Sound levels

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:37 pm

So I just finished my 2" mortar, and I wanted to do some testing on it before i brought it to my field. Only problem is i have no clue on how loud this things going to be. Its all 2" pvc roughly 40" in lenght. I did some searching with no answers. Is it louder then say, a lawn mower or leaf blower?

jimmy101 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:27 pm

Depends on the CB ratio to fair extent. The bigger the CB the louder it'll tend to be. As a guess, figure it'll be pretty loud. And it'll sound like a gun going off which, even if it is quieter than a leaf blower, people will notice. I certainly wouldn't fire it in doors without ear protection.

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:50 pm

What if I ran my lawn mower and weed wacker. I don't think ill have any problems if I'm running them. Just wanna be sure

Fnord · Wed Apr 18, 2012 5:21 pm

If you have an engine running while you're shooting it'll just sound like a backfire, so that's probably a good idea.

Indoor shooting is possible, though ear protection is definitely necessary. I fired my old hybrid indoors once without ear protection. Never again...

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 5:26 pm

Ill try it out. If its to loud ill switch it to a pneumatic

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:45 pm

Won't even fire so guess noise wont be a problem for now lmao, ill have to get a new peizo ignitor, or try to setup a ignition coil firing mech.

warhead052 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:40 pm

Nice .50 cal round. Wait, was that supposed to be your ignition source?

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:50 pm

No it was just for size referencing the ignition coil I have. I tried my prison which broke, and I tried steel wool which was a horrible failure.

warhead052 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:54 pm

I know. Just messing with you. Yeah, a ignition coil should work, if it doesn't, your fuel mixture is way off.

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:07 pm

That's probably another problem I have, I have to wait a little to get a syringe and get my coil up and running. Won't be around for 2 weeks and I'm running out of time to build my first cannon. 60 days til I enlist. I was really hoping it woulda worked today

warhead052 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:11 pm

Battle, may I ask why you are enlisting in the marines?

Back on topic, try using a propane tank, just turn it on then off fairly quickly, just to let a burst of propane in.

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:20 pm

warhead052 wrote:Battle, may I ask why you are enlisting in the marines?

Back on topic, try using a propane tank, just turn it on then off fairly quickly, just to let a burst of propane in.

Family has strong military ties, especially with the Marine Corps and I want to continue that tradition. I feel strongly about serving (during whatever war, for whatever reason). Even gave a speech in class today about the military.

Anyway, I've tried that too, quick burst from 1 second all the way up to 3-4 seconds and everything in between, giving it a good shake and letting it mix 5-6 minutes before trying to fire with a 1/2" thick 2" round styrofoam cutout as a way to keep chamber size consistent as its all one tube.

warhead052 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:23 pm

How far apart are your ignition prongs? You may need to use pliers and smash them together a bit.

battlelava · Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:26 pm

I'd take a photo right now but its sitting in my garage. They are roughly .2-.3mm apart and I used a file on them earlier so they are bright shiny metal. I also made the contact points with the wires bright and shiny metal and I know for a fact that it has continuity.

warhead052 · Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:04 pm

Then they are probably way too close for it to generate a big enough spark. Try expanding the gap to about 1/8" to a 1/4". That's what I find works best for me.