converting a paintbal gun to throw line for cable pulling

Bill D · Oct 28, 2013

I saw a$10 paintball gun at a thrift store then other day. Since I have co2 I wonder about making a arrow to shot a string across an attic to pull electric cables, phone lines etc. Could the line be fishing line from a zebco reel? Or would there be too much resistance. I think I have seen crossbows for this. A paintball gun could have a elbow on the end and fire round a corner if it was a muzzle loader.
Bill D.

Pete F · Oct 28, 2013

Ha ha, now THIS I gotta see!

oldbikerdude37 · Oct 29, 2013

The little kids bow and arrow set work real well up in false ceilings. I learned that trick from a telephone company employee.

Pet rats have been used to fish cord around corners to pull network cable in old school buildings.

SeymourDumore · Oct 29, 2013

thermite said:
F***s sake. A few 10' lengths of small-diameter (semi) rigid plastic pipe, some duct tape and a coat hangar and

Bill

/or the simple electrical snake.
Just take a 15- 20' section, hammer it straight, tape your whatever to it and fish it through anything in any way you want.

Sea Farmer · Oct 29, 2013

A FANTASTIC idea!

You will need a small child at the other end of the attic to catch the arrow.

Use a barbed metal tipped arrow so if he misses the catch you can find it anyways. Not all kids are coordinated, but the arrow should stick out somewhere.

:nutter:

DocsMachine · Oct 29, 2013

It's been done.

The tricky part for a DIY setup is the projectile. A "dart" shape is best, but it has to fill the bore, but not too tightly, and pull the string from the center at the tail end. Tie it to the shaft or side and the drag pulls the dart off-kilter.

Also, the dart can't be too heavy- a paintball is only a little over 3 grams. Add too much more and you won't have much for range.

Doc.

SAG 180 · Oct 29, 2013

This is your chance to buy a quad-copter as a tax deduction, why mess around with paintball guns?.

Woverbay · Oct 29, 2013

Okay as a paintball player i will tell you your idea has many many many flaws. aside from the fact your going to have to make a projectile that is light weight has enough pressure to launch said projectile wile maintaining the .688 +/- .004 that a typical bore of a paintball marker would will have to raise the operating pressure way beyond designed limits to achieve this. Dont reinvent the wheel or reengineer something to do a task that it was never designed to do. Your asking to hurt yourself or some one else.

Cole2534 · Oct 29, 2013

I worked with an electronics contractor in college that had something very similar. I was only there when they tried it once and it was less than spectacular. It was hard to get the pull string through all the obstacles and then we lost a dart in the insulation.

Wpala · Oct 29, 2013

Just buy a hand held spear gun if this is the way you want to do it all the parts are there dart string and adjustable power, I personally wouldn't recommend that technique but sure sound like the "red neck engineering" most likely will work but too many chances of things that can go wrong
Paul

crossthread · Oct 29, 2013

I don't know how well it would work in an attic but I had to pull wire and plastic pipe through the very low crawl space of my house. i borrowed my grandsons little remote controlled four wheeler and it easily pulled the pull rope and probably could have pulled the wire and pipe it had so much power.

Cole2534 · Oct 29, 2013

Woverbay said:
Okay as a paintball player i will tell you your idea has many many many flaws. aside from the fact your going to have to make a projectile that is light weight has enough pressure to launch said projectile wile maintaining the .688 +/- .004 that a typical bore of a paintball marker would will have to raise the operating pressure way beyond designed limits to achieve this. Dont reinvent the wheel or reengineer something to do a task that it was never designed to do. Your asking to hurt yourself or some one else.

Ya, I agree, there's no way we could ever hit a nominal OD within .004".

And what's this nonsense about raising pressure? The marker already has an internal reg to protect itself and the balls, leave it set and you're golden.

Next you'll tell me it's a bad idea to use a PB marker to launch lit fireworks...

DDoug · Oct 29, 2013

Trying to get a rope up over a tree (to help pull it for cutting)
I bought an "uber slingshot" called "hyperdog" for launching
tennis balls.

I welded a little bracket to hold a cheap fishing reel undeneath.

Make sure you push the little "release button" before attempting
a launch......

Worked fairly well, and getting bonked with a tennis ball 'aint too bad.

BobRenz · Oct 29, 2013

We use a radio controlled toy monster truck to pull a line over the ceiling tiles - the line is then used to pull whatever we need to pull, usually CAT-5 cables

boaterri · Oct 29, 2013

I have used a youth bow and arrow with fishing line to run cables above a suspended ceiling in a commercial building. Most worked well, a few misdirected shots due to wires used to hold up the ceiling grid.

Rick

Bill D · Oct 29, 2013

I notice the link has no prices shown. yes it is easy enough to use pipe etc if you can get into the attric. Problem is they installed a whole house fan in my attic door.
So when I added another fixture from my existing porch light I had to do it through the new box hole. With very little clearance above the bend was too sharp for my fish stick and it broke the joint and I lost half of the sections. Ended up drilling a small hole in the siding at the end of the porch roof and fished it straight from there. I had to pull the gutter off anyway so I opened up the eaves to help align it from the side. I needed to vent the porch roof anyway.
Bill D.

WizardOfBoz · Oct 29, 2013

The old methods are best. Why not adapt a lifesaving gun (the small cannon that shot lifelines to foundering ships from either the shore or other ships). It WILL get the line through to whatever location you aim at. The downside is patching the hole in the exterior wall where the projectile exited.

DDoug · Oct 29, 2013

Nieghbor machinist bored a oxygen cylinder (bottom was cut-off)
for something....bore to fit sample.....sample is bowling ball.

Nick · Oct 29, 2013

I have used one of these 36 ft fiberglass measuring poles with a hook on the end. Either tie a string to the hook and push it or use it to snag the wire and pull it to you.

dsergison · Oct 29, 2013

they make them

here is a greenlee cheapie lookng model.
Fishing With A Dart Gun | Toolmonger

paintball gun based
Laserline - CO2 Cable Caster Gun - Walectric Online

I made a small toy crossbow based one.
similar cheap ones made here. including slingshots, which should not be over looked.
http://www.newtribe.com/technical.html

the concept works excelent.

no reason to pay those prices if you wish to make one.

converting a paintbal gun to throw line for cable pulling

Diamond

Titanium

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Titanium

Plastic

Diamond

Plastic

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Cast Iron

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Similar threads