Author Topic: Loud salute. (Read 1740 times)

Hammer · « **on:** June 15, 2004, 05:02:08 PM »

Hello. I am new at this and need help. I am looking for a cannon or mortar to salute fire. Can someone tell me what and were I can get the loudest salute cannon or mortar? Which one, what kind etc.. It does not have to fire a ball or anything just blank paper wads or something that. Something that when I fire it will not knock a wall down if it hits it. I am looking for something loud. Thank you for any information.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2004, 05:09:12 PM »

How do you define loud? In deciBells.

My definition: When your eardrums meet in the middle, you KNOW it's loud.

Now to seriously answer your question.

One of the most convenient 'cannon' you could own is the Winchester (or replica thereof) 10 ga. blank cannon.

Uses blackpowder blanks.

Genuinely loud, however, would be a surplus cannon/bomb simulator that uses propane. A friend of mine used one QUITE successfully in a parade where the amount of noise asked for was very loud. His wife convinced him to NEVER do it again, simply by handing him a mirror. When he saw the blood dripping from ears, eyes, nose etc. it was a moot point.

Hammer · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2004, 05:49:01 PM »

Hey, Thank you for the reply. I am looking for a deep low TNT sound loud. The ten ga. is not what I am looking for I can fire the old Ruger 454 and get more bang than that. The gas cannon sounds good, but is it safe and can you fire at a distance? I do not want to be like you poor friend, I still want to be able to hear. I just hope he is ok. How would I get my hands on something like this? And is it legal? If not I am looking for a real loud black powder cannon or mortar the uses good oe cannon fuse. That way I can light fuse and get away. The reason I need this is every 4th my family and friends get together and we shoot fire works. Ok we spend alot I mean a hole lot of money on them and then the big Country Club Inn not far from my house starts in with the Class A-B fireworks and drowns out all of our fun. So I am looking for something Low and Deep loud. Like TNT loud but safe. Thank you for your help.

mtnman37879 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2004, 05:53:07 PM »

Do a goggle search for bird cannon. I have one and they are LOUD. They are made to scare birds out of orchards.

Double D · « **Reply #4 on:** June 16, 2004, 02:46:05 AM »

You don't want loud, you want different.

Look for a propane or bird or orchard cannon as advised above.

But I'll tell you a plain and simple little old muzzleloading cannon will get their attention everytime. That throaty roar is so distinct . It doesn't take much powder...loading more won't make it louder...When I fire my little one inch gun everyone notices.

Any of the coehorn mortars will do. The beer can mortars are especialy distinctive when they fire.

Also those 10 guage yacht cannon do not sound like a shotgun going off, they have that throaty cannon roar.

Check with Cannon mania listed on Cannon source list at the top of the forum.

I know a guy who had a blasters license who use to make a tripod of poles and suspend a stick of dynamite from the tripod and touched it of at 8 am every 4th of July. It was loud and different. But it didn't have that 4th of July sound. He was the only one in the town that liked it. Every one else shot their cannons and that sounded cool!

Double D · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2004, 02:09:59 PM »

For a most unique and loud 4th of July and New Years Eve sound, fire anvils!

You need two large anvils with the square hole in the top. Fill the hole in one anvil with black powder. Lay a fuse from the powder to the edge of the anvil. Place a playing card over the powder. Then place the second anvil hole down over the bottom anvil hole and powder and on the playing card at a 90 degree angle to the bottom anvil. light fuse and get back.

Upon firing, the top anvil will jump up in the air a foot or so, make a loud throaty boom and ring the top anvil. A very unique sound.

In Weaverville California they ring the Anvil in the town park starting at sunup on the 4th of July and every 1/2 hour after until sundown

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #6 on:** June 19, 2004, 03:25:10 PM »

I'd heard of 'ringing the anvil' before and knew something of it but the details are compelling to go and get a second anvil.

The square hole is for the hardy. A hardy is a tool with a square tapered shank used for cutting or bending iron stock with a large hammer.

