Michigan Etiquette

MDNY · Apr 3, 2002

So these are really bad range balls that he doesn't care about. Well then the frozen pile left would be best. I know you can get an onion sack of golf balls real cheap mail order, but still.

The people are just careless and don't care. Ready, Set, Aim, FIRE>

Argee · Apr 3, 2002

Wingnut

As a lifelong resident of Michigan, I can assure you this is not native behavior./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif This inconsiderate SOB must be from an area in one of our states where common sense was probably shunned in his upbringing. I've been following this thread, and have looked at all the suggestions for extracting vengeance (some quite creative and amusing I might add). But when all is said and done, this is your neighbor. For the time being you have to live next door to him, and to create animosity with him would only lead to more of the same.

Best bet is to go have a talk with him, and tell him, diplomatically, your concerns for the well being of your animals should they be hit by or ingest one of these golfballs. If this fails, then you have every right to go to plan "B" (total vengeance)/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

Let me add, "Welcome to Michigan" /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. May your stay here be pleasant and prosperous.

Mike H · Apr 3, 2002

For a couple of years now, we've had a neighbor on the backside of our pasture that lobs golfballs into the pasture. He asked permission first, doesn't do it when the animals are out, and pays our kids to return the balls. Great deal.

New house went up adjacent to our pasture and his house last year. 17 year old sees this action and thinks what fun that must be. Tries to hit the horses - a little target practice. But he's not that good so he graduates to a pellet gun. One fine Sunday morning we pull a pellet from one of the horses. And on Monday, the kid was stupid enough to brag about it on the school bus. We opted to just let the police handle it.

MDNY · Apr 4, 2002

Nice kid. Bet he pulled the wings off of bats. In the city they call that kid cool, in the country they call that kid cattle feed. My wife and I are very strong supporters of animal groups that protect all types of animals from abuse. I galls me to see that kind of stuff go on. What's worse is the parents either don't know, don't care or are as ignorant as the kids. Depending on your laws he could get some nice fines, jail and community service.

Maybe we should let the horse deal with him.

Redfisher · Apr 5, 2002

Kids might be shooting them out of their potato cannons

What is a potato cannon?/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

MDNY · Apr 5, 2002

Don' t worry about the potato cannon, worry about the people who do punkin chunkin. I saw this on TLC where they were doing a piece on siege machines (catapults and such) and they were talking about how people started launching pumpkins out of air cannons. Now they have an annual contest (somewhere in the South East I think) and they build these elaborate machines. Kind of scary.

Argee · Apr 5, 2002

A potato cannon is a bazooka looking device usually made out of PVC. You stuff a potato down the muzzle, have an area to spray ignition material (usually hairspray) and touch off an ignitor (a piezo starter from your grill). Shoots a potato around 100 yards. Kind of fun if your in an area you can see what your shooting at.

Wingnut · Apr 7, 2002

We didn't have exotic stuff like PVC. We made do with pop cans and duct tape. Cut the tops and bottoms off 3 cans and the bottom off a fourth can. Tape all the cans together with the duct tape (now officially known as Red Green tape) with the can with the top still attached at one end.
We called this a goose gun. Pour/squirt lighter fluid in the end with the opening, stick something in the other end (being safety conscious we used a wad of paper or duct tape ... but a potato would work ... and then use a  long straw to light it through the drink opening in the top.
Boom.
Worked well .... hmm ... might work for golfballs too ... nah, that would put me on their level. Maybe a real bazooka (calling them terrorists, of course)?

patrickg · Apr 8, 2002

In the late 1960's it was also known as a Polish cannon (lighter fluid fueled and ignighted with a cigarrette lighter too). Fired tennis balls really well but wasn't much more dangerous to the target than a good hard serve.

If you want to get serious take a length of good strong pipe that fits the golf ball fairly well (not too tight at all) and cap one end tightly (I recomment welding the cap). Drill a small hole in the pipe a few inches from the cap. put a rod in the hole and weld that hole closed, securing the rod. This rod is to support the golf ball away from the cap and forms a chamber to hold the explosive mixture. Drill another hole in the "chamber" to accept the tip of your oxy-acetylene torch and yet another hole to vent the chamber. Aim the cannon in a safe direction, insert golf ball, adjust torch to a good mixture and with no flame, insert the torch tip into the hole driled for it. After purging the air with your oxy-acetylene mix, pull the torch away light it and pass it by the hole in the chamber. KA-BOOM!!! Be careful, these things can shoot golf balls quite a distance with great force as in lethal.

Like pilots, there are old cannoneers and bold cannoneers but few old bold cannoneers. These units have been fitted with spark plugs (also welded in place) and fired electrically from a remote "gunner's station". A battery and a transformer can be used to make a spark. Connecting and disconnecting the primary to a battery will induce a voltage in the secondary. Used spark coils are cheap to free.

The first time I saw one of these was at a muffler shop. It was made of exhaust pipe. The shop owner put it on the hydraulic lift and propped it up on the automatic wheel chock. Apparently he knew the balistics from practice as he put a golfball through a billboard nearly a block away. I have no earthly idea what the guys thought that changed the advertisements when they saw the holes.

No waranty expressed or implied nor any assurance of fitness for any specific purpose and your mileage may vary...not to be taken internally.

Patrick

PitbullMidwest · Apr 8, 2002

Fired tennis balls really well but wasn't much more dangerous to the target than a good hard serve.

Unless you first soaked the tennis ball with lighter fluid too. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Ever make a carbide cannon? Now there is a serious explosion. We'd take a tabacco or peanut can (any metal can with a press fit lid) and nail it to a board. Place a few carbide granuals inside, put on the lid, squirt a little water through the touch hole and cover the hole with your finger. The gas builds up pressure and heat and when you can't take it any longer move your finger and put a match to the touch hole. KABOOM!! My ears are ringing just thinking about it.