Portable cannon!

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In my neighborhood, we stuffed empty Co2 cartridges with hundreds of match heads and launched them from long pipes, mortar style. They sailed up and away, and out of sight...we knew not where they landed. Our only nod to safety was to aim them in the general direction of a flood basin full of cornfields, thinking there wouldn't be many people there. I don't think we ever killed anybody...if we did, surely it would have made the newspaper.

In today's climate, such a thing would probably be interpreted as terrorist activity. In the 1970's, it was just considered foolish and dangerous.
 
I was at a party one night, on the Minnesota River Bottom, when the bloke that was putting on the party, climbed up into the barn and set a 5 lb keg of black powder in one of the top windows. Then he went in thehouse, got out his deer rifle (30.6) and shot it.

It took out all of the windows in the barn and the chicken coop and one of the other nearby sheds.

That was COOL!
 
Back during college (early 90's) we got our hands on some dry ice... what's a young man to do but have fun!!! We drove around town and set off about a half dozen at various residents of town.... When we got back to campus, the site of our first "explosion", 2 city cops were there... but of course we were just returning from a taco bell run and all was well! Dang those things are loud, like cannon loud!!!

here's the formula:
dry ice + warm water + empty 2 liter = Loud Bang! :mug:

Schlante,
Phillip
 
For another variation, you need a 35mm film canister and an aerosol can of that electronics/computer dusting spray that says, "DO NOT SPRAY UPSIDE DOWN!" on the side of the can.

Open the film canister, keeping the lid nearby.
Intentionally hold the aerosol upside down and spray a few drops of the resulting VERY cold liquid into the canister.
Be careful not to get any of the liquid on your fingers (this is self-critiquing the first time it happens).
Snap the lid onto the canister, and carefully place it near your unsuspecting victim.
Wait about 5 minutes (it could be less).
Laugh your ass off.

If you gently toss the loaded/closed canister, it will usually pop upon impact with something. I've never seen one blow up into plastic shards - the cap just pops off very loudly (like in the video above). I used to get my roommates/dorm neighbors with this trick all the time. You can re-use the film can over and over...until one of them stomps the life out of it in a fit of rage.
 
MVKTR2 said:
Back during college (early 90's) we got our hands on some dry ice... what's a young man to do but have fun!!! We drove around town and set off about a half dozen at various residents of town.... When we got back to campus, the site of our first "explosion", 2 city cops were there... but of course we were just returning from a taco bell run and all was well! Dang those things are loud, like cannon loud!!!

here's the formula:
dry ice + warm water + empty 2 liter = Loud Bang! :mug:

Schlante,
Phillip

Guess it shows of the army brat in me, but we used to take the water activated heating element out of MREs, activated them with a little water, and do the same thing in a 2 liter. BIG cop-calling boom.
 
quickerNu said:
Guess it shows of the army brat in me, but we used to take the water activated heating element out of MREs, activated them with a little water, and do the same thing in a 2 liter. BIG cop-calling boom.
Take the same 2-liter bottle and MRE heater, but add a little extra water so it doesn't get blazing hot. Instead of capping the bottle, put a balloon over it and wait for the balloon to fill. Tie the balloon off, and hold it near a flame (tape it to a stick or wear thick leather gloves). BANG! Hydrogen. One MRE heater is good for several balloons!
 
Check out my cannon. I built it to blast jet skiers and other pirates that may be sailing on my waters. It's made from pvc pipe and uses calcium carbide and water to make an acetylene gas. Once it mixes for a few seconds I hit the spark igniter and BOOM! It sounds great on the water. We do a pirate battle at a local state park every year for the kids to enjoy. [youtube]t0aF_PPxfAw[/youtube]

 
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