The ringing is not uncommon to some mortars - My first (with 3/8" thick walls rings on every shot!

mtnman37879 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2004, 06:05:51 AM »

The anvil will only ring if it is a "forged" anvil. A cast anvil won't ring.

jimwaits · « **Reply #8 on:** June 21, 2004, 04:12:41 AM »

Another of my hobbies is blacksmithing. I belong to the Alabama Artist Blacksmithing Association "ABANA". We frequently shoot the anvil at our meetings when held in a suitable place. In fact the national association forbids anvil shooting and we were thrown out because of our refusal to stop shooting the anvil. Frequently it goes up as much as 50 feet!!
Quite impressive and a long time blacksmithing event.

Double D · « **Reply #9 on:** December 02, 2006, 08:31:14 AM »

Evil Dog · « **Reply #10 on:** December 02, 2006, 08:41:14 AM »

You ought to see an anvil with a full pound of blackpowder under it..... a couple years back they did that at a rondezvous near Las Vegas. Was supposed to be a 100 pound anvil and placed on top of a 4" pipe... a pound of GOEX inside the pipe. Sure did look pretty spinning close to 100 feet in the air !!!

accuratemike · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2006, 11:09:03 AM »

An earlier anvil thread. http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,94035.0.html In there, Santa mentioned Oxy/Acetylene. I'v never heard anything louder. Not that I'm suggesting anything. There has to be a law against playing with that stuff. Brings to mind the "Big Bang" cannons. Acetylene powered. Hmmm.....MIKE

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #12 on:** December 02, 2006, 12:04:49 PM »

Quote from: accuratemike on December 02, 2006, 11:09:03 AM

An earlier anvil thread. http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,94035.0.html In there, Santa mentioned Oxy/Acetylene. I'v never heard anything louder. Not that I'm suggesting anything. There has to be a law against playing with that stuff. Brings to mind the "Big Bang" cannons. Acetylene powered. Hmmm.....MIKE

Acetylene (with oxygen) is loud because it is SO UNSTABLE. It does not occur naturally in nature it is so unstable. It will 'explode' by itself if under too much pressure (it is kept in the cylinders in a solution of acetone). The explosion is a detonation - that is it has a shock wave in the process of burning.

It is not something to be trifled with - I can tell stoires of my past indescretions - from which I survived without damage.

jlimebrook · « **Reply #13 on:** December 02, 2006, 06:14:32 PM »

Here is a carbide cannon I built, functionally similar to the bird scarers. The tube is CPVC, 4" nominal at the breech and 3" at the muzzle. I had to shim it about 3/32" to fit the two pieces together. The carriage is wood. On top is a gizmo I worked up from a Coleman lantern lighter, the flint-wheel kind. I think I will change it to the propane barbecue, piezoelectric type of igniter if I ever get a round Tuit. I put about a quart of water in it, then open a threaded plug on top and dump in 40 grains of calcium carbide. After screwing the plug back in and cocking the igniter, I just give the lanyard a tug, and boom! It is actually louder and deeper than my 1" BP guns. All the dogs in the neighborhood start barking. It is safer, too, since nothing comes out of the muzzle but burning acetylene and noise. I believe if I tried to shoot anything out of it (potatoes, turnips, hamsters) it would eventually rupture. I think a sched. 40 steel or aluminum pipe would be plenty strong for shooting projectiles. I got the carbide online for about $12 a pound, which is a lot of shots. The gun cost me nothing to build, since I was able to scrounge all the materials.

accuratemike · « **Reply #14 on:** December 02, 2006, 07:05:31 PM »

I don't think my wife would let me keep that in the kitchen. Nice. MIKE

copdoc · « **Reply #15 on:** December 03, 2006, 01:50:21 AM »

That is nice. If you get a chance I would like to see some more pics. I had thought about building a carbide cannon larger than my "Big Bang" I agree about carbide/acetylene being loud and safe when propery used. Big Bang has a long reputation of safety.

