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I first saw the Film Cannister Cannon over on SciToys. First CameronSS and then Kipkay both posted versions here, but this version is small enough to be pocket-sized, and usable as the world's loudest party-popper. It is also made entirely of re-used components.
Step 3 includes a video summary of the instructions, plus a firing.
Mind the lights.
Step 3 includes a video summary of the instructions, plus a firing.
Mind the lights.
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Signing UpStep 1What you need:
This make is effectively free, using materials you can scrounge and tools you probably already have.
A 35mm film cannister - the tighter the lid fits, the better, so try for the translucent white ones. I've gone digital, but I can still get loads of the cannisters by asking nicely at my local Boots photo counter (it saves the staff walking out to the recycle bin).
The sparking-unit from a cigarette lighter. I'm not a smoker, but they're convenient for lighting Bunsen burners. This one, though, was actually confiscated from a pupil caught shocking people in the corridor.
A sharp knife - penknife, Xacto, anything that can make short, clean cuts in the cannister. I would not recommend using a kitchen knife - the relatively long blade makes them harder to control in short, fine cuts, and more dangerous if you slip.
Fuel. Some people use hair-spray, SciToys uses mouth-freshener spray, but my fuel of choice is methanol (denatured alcohol, available in the US as camping stove fuel or Heet).
As an option, you may want to fix the sparker in place. Several different glues will do the job - Serious Glue, hot glue, contact adhesive.
A 35mm film cannister - the tighter the lid fits, the better, so try for the translucent white ones. I've gone digital, but I can still get loads of the cannisters by asking nicely at my local Boots photo counter (it saves the staff walking out to the recycle bin).
The sparking-unit from a cigarette lighter. I'm not a smoker, but they're convenient for lighting Bunsen burners. This one, though, was actually confiscated from a pupil caught shocking people in the corridor.
A sharp knife - penknife, Xacto, anything that can make short, clean cuts in the cannister. I would not recommend using a kitchen knife - the relatively long blade makes them harder to control in short, fine cuts, and more dangerous if you slip.
Fuel. Some people use hair-spray, SciToys uses mouth-freshener spray, but my fuel of choice is methanol (denatured alcohol, available in the US as camping stove fuel or Heet).
As an option, you may want to fix the sparker in place. Several different glues will do the job - Serious Glue, hot glue, contact adhesive.
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Doesn't that describe, like...every nerd in every school in every country?
By the way, does Ethyl Alcohol (70%) work too.
First, make sure the lighter is empty, otherwise a stray spark might create a fireball, and the gas can be dangerous if inhaled.
Second, peel away the metal parts around the top of the lighter. You may be able to pull the sparker out that way with a pair of pliers.
Otherwise, simply squeeze the lighter hard, with pliers, or in a vice, until the plastic cracks. Crack off enough plastic, and the sparker will come out in one piece, wire and all.
Or, as others have said, simply smack the lighter with something hard and heavy.
http://silenceisdefeat.org/~lgtngstk/Sites/Projects/Propane_Cannon_Noisemaker/Propane_Cannon_Noisemaker.html
I might make an instructable on it one day.