Water gun
A water gun or spray gun is a toy that can be used to squirt liquids .
design
Water pistols are mostly based on handguns , with models made of colorful, often semi-transparent plastic as well as realistic replicas of real weapons. But they can also have the shape of animals or other figures.
There are water pistols from 1915 that are made of sheet metal.
Since the 1990s, extra-large versions, so-called soakers (from English 'to soak' = soak through / soak) have also been widespread, which differ from classic water pistols in terms of their large capacity and long range; they are sometimes referred to as water guns or water cannons .
function
Filling
The liquid is either filled into a hollow interior or into a separate tank , which is then screwed onto the toy. The tank size goes up to several liters .
shoot
With classic water pistols, the trigger pumps the filled water directly from the tank to the muzzle. There is a short burst of water over a short range.
Many newer models are significantly larger. Here, pressure is first built up by a pump. Either the air pressure in the water tank is increased or the liquid is pumped into a pressure tank or hose. When the trigger is pulled, the discharge opening of the pressure tank opens so that a larger amount of water escapes under high pressure. This means that ranges of several meters can be achieved over a longer period of time.
In the less common automatic water guns, the water pressure is built up with a battery-operated pump.
application
The water pistol is usually used by children and does not cause serious harm. It is a popular toy, especially in summer, to get each other wet and thus achieve a cooling effect while playing.
Individual evidence
Web links
- Water pistols
- How water pistols (English)
- Water pistol museum ( Memento from November 23, 2005 in the Internet Archive )