pummeled participle of tenacious tenacity

[kopcicle]

Or , how to attempt a weapon of mass destruction with PVC pipe, an irrigation valve and a surplus of tennis balls.

I've been building these . First high pressure test was an unweighted ball, straight up. I lost it in the clouds. Estimate it was 350' up.

Weighted 4oz tennis ball trailing construction line was at least 150'. The issue is a balance between enough weight to pull the line down the far side and height of launch. 4 to 6 ounce is the sweet spot. I need to look into options for a bit less line friction as in braided Dacron fishing line , Monofiliment , etc.

On a safety note, 6 Oz produces significant recoil. Do not load when pressurized , can you imagine a discharge when you were standing over it ramming a ball home? Do not use when freezing as the PVC is brittle. Don't point it at anything you don't intend to hurt, injure or maim, do the math, if it doesn't kill something or someone it will hurt. Just treat it as a weapon.

I have some advantages for construction. A lathe makes for precision press fits of the tubing as well as a bit of flaring on the inside of the reservoir for extra strength. I have several small compressors that work well up to 100 PSI @ 120 VAC. The 12V compressors not so much.

The inspiration for this was http://www.antennalaunchers.com/csv19/csv19asm.html and
http://www.antennalaunchers.com/antlaunching.html Many thanks.

So even if you don't need an antenna launcher it comes in handy for removing Jehovah's Witness from the front porch, shooting potatoes at hardware cloth for french fries, modern day Johnny Appleseed by just randomly shooting apples all over the neighborhood, pummeling wildlife, snowball cannon for those that hate to loose snowball fights, discouraging the Fuller brush man, and other random acts of anarchy .

So get with it boys and girls! Your bail bondsman awaits!

Not sold in stores
use responsibly
batteries not included
may cause injury or blindness
no guarantees implied
only your local plumbing department knows for sure....

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I would never have made it from PVC. I made one several years ago from ABS. Much stronger. Mine however uses a fuel such as hair spray or some other flammable spray. I used a BBQ igniter as the trigger. The bore is smaller and the combustion chamber is bigger. Sounds like a shotgun going off. Fun for the whole family especially when the cops show up after an asshole neighbor reports discharging a gun too close to homes. We live in a rural area. Sometimes the cop even takes pictures of it so he can make one for his kids too. LOL

 

[338_MtRushmore]

It's amazing how difficult it can be to get the air/fuel ratio perfect. I have seen a few that use automatic air freshener dispensers that somewhat regulate the fuel. Worked pretty well. Just be careful

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I got it down pretty good but it took a little time. I just count in my head to four or five and quickly screw the "breech" back on the end. That seems to work for my size gun.....I mean cannon......I mean bazooka. I use Pantene hair spray but I tried some other fuels including WD-40 but the hair spray worked the best of those I tried.

 

[PA629]

Use propane for the fuel. Check here:

https://www.spudtech.com/detail.asp?id=42

This guy has everything you'll ever need.

 

[kopcicle]

I got it down pretty good but it took a little time. I just count in my head to four or five and quickly screw the "breech" back on the end. That seems to work for my size gun.....I mean cannon......I mean bazooka. I use Pantene hair spray but I tried some other fuels including WD-40 but the hair spray worked the best of those I tried.

Hairspray, inconsistent and residue
Oxy-Fuel mixes dangerous
Propane inconsistent or dangerous with fuel
I've used them all and simply put Oxy-Acetylene is scary dangerous . Get it lean and it doesn't burn it detonates. Get it in the presence or copper (copper acetylide? sp) and it's shock sensitive or just goes off on its own .

Air pressure is repeatable, recordable and a bit safer.

 

[2RT307]

I got it down pretty good but it took a little time. I just count in my head to four or five and quickly screw the "breech" back on the end. That seems to work for my size gun.....I mean cannon......I mean bazooka. I use Pantene hair spray but I tried some other fuels including WD-40 but the hair spray worked the best of those I tried.

