Right, so the other day, needed a water gun. The ones you buy in the shops? Flimsy plastic, break after five minutes. Or they cost a small fortune. Decided to just make one myself. How hard could it be?

Turns out, harder than you'd think if you want it to actually work decently. You basically need a few bits:

• Something to hold water. A plastic bottle works.
• Something to push the water out. Some kind of pump thingy.
• A tube or nozzle for the water to squirt from.
• Ways to connect it all without it leaking everywhere. This is the tricky part.

Getting Started

First, I rummaged around the shed. Found an old plastic soda bottle, seemed sturdy enough. Then looked for some tubing. Had some clear vinyl tube left over from some other project, maybe for a fish tank? Can't remember. Looked about the right size.

The pump part was the headache. I didn't have a neat little pump mechanism lying around. Tried rigging something up with a bicycle pump first. That was a non-starter. Too bulky, connection was awkward.

Then I remembered those cheap spray bottles, the ones for cleaning stuff or watering plants. They have that trigger pump mechanism. Sacrificed one of those. Pulled the pump and trigger assembly out. It already had a little tube attached that goes into the bottle.

Putting it Together (and Failing a Bit)

Okay, plan was: attach the spray bottle pump to the soda bottle cap, run the longer vinyl tube out from where the spray nozzle used to be.

Drilled a hole in the soda bottle cap. Tried to fit the pump assembly in. Bit loose. Needed sealing. Used some hot glue first. Big mistake. Held for about two seconds, then leaked water when I tested it. Hot glue and water pressure don't mix well, apparently.

Cleaned that mess up. Tried again. This time, drilled a slightly smaller hole, forced the pump base in for a tighter fit. Then used some silicone sealant I had for bathroom stuff. Let that cure properly overnight. You gotta be patient with sealant, learned that the hard way fixing leaky pipes last year. Rushing it just means doing it twice.

Next, attaching the outlet tube. Pulled the original little nozzle off the pump. Pushed the vinyl tube onto the outlet. Had to warm the end of the tube in hot water to make it flexible enough to stretch over the pump's outlet stub. Secured it with a small cable tie just to be sure.

Drilled another small hole near the top of the bottle, just a tiny one, as an air inlet. Otherwise, you create a vacuum and it stops pumping after a few squirts.

Testing and Finishing Up

Filled the bottle partway with water, screwed the cap with the pump assembly on tight. Gave the trigger a few pumps. It worked! Water squirted out the end of the tube. Not a super powerful jet like those expensive Super Soaker things, but a decent stream.

And crucially, the cap sealant held. No leaks this time.

It looks a bit rough, obviously. Just a soda bottle with a spray trigger sticking out the top and a clear tube dangling off it. But it does the job. Made it myself, cost practically nothing except a sacrificed spray bottle and some sealant.

Sometimes these simple projects are more satisfying than the complicated stuff I deal with usually. Less talk, more doing. Just figure it out, stick things together, see if it works. Good enough.