Quote

I don't think my wife would let me keep that in the kitchen

Everything with a tripod, wheels or a sled have been banned from the upstairs except the Jukars and Traditions scale models. They have have not gotten grease or powder residue on the floor and are light enough to move to vacuum. She actually likes them.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #16 on:** December 03, 2006, 03:36:08 AM »

Quote from: jlimebrook on December 02, 2006, 06:14:32 PM

Here is a carbide cannon I built, functionally similar to the bird scarers. The tube is CPVC, 4" nominal at the breech and 3" at the muzzle. I had to shim it about 3/32" to fit the two pieces together. The carriage is wood. On top is a gizmo I worked up from a Coleman lantern lighter, the flint-wheel kind. I think I will change it to the propane barbecue, piezoelectric type of igniter if I ever get a round Tuit. I put about a quart of water in it, then open a threaded plug on top and dump in 40 grains of calcium carbide. After screwing the plug back in and cocking the igniter, I just give the lanyard a tug, and boom! It is actually louder and deeper than my 1" BP guns. All the dogs in the neighborhood start barking. It is safer, too, since nothing comes out of the muzzle but burning acetylene and noise. I believe if I tried to shoot anything out of it (potatoes, turnips, hamsters) it would eventually rupture. I think a sched. 40 steel or aluminum pipe would be plenty strong for shooting projectiles. I got the carbide online for about $12 a pound, which is a lot of shots. The gun cost me nothing to build, since I was able to scrounge all the materials.

TWO COMMENTS:

A word about SAFETY: There is a point where PVC pipe will fracture. The pieces have shapish edges. Thre are many documented instances on the internet. Agreed, it happens more often with the potato guns.

This gun looks like FUN. But this forum is on BLACKPOWDER mortars and cannons. A little OT (off topic) is OK. ....

Double D · « **Reply #17 on:** December 03, 2006, 06:17:32 AM »

We have allowed Carbide cannons and other signal guns as within the scope of our board.

We have not allowed hair spray or potato guns as they fire projectiles and just aren't Black powder mortars or cannons. The Hair spray potato guns do have a reputation of misuse and abuse resulting rupture and injury.

jlimebrook · « **Reply #18 on:** December 03, 2006, 06:36:16 AM »

Quote

A word about SAFETY: There is a point where PVC pipe will fracture. The pieces have shapish edges. Thre are many documented instances on the internet. Agreed, it happens more often with the potato guns.

Point(s) taken. I neglected to point out that the breech end is sched. 80. Also, I use a long lanyard and clear the area by 30' before firing.

Quote

This gun looks like FUN. But this forum is on BLACKPOWDER mortars and cannons. A little OT (off topic) is OK. ....

Sorry about the OT, but it was my best answer to the gentleman's question. I will be more circumspect in the future. May I at least point out, CW, that I wasn't the one who brought up flammable gas cannons? Also, anvil launching is a bit farther afield than carbide cannons, IMHO.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #19 on:** December 03, 2006, 06:52:05 AM »

No problems here. A little OT IS OK.

Besides, it's not everyone who keeps a cannon in their kitchen!

Double D · « **Reply #20 on:** December 03, 2006, 08:46:39 AM »

Quote from: jlimebrook on December 03, 2006, 06:36:16 AM

Sorry about the OT, but it was my best answer to the gentleman's question. I will be more circumspect in the future. May I at least point out, CW, that I wasn't the one who brought up flammable gas cannons? Also, anvil launching is a bit farther afield than carbide cannons, IMHO.

You are just fine we just didn't want the topic to drift to far.

Tim and I do our best to keep thing focused and try to nudge things back in line. This is often the case when we get new people here.

Carbide cannons, shotgun blank signal cannons and firecracker cannons as well as thunder mugs and anvil shooting are all things with in the purvey of this forum. The modern exotic stuff isn't.

I will give you this yours is the largest Carbide cannon I have seen.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #21 on:** December 03, 2006, 09:03:03 AM »

Quote from: Double D on December 03, 2006, 08:46:39 AM

...
Tim and I do our best to keep thing focused and try to nudge things back in line. This is often the case when we get new people here.

Carbide cannons, shotgun blank signal cannons and firecracker cannons as well as thunder mugs and anvil shooting are all things with in the purvey of this forum. The modern exotic stuff isn't.
...

With carbide I'd draw the line at mixing the product of carbide (acetylene) with anything other than air - like oxygen. (I can attest to the volume of a large baloon filled with oxygen and acetylene - it's a wonder any of us have any hearing left! The flame was 6 feet in diameter - singed hair off my arm up to the elbow - do I need to say "don't try this at home?".)