SpudFiles

Alright well heres a small story about the life of this cannon even though I know that 9 out of 10 of you guys will not read this and go to the pictures first (I'm guilty of that ) Anyways I've been on this forum for three years now and for the last year or so other hobbies hit me in the face (paintball, guitar, and got my licence so I'm constantly working on my jeep) But I figured I should post the cannon that I started more than a year ago.

I got the SCBA, self contained breathing apparatus, (a fireman tank) on ebay a few years back originally to fill my paintball tanks. I bought one for $20 and when I got there to pick it up since it was local, the guy had at least 15 of them just laying around so he let me grab another one on the way out. So I scored 2 tanks for $20! One got hydro tested and is used for paintball and the other one got a complete makeover.

The first thing I did was shave off the lip that held the valve on. That took 6 long hours of grinding with anything I could get my hands on. (now that I know how to use a plasma cutter it probably would have only taken 20min) So I got it all bored out and then it sat for 6 months.

I got the drive again and threw a POS pvc barrel on it and union and got the meter up and running with a 100kv stun gun and shot it at 3x mix. Probably a bad idea but hey I got a cool video out of it. Its recieved almost 2000 views in 10 months. Some of you may know it...

[youtube][/youtube]

6 months later I revamped it completely! All metal construction with 1 1/2 barrel. Probably could be longer but as of right now I'm too cheap.

Okay!! Enough boring talking... heres the pics! The pics can show you a little more of what it consists of.

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_1997.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_1997.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_1998.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_1998.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Alright so the main thing you might notice is the cables running from the front to the back. The biggest problem with making a cannon out of any chamber designed to hold high pressure gas is how to attach the barrel. Well I thought about TIGing it on the neck (its an aluminum tank) but I was having trouble finding an aluminum cam lock to weld on the neck so I went on a quest to find a way around it. On my leisurly stroll down the lowes aisles I ran across some wire cable and thought to myself what I could do with it... so the idea of taking a 1 1/2" flange and wraping it around the chamber connected to a rig on the other side which tightens the cables... was born.

Heres a pic of the tightening mechanism, basically its wraped around a plate that is forced outwards by bolts that tighten the cables.

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2004.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2004.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2000.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2000.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2005.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2006.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111 ... G_2006.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

And finnaly the video... 5x mix with nothing in the barrel

[youtube][/youtube]


Now to sum it up...

This cannon has taken a long time and could have been prepared better aesthetically but I have lost almost all of my drive to finish it properly. I planned to paint it and have the ignition routed perminately and a more funtional stand but as I said earlier, other hobbies hit me. It kicks A double S and I wouldn't doubt it would break the sound barrier with virtually anything in the barrel. I figured I should post it soon before it goes to waste (waste as in never used and dusty I would never throw it away!)


So anyways tell me what you think!

Holy mother of jesus, I've seen that first video before, but the second was awesome.

Very nice job, it looks great.

Yes beastly is a good word for this... It looks like it has some good potential if you could find it in yourself to move forward with it.

Nice videos!

nice mate!

i want some damage pics up

Thanks guys!

I know it does have potential to be better but for right now thats what it is. My firend may be giving me a full size SCUBA tank soon, so maybe that will make me want to build a bigger one!

that is nice. full scale hybrid.

it has been a rush of nice hybrids lately..


and one more thing.. nice bikes!

Very nice gun, actually the first hybrid video Ive seen, and frankly I'm inspired. Ive built several combustions, a pneumatic, so logically the next step is soon to follow. Thank you for the enlightenment, you should use that gun more, it would be a shame to let it collect dust.

Very nice gun, actually the first hybrid video Ive seen, and frankly I'm inspired.

Haven't you seen the ME20H-41 thread?

Interesting looking hybrid you've got there, and that flange setup would deserve a ghetto award no matter what it was on. Looks like you should take a gander at more current hybrid technology, and make this thing a real beast.

Overall, I love it. Great aesthetics, and apparently fairly powerful. Are you planning on getting any damage videos?

Interesting looking hybrid you've got there, and that flange setup would deserve a ghetto award no matter what it was on. Looks like you should take a gander at more current hybrid technology, and make this thing a real beast.

Ya I know but its only ghetto because it was poorly executed. I could have put more thought to it and made it a little more pretty but oh well.

And what new hybrid technology are you talking about?

mabe chamber pressure meter? don't know

And what new hybrid technology are you talking about?

Chamber pressure meters and oxy/fuel mixes. Not really new technology, but no one has really used them since very recently. We've also found that DDT is very unlikely in a normal sized chamber with any air/fuel mix, so you could probably bring this thing to 20x with a few modification (i.e. ditch the jury-rigged flange and low pressure union).

lol, that shot at 1/4 speed reminded me of transformers

but, i do like your setup of the gun, but i want to see it with DIY's suggestions

Yeah I am interested in the chamber pressure but I havent seen anything new with that... am I looking in the wrong place?

Oxy/fuel ah Ill stay away from that... nothin wrong with good ol' Propane!

And DDT... thats the thing where the old meter tool that was used was wrong and theres a new formula right? I used the new formula...

Low pressure union?
Jury-rigged flange... taking out the possibility of welding it (I no longer have access to an AC TIG welder) what would you suggest for mounting the barrel?

1: he meant to replace the air you put in with oxygen.

2: DDT is deflagration to detonation transistion and would have blown you chamber to shreads.

3: about chamber pressure meters you can talk to DYI.

That things freaking awsome hope you will be able to get that fullsize scuba tank soon.