The idea is simple, the execution eludes us.

We fill a pipe with batteries, rigged together and (probably with the help of a capacitor) create a charge that shocks the person who attempts to "bend" the pipe.

What do you think this idea needs to become a reality?

The only rules are: Cheap - Simple - Effective and Non-Lethal (its a prank, not a death sentence)

You're going to have to complete a circuit somehow. One half of the pipe will need to be positive and one half will need to be negative for this to happen, with an insulator in between so that the person holding it acts as the connection. "A couple of batteries and a capacitor" aren't going to put out near enough voltage to get through the resistance of a human body, so your best bet is rigging up some sort of high voltage/low amperage transformer deal to accomplish this.

Easiest way? Take apart a stun gun.

Exactly, you would also need to think of a way to activate/trigger the device.

What kind of pipe? Drainage pipe that connects to your guttering? Tobacco pipe?

Some tinkering last night led me to take apart a disposable camera.

Disconnected the circuit board from the unit, secured a AA battery into the terminal.

This is where we abandoned the pipe idea.

We ran a wire from each lead on the capacitor to a chunk of aluminum foil...

This was good because when we instructed an unsuspecting volunteer to "twist the two pieces together" the moment they held the foil in each hand they were zapped.

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Later we refined the design and installed a switch between the capacitor lead and one of the pieces of foil.
While they were connecting the two pieces of foil, I flicked a switch and they were zapped. Awesome!

But much to our dismay, someone recharged the system without turning off the switch... a volunteer got zapped when they grabbed the foil, threw them at each other and the switch shorted out internally (it was the type of switch with a red LED when the power was on)

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Anybody wanna build off of this? I'm thinking the camera flash capacitor may be a little too large, as at least one of our volunteers decided NEVER TO TOUCH the foil again because his hand was numb.

Bump for suggestions?

Not really. I'm not 100% sure how all models work, but I'm betting a stun gun with the terminals placed far enough apart wouldn't arc, but if it were active would shock the shit out of whoever closed the circuit with their body while consuming minimal battery power while it... isn't. I'm not sure if a stun gun can operate for long periods of time without a spark gap, though. And they probably aren't rated to be run continuously anyway.

If you have the stun gun, but the gap is too far for it to jump, then the batteries would slowly drain. It'd essentially be a break in the circuit, but since it's high voltage, the air would conduct a small amount.
What I suggest doing is taking a plastic pipe, such as PVC. then stylishly paint on the outside with metallic paint. that way, you could have the two ends isolated from each other, and yet nobody would notice. I'd go to the dollar store ect. and pick up a prank buzzer, you can take the guts and just stuff them in the pipe. Lastly put some end caps on the pipe so nobody can see the wires running to the paint.
I'll try drawing up a shitty paint.

Edit Something like this:


the red and black likes on the outside of the pipe would be your painting, If you go with something like flames/tribal, you can even have them intertwined partially (dont go too far, you have to be able to hold it without being shocked.) I'd also stuff the pipe with foam/packing peanuts for when the pipe inevitabry gets thrown at something or someone.

Wear a backpack with a car battery in it, hook up some transformers or capacitors or some shit, attach it to the prod.