After researching various exploits of boys and what they did in their spare time back in the day, I have compiled a list of possible designs for making a pop can cannon.
Materials:
- 5 cans (minimum 3 cans for the cannon part, and 2 for support)
- Duct tape to hold them together
- Ethanol for ignition
- A pair of Styrofoam cups as ammunition
- Nail and hammer
Design Notes
- Many of the people who wrote about their experiences with making pop can cannons back in the day insist that they used tin cans, and one source even says that aluminum cans would lead to an explosion and a "face full of aluminum shrapnel". Other (probably younger) sources use soda pop cans, or steel cans such as the kind that contain vegetables or soup or juice
- Although one source uses masking tape as an option to hold the cans together, most sources say duct tape or electrical tape
- All sources use lighter fluid (butane) as the ignition, but we are using (must use) ethanol
- All the sources leave the bottom on the bottom can, through which a hole is made for getting the ethanol into the cannon. However, some sources cut all the tops and bottoms off the rest of the cans. Others say to leave in half the bottom of the first can and half the top of the third can as well. Still more involve cutting out like triangles from the third can (the one with the entire bottom and the hole) so that one end of the can looks like a star or cross
- They also all involve shaking the cannon, but I don't know whether the cannon is shaken before the ammo is put in or after...
- launch angle
- Pictures from: http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/old-school-tin-can-cannon-t14208.html , http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRy6ueQD4GvrnM3BHSyGUUu1YiHPVX_HrpC_gaFK3oKjx-fpH8a , http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUO-6jGB8lA0JJxmqphPDfycPlrjR6l5Q7erzkTOTZoSFlT3Isrw
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