Is bigger better

Boom! The classic potato gun harnesses the combustion of flammable vapor. Show us your combustion spud gun and discuss fuels, ratios, safety, ignition systems, tools, and more.
artillerycreations
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:29 pm

I am wanting to build a steel combustion cannon. My grandpa is in the well drilling business so i have access to old "useless" (to them that is :wink: ) 6 inch galvanized steel pipe. Its .188 wall. I also have probably 500 to 1000 feet of older but not completely junk galvanized ranging from 1'' to 2.5'' and 20' of carbon steel 3 inch. It is in two 10' sections with couplings. It is a little rusty but being thick enough wall im not concerned. (Im fairly certain its .188 wall which in 3 inch would hold more pressure than i will be throwing at it. I am wanting to use the 6'' for a combustion chamber and the 3 inch for the barrel. I talked to him about fittings and he said 6 inch would be special order only. 4 inch would be about as big as it gets for mass production. I want to make it airtight for a possible low mix hybrid. I dont want to ever have to worry about DDT so i wont go over 2 or 3x. Im unsure and figured i would consult the experts and sory for the mega long post. I tried to give as much detail as possible from the beginning.
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:34 pm

With those sort of materials a simple combustion would be a waste, defnintely go for a hybrid :)
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
artillerycreations
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:39 pm

I agree but i run into the parenting factor when i tell my mom that i want to build some long range artillery and i consult my grandpa about using some drill pipe( over 1'' thick walls and around 1.75''i.d) for a cannon that could have more power than civil war artillery. The look on his face is priceless. Kinda like this. :shock: :o
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:41 pm

Well, as you can see from the stuff made by our benevolent sponsors, when you build big even simple combustions can generate a lot of power :)
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
artillerycreations
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:48 pm

Yea i know that firsthand. I have a pvc cannon, rather long range artillery, with a 6 inch chamber and a 3 inch barrel. Not only do i have access to metal but my grandpa has tons of scrap 6'' pvc well casing and that stuff is thick. I recently put propane injection on it. Unfortunately i committed a felony building it and use DWV fittings. So now its completely ghetto. I wrapped the big 6 inch fittings in duck tape for extra protection. I got a real taste this weekend when i blew the 6 inch cleanout plug off and chamber fan to boot. Thats why im wanting to move up to steel. Only problem is i want a serviceable chamber and it looks like i would need to make a 6 inch flange for that. Any suggestions.
edit: forgot to mention that the barrel alone is 15 feet long and the whole thing is a tad over 20 feet long
Last edited by artillerycreations on Wed Dec 23, 2009 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jrrdw
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:48 pm

lol
artillerycreations wrote:The look on his face is priceless. Kinda like this. :shock: :o
Hahahaaa, welcome to Spudfiles. :lol:
artillerycreations
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Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:53 pm

Thanks. I have been snooping for long enough. You guys have(unknowingly) helped me build a few pvc cannons but i feel its time to move to the big leagues. With all that good galvanized steel pipe at my disposal, why not.
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