Page 1 of 1

what ammo

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:29 am
by maddman234
what ammo can i use for a standard barrel aka tennis ball barrel and what propellents is scotch guard good?

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:49 am
by Novacastrian
Welcome to Spudfiles :D :D :D

Your post makes me a smile a little, a barrel as you describe is good for making loud reports
:D However we need to know if you want a: accuracy b:damage c:noise.
A combination of the three is what you should aim for 8)

Edit: To answer your questions- scotchguard yes- $$$, Ammo- spuds :twisted:

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:50 am
by Pete Zaria
@maddman234,

Welcome to spudfiles.

Actually just FYI, tennis ball barrels are kind of rare.

Ammo - the good news about potato cannons is, they'll fire anything that'll fit in the barrel. Sometimes you have to use some wadding (paper towels, bits of newspaper, etc...) to get a tight seal in the barrel, but anything goes. Rocks, golf balls, pieces of rebar and scrap metal, redbull cans....

For fuel, I highly recommend AVOIDING SPRAY CANS. They leave gunky residue inside the chamber after awhile. If you have to use something in a spray can, get some car starter fluid (ether) or engine degreaser, as these should leave the least residue.
When you burn fuel from a spray can, what's really burning isn't the *stuff* in the can, it's the gas that propels it - most spray cans use propane, butane, or hexane as the propellant, all of which are flammable.
Just get a propane torch and use that to fuel your cannon. Or even better, build a propane meter (check our wiki) to measure out the exact correct amount every time.

Good luck.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.