Anybody played with Bangsite cannons?

[KBennett]

Someone told me that they were illegal but I did a search on the web an there are quite a few sites selling them.



Is the bang worth the money spent? Are there any I should stay away from? Is bigger better?

 

[crobertson1]

As a general rule, BIGGER IS BETTER. (Why get a 555 when you can get a 600) That's just my humble opinion though.

 

[KBennett]

Let's stick to the post C.



Besides, why do you have to get 4. 10 gears to stay with a 555?

 

[PJereb]

Are you talking about carbide cannons?

 

[cannongeorge]

Interesting question.



"Bangsite (tm)" is basically calcium carbide, when mixed with water creates acetelyene gas.



Are you worried about being cited for using it? As long as nothing leaves the barrel (except noise and flame) you may wiggle out of many local ordinances that might be used against you. Note that many regulations which are based upon the Uniform Fire Code (UFC) (or derived NFPA sections) have an excemption for "small" noisemakers (party popers and the like); if challenged (like I was) simply offer to build a "bigger" noisemaker to demonstrate the legal ambiguity in determining what constitues "small. " (Note that there still may be several misdeamenor "nuisance" ordinances that may be used against you... )



To Wit: Use ABS plastic pipe, heavywall (sch. 80) 4" diameter. Use a cleanout tee, glue slip x thread adapters on all 3 sides. Place very short pup with clean-out plug on the bottom, threaded plug on one side, and an 8' long barrel on the "discharge" side of the tee. Epoxy in a short 3/4" drop piece of PVC with a threaded cap on top. In the center of the rear threaded plug, mount a Coleman latern spark ignitor. Visit any army surplus store (or camping outlet) and buy a can of Calcium Carbide, in pellets form.



Fill with bottom of the tee with fresh water. Drop in a few pellets of calicum carbide through 3/4" feed tube into the water chamber. Repalce 3/4" cap. Point the barrel in the direction of on-coming wind, this will help stir up the air in the barrel and acheive a stoichemetric mixture. Give it about 20 to 30 seconds. Shout "READY" - "AIM" and "FIRE" and let it rip. You should hear echoes off of any hills up to 10 miles away.



CAUTION! ABS PIPE IS FRAGILE. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! DO NOT EXPOSE BARRELL TO ANY BACK PRESSURE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE FOR LAUNCHING ANYTHING! NOISE CAN CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE-DO NOT POINT TOWARDS PEOPLE, PLATE GLASS OR OCCUPIED STRUCTURES! DO NOT USE INDOORS!

 

[Doc Tinker]

http://www.hevanet.com/stuartp/WebPages/CarbideCannon.htm

 

[Doc Tinker]

http://www.ray-vin.com/mus/kelly.htm

 

[Doc Tinker]

http://www.ray-vin.com/mus/robhow.htm



http://www.ray-vin.com/mus/mh.htm



http://www.ray-vin.com/mus/55mortar.htm



http://www.ray-vin.com/mus/bayerl.htm

 

[PJereb]

Carbide cannons are great, I have had some adventures with them in my teens. Be careful working with ABS or PVC pipe, once you get into the larger sizes most fittings you will be able to find in a hardware store are meant for drainage only, I found out the hard way that they wont hold up to too much pressure. Not to mention that fittings that big that are meant for pressure are big bucks. After that little PVC incident I only made them out of old CO2 or argon bottles with the necks chopped off on a band saw with a large, nipple welded on to fit a barrel, I figure that if it could hold up to 2,200psi, that it would make a fine carbide cannon.

 

[crobertson1]

Holy mackerel!!! That seems somewhat insane! I love it!

KBennett, you have less than a month to get it built.

Craig

 

[bighammer]

I got one when I was about 7 or 8 years old. Shot a lot of daisies and dandelions out of it. I LOVED that cannon though. (so did my friends)

 

[PJereb]

Somehting else... .

Wear eye protection