SpudFiles

potato cannon.

Hello guys, I'm a n00b here, but a rather civilized one so no need to worry.

So, I'm a bit hooked on the pirate phase, and I hope to one day build a Light Schooner sailboat (I've got a book in mind and plans to tell me how to do so. Done some research, and found out it'll cost me about $3k in supplies, which is a good $20+k savings if I were to buy an already-made boat). One thing about me is I like to keep things basic. I want a basic boat that looks basically like an 18th century vessel in some way (or suggestive of it) and I want basic 18th century cannons to go on the boat as well. Firing ones, but potentially harmless firing ones. Just for show and laughs. Of course, you have to be careful around anything like this (boats and cannons alike) because they ARE potentially dangerous, but I'm a careful person who just wants to have some harmless fun and say, "I made this!"

And, of course, some of my ideas are far-fetched, but one can dream, can't they? I will, at least. So what I'm asking here is, if I were to build spud-cannons that are remeniscent of the 18th century naval cannons to put on my little boat, how would I do so (as in build the barrel and fit the technology safely and conveniently in it), and are there plans already established for this design of cannon?

Thanks a lot for your patience with a beginner, folks! I will keep pushing on with my romantic intentions. Ha!

well, since you seem to be trying to capture the real bucaneer spirit, I'd say a combustion is for sure your best bet.

A simple propane combustion, covered with paper mache (or anyhting to make it look like an actually cannon) would get you the BOOM, the flames, and the fun of a real cannon...

Quick tip: if you use a shorter barrel than you need, not only will it be signifatnly louder, but you'll also get some flames coming out the end!
(this is, however at the cost of power)

I'm sure you got a picture of what the cannon is sapossed to look like, (go to spudwiki, link at top of homepage here at spudfiles), there you can decide what type of cannon you wish to build, pneumatic/combustion, and you can find the plans with princibables of operation. With PVC pipe you can make your own parts to look like old cannons, just be creative, and let us know how things turn out.

Sweet advice, guys - thanks a million (see, I like to keep it simple)!

zvallance1: Paper mache seems IDEAL for this, so I will definitely use that. Fabulous romantic effects with your little tips, too. Thanks so much. I'm not too concerned with power, though I want to keep the thrill of something firing (and of course I don't want to upset the neighbors) and definitely work with that BOOM, and those flames; whoa!!

jrrdw: Yeah, I'll most likely go with combustion (the "natural" way! ) for this. I want to keep it as authentic as possible (in other words, not cut down on historical design with technology and keep what I can keep looking real). I've got several pictures and a small replica of an 18th century naval cannon (the typical "16-pounder") to go by as well. So, as long as I can fit the PVC pipe and such inside the barrel and body of the cannon, I will most likely reach my goal. Thanks so much for the advice!

As soon as I get structured plans (and a book I'm hoping to aquire: Backyard Ballistics) and materials, I'll tell you folks how it's going.

Excellent

something like that?

for the wooden frame, simply stack together 4"x4" square wood used on fence posts, one shorter than another, then add the wheels

for the gun it self
get 4" diameter pipe, then 3" dia pipe, then 2.5" dia (for tennisballs) or 2" dia pipe so it looks like the cone
cover it with bondo ($$$), paper mashe, clay... or if you can, roll up some sheet metal and make it look as real as possible

That is BEAUTIFUL. PERFECT. Exactly what I'm looking for. Pipes and wood sound great, and thanks SO much for the measurements. Thanks for ALL the info, really. This is gonna be great. I'm printing this out.

A noobish question though: Do I have to worry about the pipes melting or the paper mache catching fire? Should I cover the cannon in some fire-proof material or look for pipes of a certain type of material (PVC pipes don't generally have a problem with combustion cannons?)?

MadAnneFlint wrote:zvallance1: Paper mache seems IDEAL for this, so I will definitely use that.

I never got lucky enough to make any cool paper mache things when i was a little kid in school, so I'm not too sure about this, but rty and find some waterproof sealent or soemthing (if they make it for paper) because a boat + splashes + awesome paper cannon =

I'm not too concerned with power, though I want to keep the thrill of something firing (and of course I don't want to upset the neighbors) and definitely work with that BOOM, and those flames; whoa!!

The power you lose wont be TOO much...im not much a combustion person, but i know that even my pnuematic with a HORRIBLE chamber:barrell ratio, will put a hole in a 2x4 with ease...so you might not be getting all you can out of the gun, but itll work for your purpose, and still be quite effective

MadAnneFlint wrote:Do I have to worry about the pipes melting or the paper mache catching fire? Should I cover the cannon in some fire-proof material or look for pipes of a certain type of material

PVC is more than enough to contain the combustion gun, and if you can seal the paper mache (or at least the few inches closest to the end of the barrel) with a fire proof material, you should be set!

That sounds fabulous. I'm gonna print this out and take all the precautions and advice you've all so generously provided and apply it to this project (obviously couldn't do it without you guys)! I'll keep you posted and post any little hinders I might come across while building this cannon. Again, thanks for your time and brilliant advice, everyone! It is much entirely appreciated

been our pleasure =) it's nice to see some ideas being put up on the site that is something other than the most basic of all gun..
i hope this all works out well!
If you need any more help or advice, send a message my way...i got email msn yahoo and aim, and im more than willing to help out however i can

good luck!

You could make a hybrid. Depending on how advance yo want to get. If not, get some steel drain pipe from your hardware store and then over top like everyone else said get some paper mechie. You could make a stand out of some 4x4 posts and get some dock wheels for it.

Backyard ballistics is an excellent book. i recently purchased it this year, and it sort of got me into all of this. pick that book up sometime. i think the project your going for would be a Carbide cannon (yes i know that it uses solid fuels... but its just for noise). the author of the book gives detailed instructions on how to construct one in a safe way, and after your done you could give it a paintjob, wheels, supports, and whatever else you want just to make it look realistic. good luck.

~FLINCHY~

Flinchy wrote:Backyard ballistics is an excellent book. i recently purchased it this year, and it sort of got me into all of this. pick that book up sometime. i think the project your going for would be a Carbide cannon (yes i know that it uses solid fuels... but its just for noise). the author of the book gives detailed instructions on how to construct one in a safe way, and after your done you could give it a paintjob, wheels, supports, and whatever else you want just to make it look realistic. good luck.

~FLINCHY~

Same thing wiht me. Only 1 year ago I made a basic combustion cannon not thinking to much about it, and not knowing alot and being a pryo almost blow my arm off i quit. Then I got that book and it started me on this stuff agian.