Potato Cannon

[k0ua]

A long time ago back over 40 years ago the guys at work told me about a potato gun they made at work. They made it out of three inch 6061-T6 schedule 40 aluminum pipe and had the welder tig weld up one end. They used a water soaked roll of paper towel or toilet paper (not sure which) for a projectile and a spray bomb of ether (the real stuff) starting fluid for propellant. For some reason they tested it inside the building which in retrospect wasn't the best decision...go figure, eh. They shot that wad of soaked paper across the shop and it cracked a Cindercrete block in the wall (I did see the block) and actually shook the building enough to get the people in the office part of it out to see WTF was going on.

And if anyone was in the path of the projectile, Paper though it be, it would have likely killed them..

A friend told me about 40 years ago he and a group of other "youngsters" made a pipe bomb and put it in a big trash can and set it off. He said it busted the can, made one heck of a bang, and the police came shortly after they all ran away.. Mind you this was inside the city limits of Kansas City. What the heck was the "expected result"? Same as the toilet paper cannon above... what the heck did they think was going to happen?. Doing stupid "stuff" always mystify's me.

 

[Baby Grand]

Another way to achieve the propulsive force:
Adjust an oxy-ac torch to get a good, clean burn, then use that to fill a capped, steel pipe, through a weld-on spark plug fitting.
Replace the spark plug and hide behind something big & solid.
Contact.

 

[Mace Canute]

And if anyone was in the path of the projectile, Paper though it be, it would have likely killed them........

Oh yeah, no doubt about that.

 

[jwmorris]

Another way to achieve the propulsive force:
Adjust an oxy-ac torch to get a good, clean burn, then use that to fill a capped, steel pipe, through a weld-on spark plug fitting.
Replace the spark plug and hide behind something big & solid.
Contact.

That is not the best advice I have read.

 

[ray66v]

Another way to achieve the propulsive force:
Adjust an oxy-ac torch to get a good, clean burn, then use that to fill a capped, steel pipe, through a weld-on spark plug fitting.
Replace the spark plug and hide behind something big & solid.
Contact.

Bad idea number 2.

Oxygen, and acetylene when mixed together, are unstable, and at the right pressure, will auto-ignite. That means it will blow up, all by it's self, without warning.

Trust me, I know.

 

[CNC Dan]

Another way to achieve the propulsive force:
Adjust an oxy-ac torch to get a good, clean burn, then use that to fill a capped, steel pipe, through a weld-on spark plug fitting.
Replace the spark plug and hide behind something big & solid.
Contact.

Before anyone tries this, fill a SMALL styrofoam coffee cup first. Put it on a workbench upside down. Put on your face shield and hearing protection ,and light it.

Then see if you want to try it with a larger volume, and stronger container.

 

[SPIKER]

Before anyone tries this, fill a SMALL styrofoam coffee cup first. Put it on a workbench upside down. Put on your face shield and hearing protection ,and light it.

Then see if you want to try it with a larger volume, and stronger container.

Yes this does work quite well as a great demonstration as to the power of optimal mix of combustible gas & O2. does NOT work well for the high school auto body shop teacher to make it a demonstration... Yes I had one do this as a demonstration as to why NOT to do this type of stuff. The place had lunch room coffee with the 10oz styro-foam cups that worked really well! We all got a kick out of the fun until someone stuck one in a drawer and filled both it and the drawer up & left it for the next guy to do his gas welding work on the bench... Luckily the kid wasn't hurt and now it was NOT me to be either of the involved. The metal bench and drawer were damaged & a paint job I was working on was ruined from dirt being knocked out of ceiling.

M

 

[RedNeckRacin]

If you are putting 130 psi in a spud gun and you are not mashing potatoes, your valve isn't nearly big enough. We had to find something better than potatoes to shoot after they kept coming apart at the end of the barrel with only 120psi......

 

[kc5dlo]

Red skinned taters work very well. Much more distance out of them.

 

[oosik]

No POTATO CANNON but at work, many years ago. The young dudes would take the "long handled Q-tips" - 6" long - - smear grease on them and ram them down the

nozzle of the air guns we used to clean debris. They would blip the trigger and watch the Q-tip fly across the shop. All sorts of fun & games until the day one of the

Q-tips struck and stuck in the back of a fellow employee. Lodged almost 2" deep into his back. Lots of finger pointing - three employees terminated. Lucky it didn't

happen today - there would probably be time spent in grey bar city for some.