calcium carbide VS compressed Air

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boilingleadbath
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Yes, and spears are from the neolithic era. Surely they must blow up at random times showering tungsten-nickle-colbalt alloy flechettes everywhere!
Wait, they don't?

Sorry, but occasionaly I have to make fun of a weak argument.

Fiveseven, It's not the temperature. It is indeed the pressure [spike].
I reccomend building your C#C cannons out of ABS to prevent shrapnelization.
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frankrede
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This is funny,you guys are trusting abs in this situation but look down on it at other times.

Abs is the bomb.
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clide
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Personally I think it is a bad idea to use any kind of plastic.

The carbide cannon toys were made of metal and did not shoot projectiles.

I wish I could find a the link now, but I remember seeing a site with a large carbide cannon made of PVC. It was just a noisemaker, but it broke the PVC plug several times without a projectile in the barrel.

Just because people have used carbide guns that haven't blown up, it doesn't mean that your's won't or even that their's won't in the future. It is pushing the limits of the pipe.

I have also seen ABS that has fractured into several large pieces. Sure it usually splits, but I wouldn't trust my life to that.
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MrCrowley
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i tried looking for calcium carbide online, couldnt get it without a scientist certificate or something so i gave up.
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sgort87
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FRANK!

Stop... kicking... up... old... threads!

NOW!
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Mihlrad
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The toys are bangsite replica cannons... My parents own a hobby shop and used to sell them back in the day. Bangsite is 100% powdered calcium carbide. The replica cannons did NOT fire a projectile and were used only for the purpose of making a "pop" noise.
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frankrede
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sgort87 wrote:FRANK!

Stop... kicking... up... old... threads!

NOW!
Oh whoops I wasnt paying attention.
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dongfang
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I have used acetylene as well, in a plastic gun.

Initial measurements indicated that performance was only a few % over that of a propane/butane. The mixtures used were stoichisometric.

Oxidizer was air in all tests.

Soren
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pyromanic13
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in the backyard balistics book they have A CC cannon they don't ignite it tho.
Movie dialogue: "The good die first."
Tom: "But most of us are morally ambiguous, which explains our random dying
patterns."
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