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Several of the pirates in our fleet have thought about building a cannon for their boat. I build one and I gotta say it's a lot of fun and very loud. Here are some pictures and a description of parts and how it all goes together and works. You will need

1- 24" long 3"pvc pipe
1- 3" pvc cap
1- 3"pvc T with 1 1/2" reduction at the T
1- pvc threaded reducer
1- threaded plug to fit the reducer
Those parts will build the cannon
You will also need some powdered carbide and a sparker that you can get online at the following links

http://www.bigbangcannons.com/product.aspx?c=14&i=31

http://www.bigbangcannons.com/product.aspx?c=10&i=25

If you get the 3 pack of powder it will last a long time.

Here are some pics of my cannon showing how it goes together



This shows the back of the cannon. It has the cap closing the end off and a small piece of the 3" pvc between the cap and the T. The T is needed to hold the water for the carbide to form a gas. Directly above the T is a hole cut out for the spark igniter to fit into and also for the powdered carbide to be poured into the water.



The hole was drilled out then filed to fit the igniter snugly. On the end of the cannon I cut the end off a coupling and glued it to the end of the cannon just for looks. I also made a wooden plug to fit into the barrel to make it look thicker. This plug also made the cannon louder and prevents it from being able to fire any projectile a feature that the park ranger liked



I also drilled a hole through the pipe and put a 1" dowel through the cannon to use as a mount on the carriage. Now that you have built your cannon add about 6 oz water down the barrel and pour about 1/4 teaspoon of carbide in the hole. Insert the igniter then wait a few seconds for the gas to form the press the button on the igniter. In the dark it will shoot a flame out about 2 feet so keep the barrel pointed away from others and your boat. You can fire at Eds boat though. Have a BLAST



Keith

That's a good idea with the ring at the end - I'll have to try that with my own cannon to improve the bang. Right now I get something close to a pistol shot noise.

Just to emphasize - even though you may be tempted, do not use one of these to fire a projectile. The PVC pipe isn't strong enough for the pressure and it also seems to degrade with repeated firings.

On my cannon, I don't use an igniter but leave the small hole open and use one of those butane lighters with the long end to set it off. For the charges on the cannon, I cut short sections of drinking straws in advance and tape the ends and fill them with the calcium carbide. This allows for faster, easier loading pouring it down the touch-hole (which I can do on mine). I also have a long spoon that I use as a ladle to stick down the barrel and pour directly into the water reservior.

Is their a trick to getting the paint to stick to the pvc or did you just spraypaint it? Also, just a thought, Do you think if you put a cap on the open end and cut out a hole in the middle of the cap it would achieve the same results as your insert?

It's just flat black spray paint from depot. Putting a cap on the end with a hole it in would probably work just as well or better. Give it a try. The end was an after thought to make it look more cannon like, but it also made it louder

Keith

Keath I wouldn't worry about repair on old Whipperwillie, I'm sure someone will let you Sail with them in there boat. If you ever get the fleet in the water. Until then it's turn too. Bud :wink:

There's a paint called "Fusion" (spray can) that will stick better to PVC then other paints, but PVC is a difficult material to get much to stick to.

Thanks Bud, I'll keep that in mind. The only problem is that the Whippoorwill is the only Vacationer with kegged beer onboard. I'm gonna have to get one of those beer mug flags to fly now. Hope to see you there

Keith

Oh, I GOTTA have a couple of THOSE!!!!