Gas ignition issues

[MuhFreebrams99]

Anyone have ideas on how to keep the hairspray in the cannon while loading the potato? I'm currently spraying hairspray then loading the potato with a ramrod, and sometimes the hairspray escapes. Any ideas? The back of my cannon does have a screw-off cap for cleaning and maintenance, so I might be able to load the spud, remove the cap, spray hairspray in the back end, put the cap back on and fire.

[walosa]

Instead of spraying the hairspray in after loading the potato, you could load the potato and then spray the hairspray in before sealing the cannon. One way to do this is by using your cannon’s screw-off cap for this purpose, as you suggested.

[avatedhotpot]

To clarify, if you're having trouble with the hairspray escaping while loading the potato, maybe you could try sealing off the back of the cannon more securely before you spray the hairspray. You could try using a more airtight plug or cap while loading the potato, then remove it when you're ready to fire. Another option might be spraying the hairspray in quickly before loading, so it has less chance to escape.

[avatedhotpot]

That’s a solid idea about using the screw-off cap to spray hairspray directly into the back end of the cannon. To make sure the hairspray stays contained, you could also try using a rubber seal or gasket around the cap to prevent any leakage. Another suggestion is to lightly tape or seal the opening where you load the potato to reduce the chances of the hairspray escaping when you load it. Ultimately, it’s all about minimizing airflow loss while making sure you have a good seal to build up the pressure properly.