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Combustion Cannon


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Posted (edited)

I built a new combustion cannon some time ago and never posted it here, so i figured i might as well... Anyways here are the specs:

 

Combustion Chamber: 3" ABS Pipe

Barrel: 1.5" ABS Pipe

Ignition System: A BBQ Sparker

Fuel: AQUA Net Hairspray

Total Cost(s): About $25

 

Pictures:

 

The cannon:

http://www.apcforum.net/forums/uploads/123...6_26_110950.jpg

 

Combustion Chamber And Ignition System:

http://www.apcforum.net/forums/uploads/123...6_26_179068.jpg

 

So far ive only shot potatoes out of it, if anyone has an other ideas of what else i should shoot please let me know. Ive thought of the idea of shooting flour - filled ping pong balls out of it (So the explode into a white cloud on impact). If anyone would like the plans to this gun, just let me know and i will post them here.

Edited by Xtreme Pyro
Posted
make a sabot, and make a paintball shotgun. JUST DO NOT SHOOT AT ANOTHER LIVING BEING! ANIMAL OR HUMAN!!!
Posted
The only problem with flour filled ping pong balls is that ping pong balls burn. quite easily. the flames would light the ball. Although that would look pretty dang cool anyway, it may not give the effect you want. Also, you could just put the flour in there over a paper or cardboard disk, and make a cremora.
Posted
For what it's worth. I could never get flour to ignite like a cremora coming out of my potato cannon. Mine fired pretty hard though, so I may have just been blowing it blind.
Posted

I worked with a Pro SFX person doing fireballs once. The lift was a handfull of thunderflashes the ignition charge was a teaspoon of BP in a small bag about a foot away from the fuel.

 

Surprised me but each one went perfectly so it worked!

Posted
For what it's worth. I could never get flour to ignite like a cremora coming out of my potato cannon. Mine fired pretty hard though, so I may have just been blowing it blind.

 

I have also tried this and it failed. Just as you said, i think it fires too hard to ignite the flour dust.

  • 1 month later...
Posted
Hmm... you could ramp up the barrel to 2.5in and shoot soda cans/ tennis balls... I'll be building me combustion cannon shortly and will post the results. I might try a metal combustion chamber with 2atm of air and the appropriate mix of propane
  • 1 month later...
Posted

I've always been under the impression that ABS was the worst material next to foam core for a potato cannon?

 

Pressure rated pipe is a thousand times safer.

  • 1 year later...
Posted
ive recently tried this but my hairspray hasn't lit and i've pressed the pizo heaps, any ideas?
Posted

ive recently tried this but my hairspray hasn't lit and i've pressed the pizo heaps, any ideas?

Decrease spark gap, adjust amount of fuel used, double check that your spray contains a flammable gas as the filler.

Posted
the pizo does spark and my spray is incredibly famable
Posted
Well, as a reminder, oxygen is required for combustion. You may want to adjust your ratio.
Posted
i have already checked that, i have been having better luck when mixing my hairspray with lynx
Posted
shoot small plastic bottles full of petrol with with steel wool glued to the base,they look awesome on youtube the steel wool acts like a tracer and ignites the fuel on impact though you need decent power and velocity to disperse the fuel properly.
Posted
have you tried to shoot an aerial shell? im not sure if you could get the time fuse to light from the flash of a flame, but in theory, if your cannon had the distance, you could use that instead of using a lift bag in a mortar.... ive been kicking that idea around for awhile, but have never built a compustion cannon so couldnt try it...
Posted
found the problem-small leak in the end cap
Posted
Something else you can launch: confetti! ten foot high clouds of paper, just tape a piece of paper over the end of the combustion chamber and fill the barrel with confetti
Posted

have you tried to shoot an aerial shell? im not sure if you could get the time fuse to light from the flash of a flame, but in theory, if your cannon had the distance, you could use that instead of using a lift bag in a mortar.... ive been kicking that idea around for awhile, but have never built a compustion cannon so couldnt try it...

 

Dont know if I would want to try that. What if it got stuck? You would need to shoot if from a big distance away to be safe from the shrapnel if it blows up.

Posted
yeah you would want to be ready to throw it and run.
Posted
Or as a better plan, fire it remotely.
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Or as a better plan, fire it remotely.

 

Yup! Always the best plan when venturing into new territory.:whistle:

 

WSM B)

  • 1 month later...
Posted
im not sure if you could get the time fuse to light from the flash of a flame,

i have since done an experiment with time fuse in spuds and yes they do light, i still do not eccomend ariel shells though as for best results, spuds need to be in tight whille ariel shells need a bit of room

Posted
The devil is in the details. You may want to consider sharing them.
Posted
can you please elaborate mumbles?
Posted
What I mean is, what did you do to make the time fuse light. IE, priming, fuel source for the cannon, presumably it was bottom fused, any sort of wadding, how many times you tested it, etc. What "experiment" did you do to show that the time fuse can light, and light reliably.
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