The Halitosis Howitzer

[VinnieL]

I disavow any knowledge of Potato Cannons...LOL!!

[VinnieL]

I made a real blackpowder cannon in high school metals class (graduated in 1977). After annealing it, I turned down a hunk of axle from a big truck. It was probably 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 15 inches long. I bored it .75 cal (we had a 3.4" drill.) and included a fuse hole. I rehardened it, polished it all up and built a solid oak "carriage" for it with elevation adjustment. I found wads of Steel wool tamped down in it comes out like a Roman Candle. We've used it to exterminate large flocks of nasty blackbirds by using pebbles of broken automotive safety glass as a projectile. Also set the old man's garden on fire with the steel wool one time. I should get it back out, polish it up and get it ready again.....

[meyer77]

Ah yes memory lane, making black powder and filling BB tubes to make fire crackers ( I have the scars to prove it).
Then moving up to filling empty co2 cartridges with black powder! We were worried about shrapnel so I had a piece of CRS 2x4x6 with a 3/4" hole that would take a co2 nicely.
Moving on from a potato cannon powered by hairspray I now have an air powered cannon for launching golf balls ( a good 400-500 yards). I live at the edge of old golf course and have a good supply of golf balls ( found 35 one morning walking the dog). Must have been a lot of duffers, as there were a lot in the woods!
I did make a breach loading BP cannon but it wad stolen from my storage unit, my only hope is whome ever got it will one day get caught with it as it would be classified as a DD (it took a fixed brass cartdridge) 1" bore.

[jdurand]

I've never loaded any black powder gun over 8" bore. As far as hand lighting, my limit is about 5".

[meyer77]

What is the difference between men and boys? The size of their toys!
Several years ago I build a bowling ball mortar out of an O2 tank. I had it setup to fire with a .22 Blank with lanyard. It would shoot a 16 lb. ball close to 500 yards using about 1/4 cup of cannon powder

[NeiljohnUK]

One question, mklotz. Where, in this digital age, do you find empty 35mm film canisters?

From one of us who still shoots 35mm! Yes mainly digital, but the F2 still gets exercised when I'm in the mood. Film canisters are handy for lots of things, small stuff especially, and stopping loose change wearing holes in pockets. Also fit well in speed-loader pouches with 1/4" foam liners to keep weight on the belt and out of pockets.

[mklotz]

My expensive Canon SLR and its complement of equally expensive lenses sits idle in a closet ever since I bought my first digital camera. (I'm on my sixth now.) However, I recognized the possible future uses of film canisters from the get-go so never discarded one.

I schlepped that camera and its lenses around Europe for nine months. Never again. Today I use a 'pocketable' camera with a built-in 30x zoom. It's smaller than the flash unit for the SLR.

Digital is so superior. No in-camera film jams, automatic exposure and focus adjustment, ability to shoot video and a 'film' capacity measured in thousands of shots. But more important to me is having digital pictures that I can view on my computer (no more inopportune slide projector bulb failures), store on a thumb drive and, best of all, arrange and categorize in folders on the computer so I can find a desired image in seconds.

Some time ago I bought a slide scanner and digitized all my slides in one epic and super tedious week. It was worth the effort. I can now view them easily and sort them into something like an orderly arrangement.