of the air trapped between the plunger head and the plug.
- Threshold: As the volume decreases, the internal pressure rises.
- Ejection: Once the force exceeds the static friction holding the plug in the barrel, the plug is launched. The rapid expansion of air and the subsequent vibration of the barrel walls produce the signature "pop".
History
Popguns were historically constructed from natural materials such as hollow plant stems, especially elder (Sambucus nigra), and fitted with carved wooden plungers. Children commonly used berries, peas, or damp paper as ammunition. Such devices were widespread in rural Europe and North America and were often described in 18th- and 19th-century instructional literature for children.
Various types of popguns have been described, such as popguns made of a hollowed-out alder, willow, or elder branch in Texas and in Appalachia in the early 1900s, used to fire a wad of paper.[4] Similarly an 1864 American children's book advises using a piece of elder with an iron rod as the piston, shooting pieces of "moistened tow".[5] a similar anecdote from Alabama in the early 20th century used an elder tube, oak piston, and fired peas or chinaberries.[6] Similar tube-and-plunger toys, firing small stones, were used by the Plains Indians and Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest,[7][page needed] though these may post-date European contact.[8] Similar toys were found in other American Indian cultures.[9][page needed]
The popgun evolved from a primitive folk toy into a mass-produced consumer product. By the mid-19th century, popguns began to be manufactured commercially, often from turned wood with leather-sealed pistons. American companies like Upton & Co. and later Daisy Manufacturing began producing lithographed tin and steel popguns. These often featured "break-action" loading mechanisms similar to real shotguns to appeal to the "Wild West" cultural trends of the time.
In the 20th century, metal and plastic versions became common as industrial toy production expanded.[10] During the Second World War, shortages of metal led to increased production of wooden toys, including popguns, as substitutes for more complex items.[11][12]
The guy who wrote this story didn't know what a chinaberry was! Chewing on Sugar Cane and Shooting Pop Guns | Cajun Food, Louisiana History, and a Little Lagniappe
Facebook chinaberries
DEEP POP GUN!!! Pop gun — Grokipedia
