How To Make a BIC Pen Launcher

Intro : BIC Pen Launcher

In this instructable, the bic pen launcher can be used anywhere, at work, in school, at home, your choice! The materials are very easy to find, again, you can find them at home, get them from your friends, or even take them from your co-workers! Also, the last page will tell you how to make good ammo for the launcher as well!

What you will need is:

- A classic Bic mechanical pencil
- 2 classic Bic pens (those with caps, not the clicky things)
- Duct tape (it is stronger than normal tape)
- A rubber band (medium sized)
- A couple small paperclips / A piece of paper / A couple BB's - These are the AMMO
- Scissors and pliers

First Step : Removing Unneeded Parts

Now take your pens and mechanical pencil and open them up. For the pens all you will need are the bottom parts (kind of like caps but not the real caps covering the ink) and one of the tubes of the pens, everything else you can throw away or keep for future projects.

As for the mechanical pencil, take out the eraser and take out the lead inside (if there is any). Now take off the cap by either twisting it off or using your pliers to ply it out. Now press the clicky part (the bottom part which you use to add lead) and hold it there. Then using your scissors, cut the thin part that comes out of the mechanical pencil's tube when you click it, now your inside part of the mechanical pencil should come out of the tubing. All you will need is the inside part of the mechanical pencil, again, the rest can be thrown out or stored for later use.

Step 2 : Preparing the "Launching Mechanism"

In this step, take your rubber band and make a cut in it so that it is "open." Now use your inside part of the mechanical pencil and where the eraser used to be, make two little cuts, one in front of the other, so that if you look directly at it from its side, there is a little hole only about 2 millimeters wide in the part that held the eraser. Now check if your rubber band fits "snuggly" inside, and if any changes need to be made then make them, like widening the hole for example.

Step 3 : Secure the "Launching Mechanism"

Now, attach the inside part of the mechanical pencil into the pen's tube. Then take the rubber band and wrap it so that each end should be stretched to a good amount (not too much though) with one being in one side of the tube at the top, going through the hole in the eraser part of the mechanical pencil and the other end being parallel to the first end. Since this is kind of hard to understand, I would recommend just looking at the picture as a guide.

Once the rubber band is in place take a piece of tape and secure it where you are holding it. Apply a good amount of tape so that it doesn't slip out. Now test it out, just pull back the eraser part of the mechanical pencil and let go, if it is too tight or too loose, adjust the tape and how far it is being stretched.

Last Step : Making the Ammo

There are many different forms of ammo that can be used. The most practical and easy-to-find ammo is just a crumbled up piece of paper, or even a spit ball. However, the "deadliest" is the "WASP," which is just a paper clip with a simple fold. To make the wasp take a small paper clip and fold both sides inward so that they meet at about an 80 degree angle, a little less than a perfect corner. To use it to shoot, just pull back the eraser end of the mechanical pencil attach one end of the wasp (or a crumbled up piece of paper or spit ball), aim, and let go, this ranges very well, it shot a small BB at least 50 feet and a crumbled up piece of paper a good 20 feet.

source : instructables.com