SpudFiles

Hello im building my first cannon
I have uploaded a picture of what i hope to build it like.



MEASUREMENT'S
A) 100mm
B) 50mm

I am pretty sure they are the size's
But i have not cut any of it up i have about 1 meter of both A and B
How big should i make A and B?

Please help i dont want to reck it

Thank you

It depends on exactly how big you want it. I would keep B at about 1 meter and cut down A accordingly. A good reference is in the wiki:
http://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/inde ... rrel_ratio

Thanks for the fast reply
ill keep B at 1m but im not sure how long A should be?

Search for chamber to barrel ratio.

I tryed but im still not sure should i do it like half a meter?

I put the spark igniter in the cap. It is easy to change the flint and just feels better to me. And when I store it I put the cap in backwards and push the igniter in all the way so the launcher can stand on end. But that is just my opinion.

yeah can anyone help me how long should A be?

I lost my spoon. Sorry.

haha fair enough i just want to know lol

Did you look at that page I linked to in the wiki? It tells you how to calculate the C:B ratio and there are graphs that show that an optimal C:B ratio is around .7 So calc the volume of the barrel, then multiply by .7 to get the volume of the chamber. Plug in your pipe diameter and use the equation for volume backwards and that will tell you how long everything should be. Sorry, don't feel like finding a calculator to figure it all out.

hubb017 wrote:I lost my spoon. Sorry.

awww, that's kinda mean, but i guess he deserves it...

and putting the ignitor in the cap can make it structurally unsound, put it through a double layer of pipe, like at the couplers, and if you use a bell reducer make sure that it is pressure rated and not DWV

When B is 1 meter, and 50mm, then the volume is:
pi*2,5*2,5*100=1963 cubic cm

The volume of A is: pi*5*5*h
For a 1:1 ratio, h = 1963/(pi*5*5) = 25 cm
For a 0,8:1 ratio, h = (1963*0.8 ) / (pi*25) = 20cm

Using Ecxel, you can easily dish out all numbers for any C:B ratio you want:

Eddbot wrote:and putting the ignitor in the cap can make it structurally unsound, put it through a double layer of pipe, like at the couplers, and if you use a bell reducer make sure that it is pressure rated and not DWV

Besides weakening the cleanout plug (which isn't pressure rated to begin with) if you set the gun down on its butt while loaded it may fire.

Put the sparker through one of the fittings (probably the cleanout fitting).

A BBQ piezo is a much better way to go. More expensive (~$14 versus ~$3) but it is much easier to build the BBQ piezo into a handle. The problem with the flint sparker is it takes all of one hand to operate. That leaves just one hand to hold the gun. This gun'll have a significant recoil, best to have a two handed grip on it when fired.

The bell reducer is fine for a standard combustion gun. The cleanout plug isn't pressure rated and is much more likely to fail than the bell reducer. A bushing reducer would be preffered but isn't required for safety.

For a basic combustion, I'm more partial to the lantern sparker. Works every time no questions asked. Also, for a basic combustion, the cleanout cap is probably fine. I had one on a propane gun with no problems. Best of luck.