BANGSITE (calcium carbide) as combustible

[Robert]

I made several cannons out of PVC and instead of using lighter fluid like some guys talk about, I tryed using BANGSITE (calcium carbide) with water and to ignite it, I create the sparks with those Piezo lighters. I take the Piezo lighters apart and re-modify them so I can ignite the acetylene gases. Instead of buying bangsite from "The Conestoga Company" which is kinda pricy, I purchase it in chunk form from a different website firm. I don't know if the website moderators will let me post the name of the one firm where I obtain the carbide. Moderator: write me here at this forum and let me know if you give me permission to post the website here.

One more thing about the PVC cannon I made; It's a helluva LOUDER than before due to the nature of the large amount of volume of space. The i.d. is 2" x 12"Long and another tubing with 1" i.d. x 18"long. I have it all cemented together and fixed onto some boards which are painted with wagon wheels attached. I like to know if there's other people out there who tryed using calcium carbide in their cannons. Robert.

[spudshot]

it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS if you have something down the barrel while firing it, the acetylene gas WILL explode your chamber, its alright if you have nothing in the barrel, and are using it as a noise maker (recent discussion on spudtech.com) but with something in the barrel, you're gettin a free ambulance ride to a world of pain. oh and pvc doesnt show in x-rays, so lets hope the DR finds it all

[Darkerweb12]

Yeah, Acetlyene is some scary stuff man. If it gets above 15 psi, it will explode, and when it explodes, a can of it could take out YOUR WHOLE HOUSE. My friends dad drives destruction derby cars, and they can't have any glass at all. So he fills a bag with some acetlyene, and lights it, then runs far away. When it went, it blew out all the windows and lit the seats on fire, it freaked me out, its that powerful...

It is a very simple chain, H2O2, when it breaks, alot of energy is released, that is why acetlyene is used in welding, because when it breaks, it gets to over 2000 degrees. Thats hot...

So don't even think about using acetylene, you WILL kill yourself if your holding it when the chamber explodes...

[boilingleadbath]

H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide.
H2C2 is acetalene.

[PCGUY]

Please don't use solid state fuels in your cannon because once you do, your cannon is no longer legal in the US.

Plus your stupid for doing it in PVC anyways. What you have is a pipe bomb going off next to you that happens to have a few extra fittings on it.

[boilingleadbath]

It's not a solid fuel any more than a hammer holds peices of wood together; that is to say that it gives off a flamable gas when exposed to water, and that's what explodes. If you apply that type of logic to certain other fuels, you realize that you have to either allow nitroglycerien or prohibit propane.

That said, I agree that it's dangerous stuff that probably doesn't give you much better preformance. (does anyone want to do a calculation of the pressure generated by a acetalene combustion?)

[WOW!!]

HELL NOOOOO. That makes accelteline(spelling) will blow up in your face if there is something down the barrel, my friends cousin made one like that and put a poatao down the barrel and the whole thing blow up and killed him from PVC shranple in the brain. BEVERY CARELFULL. good luck tho


Josh

[beebs111]

some how i dont believe you. and learn how to spell

[WOW!!]

some how i dont believe you. and learn how to spell

May I ask why you dont believe me?

[spudshot]

i'd say because we would usually get wind of something like that in the news, i mean, frogboy, the guy who got hit with the endcap and died, the swede who shot cars out his window, and alot more

[WOW!!]

This was a while back i think, i dont know when he died all i know is that he was killed.

[BowerR64]

IMO using OA is different then using calcium carbide nothing is pure with this stuff. Its only using air and from what ive read air is only 20% oxygen. Using tanks with pure oxygen that i wouldnt do the acetylene i dont believe is pure either ive read its only 70%

I read on this site that the glue joints are the weak link in these cannons they would give before the pipe is that not true?

Ive shot my cannon about 20 times now shooting a loose fitting tennis ball, im not blocking the barrel like spud guns do using a potatoe the tennis balls will roll right out.

I just built a small one using a 3" tee to a 2" using 2" chuckit! tennis balls. My 4" tee tennis ball cannon uses a 4" rear screw in cap if you do the math the surface area of the cap is the weak link

There is a guy on youtube who built one using a 6" tee down to a 3" barrel wrapped with sheets of foam so it looks like a real cannon he shoots 3" tennis balls from his also. His 6" cap has even more surface area then any of mine and his hasnt failed yet. Not to say that it wont eventually but im betting the cap blows out of his first.

Im actually more scared of my neighbors calling the police on me for the noise then i am of the cannon exploding. lol

[PCGUY]

Holy old thread batman... you kicked up a damn near 9 year old topic.

As my younger self said earlier, this is a obscenely bad idea. I would not at all try to figure that PVC glued joints would become your weak point let alone try to think of that as any sort of safety measure. When gasses are expanding at those rates, nothing is certain.

Again - do NOT do this EVER and yes this falls against the solid propellents rules.

[BowerR64]

Yeah dont use it for shooting potatoes.

The first toy cannons that used bangsite were made from glass not many were sold because of the cost to make them but they are still around and still work.

[toddreeder]

30 years ago my dad bought a can of calcium carbide rocks at a hardware store. He used s coffee can to make a carbide cannon. He used s nail to put a hole in the bottom of the can. He put in a few pieces of calcium carbide and about a half teaspoon of water. Then he put the lid on and propped it up at an angle to light it. It was loud.


Once I drilled a hole in a pipe and used a cork to blow out for the bang. The cork was to tight and it became a torch