I think we used Aqua Net. Got a really cool purple flame shooting out the end. Then the sheriff came.

73,
Brett

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Hairspray, inconsistent and residue
Oxy-Fuel mixes dangerous
Propane inconsistent or dangerous with fuel
I've used them all and simply put Oxy-Acetylene is scary dangerous . Get it lean and it doesn't burn it detonates. Get it in the presence or copper (copper acetylide? sp) and it's shock sensitive or just goes off on its own .

Air pressure is repeatable, recordable and a bit safer.

I have no issues with the hair spray. I get ignition every time. It took a few tries to get it right but I did. Also there is little to no residue in my rig. From the flame out the barrel I would say it ALL burns up. LOL The potato ammo etc leaves more behind. LOL I didn't build it to shoot tennis balls over trees to string antennas up anyway. I built it to have some fun with the kids with and annoy the idiot neighbor I had at the time. It must have worked. He packed up and moved, basically abandoning the house, several years ago.

 

[kopcicle]

I have no issues with the hair spray. I get ignition every time. It took a few tries to get it right but I did. Also there is little to no residue in my rig. From the flame out the barrel I would say it ALL burns up. LOL The potato ammo etc leaves more behind. LOL I didn't build it to shoot tennis balls over trees to string antennas up anyway. I built it to have some fun with the kids with and annoy the idiot neighbor I had at the time. It must have worked. He packed up and moved, basically abandoning the house, several years ago.

At least he wasn't like the guy around here that packed up. disappeared and left a candle burning upstairs.

With the gas turned on .

Blast radius was about 500ft or three houses to either side.


Now if it's fun you're after and just happen to know someone that rebuilds small blocks (4" bore) then by all means and by any fuel available let fly ! Of course I wouldn't know anything about this its just something I heard ...

 

[BenMara]

Combustion cannons are so unpredictable, ill have to take a picture of my cannon.
But here is a vid using a racket ball as projectile



kids just start flocking when it come out

 

[PA629]

The gentleman who turned me onto the Spudgun Tech link, HAD the golf-ball firing version using the propane metering system, it worked flawlessly. I say "HAD" because the Gestapo confiscated it when they showed up during an afternoon of daylighting the side of his neighbor's "not-as-old-and-worthless-as-he-thought" wooden barn. Cost him a weekend as a resident of County and a hefty fine.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

The gentleman who turned me onto the Spudgun Tech link, HAD the golf-ball firing version using the propane metering system, it worked flawlessly. I say "HAD" because the Gestapo confiscated it when they showed up during an afternoon of daylighting the side of his neighbor's "not-as-old-and-worthless-as-he-thought" wooden barn. Cost him a weekend as a resident of County and a hefty fine.

I would hardly call them the Gestapo if the guy was deliberately pummeling the building with it. He did wrong and paid the price. Those things can be quite dangerous if used such. If he had done it to his own property it would have been a different story in all likelihood.

 

[PA629]

I would hardly call them the Gestapo if the guy was deliberately pummeling the building with it. He did wrong and paid the price. Those things can be quite dangerous if used such. If he had done it to his own property it would have been a different story in all likelihood.

Good word, "pummeling", not used enough IMHO.

But you have a valid point, freakin' golf balls sting, I've been hit on the course before and that would've been at a fraction of the velocity. My first question to him after I heard he'd gotten busted was "How much had you been drinking?". His answer, "A lot." Go figure.

 

[Pman62]

One note of safety about PVC, (I do amateur fireworks making and this is a common rule among the amateur pyro community) it is somewhat brittle and if it shatters and you get hit by the shrapnel... The doctors have no way of finding it in your body as it's invisible under x-rays May I suggest thick walled HDPE instead

 

[Tallman]

But you have a valid point, freakin' golf balls sting, I've been hit on the course before and gotten busted was "How much had you been drinking?". His answer, "A lot." Go figure.

Sounds like some family reunions I have been to in Texas. Hey Billy get me another beer and break out the "TANNERITE"!