Film Canister Cannon

This cannon design is originally from scitoys.com, but I didn't see it anywhere on the Instructables site, so I documented my own. However, Kipkay had to go and show me up with his own version, just to make me look bad. There's also the ultra-portable version from Kiteman.

Step 1: Getchyer Materials

First is-duh-get the supplies you'll need.
Materials:
Film Canister
Hairspray
Heat shrink tubing
Piezo igniter from an old fireplace lighter

Tools:
Pointy pokey thing
Something that will heat-shrink the heat-shrink

A side note: there is another Instructable now by Geoffrito about how to remove the ignitor. You don't need to add extensions unless you want to, just extracting the piezo igniter should give you enough length.

Step 2: Puncture the Lid

Film canister lids typically have an indention in the exact center. Most people think that they are part of the molding process or something, but those of us in the know realize that their true purpose is to help us geeks who want to poke holes in them.
I drilled a small pilot hole, then carved out the rest with an X-acto knife. You could also drill the whole thing or stab it with a hot nail, I don't really care. It's your film canister.

Step 3: Add Wiring

Now, poke the wires from the piezo igniter into the hole. Make sure that the bare ends go on the inside, then put a bit of heatshrink tubing or tape to hold it. Then, practice your spark plug-making skills and bend the wires so that there is a small gap. When you click the igniter, there should be a small blue spark between the bare ends.

Step 4: Shoot Things

To fire the cannon, squirt some fuel in, seal the cap, and click the igniter. With a nice bang and a lovely yellow fireball, the can part will go shooting across the room. This cannon is low-powered enough that it's perfectly safe to fire indoors. It's really fun to fire it next to a sleeping cat.
A quick note on fuel: Experiment! I used aerosol hairspray, which is very flammable and comes out in a nice mist. That mist part is the most important. If you just dribble in fuel, it probably won't fire.

Comments

[Tooreal]

I've made something Very Similar to this Years ago to use as a Tennis Ball Cannon! Just cut the top & bottom out of 3 or 4 Tin Cans and connect them inline End to End and Securly wrap Duct tape around where they connect.
Get 1 more Tin Can but Only Remove the Top Lid, and Tape that to the Bottom of your Cannon. After e everything is Securly Taped, Poke a small Hole 1/4" from the Bottom can ( that still has the Bottom in it. This is where you will sqirt a small amount of Zippo Lighter Fluid into the Small Hole, Drop a Tennis Ball Down the Open Front End and then Place a Flame to the small Hole and watch your tennis ball Fly!
You will have to adjust the amount of fuel used to achieve the Farthest Distance of flight of the Tennis ball, but it is well worth the effort!
We use to play neighborhood wars using these and it was so much Fun. I have even used an empty Pringles Potato Chip Can for some of the Farthest fleights because of the smooth sides having No Restrictions on the Ball shooting out of the Tube.. The smoother the edges of the can, the farther the fleight of the Ball..

Have Fun & Be Safe ??

[kcbford1]

ive made these! very very fun project. thanks for posting!

[briansparks0211]

That's a cool project! It's a good idea to keep the pieces in there and protected by the heat-shrink tubing. The ignitor-generated spark will need to be insulated and contained by the HST, right? But exposure to chemicals such as acids, in other words the degree to which it's inert, can have an affect on the lifespan. Factor in the heat you might be exposing this too. Add to that Sun exposure, and the heat-shrink will wither and deteriorate, unless you get good stuff. I recommend checking the PFA spec sheet here http://fluorotherm.com/Properties-PFA.asp and getting your HST in the future from fluortherm.

[esplonky]

i read up on this link
http://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=Legal_issues

it says for POTATO GUNS that they are illegal if used as a weapon or if shot in an area where shotgun fire is illegal.

[CameronSS]

Stick a film can in a potato and launch it.

[Tomcat94]

Hahahah!

[mistahmaxi]

It is. A potato gun has almost the same ammount of power as a real gun, if you use it right (in the destructive way). And the ammunition, in this case a potato, will double the damage done when it hits a target. It would probaply not make your target bleed (if shot on a human or any other living being), but it could cause some pretty harsh internal damage. Believe me, I've been there. So in case any of you that read this were thinking to shoot at somebody, I hope you think again.

[esplonky]

isnt that illegal to do that with aresol stuff? ill have to look it up but im pretty sure it is

[esplonky]

mine says 21n lol

[mattias law]

im gonna give my cannister a cone and stuff so it goes further. do you have to put much hairspray in

[big-jamie]

well you can use your aerosol and hairspray and such like...but what i have is a can of pressurised butane for my lighter refill, i suggest you get yourself one of those ;) beautiful bang

[chi chi chippy]

or wat u can do is wat i do and take the butane thing out of the lighter i use them for all my "fun stuff" like potato guns and such. but y buy wat you can get free.

[liny]

one made with a garbage can: -will sound loudly, very loudly -will fly -watch your head cuz its gonna fall. What we learned? never make super gigantic versions of things that can be picked up with two fingers without safety in mind.

[Nicrostar]

the dollar store

[Ace Benedict]

I didn't think this thing was going to be as loud as it was. Thankfully my neighbors understand my love of explosions. I'm currently thinking of ways to modify it. One concept involved cutting the bottom end off of a 35mm can, slipping it in the top of another, uncut can, then electrical taping the two together to make a double can. I made a quadruple can to fill with hairspray, but I'm afraid of blowing my hand off or getting hit with plastic shrapnel or something along those lines. If one was to fill the can with gun powder, would it still fire?

[blugyblug]

BLowing your hand off with a couple of film canisters filled with hairspray?
Itll probably blow off an ANTS hand. Even with gun powder. And getting into all the trouble of getting gun powder and using that massive amount of energy with a lame film canister cannon?
Seriously, if you even get your hands on gun powder you should make something way more grand...like going to jail or something =D

[CameronSS]

Not responsible for any medical or legal costs incurred by the construction, modification, or use of this device. That said, a mega-cannon would be fun. Gunpowder, no guarantees. Remember that straight gunpowder is incendiary, not explosive. It only explodes when tightly packed. I guess you could try a small firecracker, but please, use common sense, a face shield, and a long pair of tongs. I doubt that the film canister would explode, because the force required to rip plastic is far greater than that required to pop off the cap. I think the main concern would be the film canister melting. I noticed that the thin edges get noticably singed when it's used a lot. At a certain point, you just have to upgrade to PVC or metal pipe.

[Loveofchaos]

Dont use a firecracker. i know from experience that black cats in film canisters, gluestick canisters or anythign else unless it is buried in sand WILL NOT WORK IT WILL ONLY BLOW THE CANISTER UP, well, it will put a big crack in it and blow out the bottom.

[Ace Benedict]

Extending the wires on the igniter may help, and to test it, I intend to do it in the middle of nowhere behind a makeshift wall or shallow trench. If I'm going mod a small explosive, I'm making sure I don't end up in the Darwin Awards. If I damage myself and/or property, it's my own fault.

[BOMBOMBOMB]

Hey ima physco 13 yearold love explosives u name it ill blow it. You could use the igniter to ignite a spud cannon or grape shooter couldnt u. Ive always been using my trusty lighter and couple of times burning a whole shirt it seems safer. but is it possible?