Brownie points to the one who can explain this cannon video

[Moonbogg]

What is going on here? The video has strange music and there is something artistic about the whole thing that I love, but I am wondering what is going on inside this cannon? What kind of "valving" do you think they might have in there that would have broken with an oxy/fuel shot?
This whole cannon looks freakish and crazy. How do you think this thing used to work?
Also, they use bolts in shear to hold the end caps on. I know this is a thing and people do it, but I don't like it for some reason. I imagine the holes loosening over time and I don't like the complete lack of pre-tension with a shear configuration. What are your thoughts on using bolts like that? Is it fine? No big deal? It bugs the hell out of me.

[D_Hall]

First impressions....

They've mad machinist skills and access to equipment but don't know a damned thing about gun designs. This is evidenced by obviously having to zero in on the fuel/air mixture via experimentation. Anyone who's put that much work into a gun should never experience a misfire. **NEVER**.

About the bolts in shear... I think this is just further evidence of them not knowing proper design or perhaps demonstrates a gap in their equipment. Putting bolts in shear like that can allow for easy O-ring seals and the like at the price of non-optimal structures. This doesn't have to be a problem provided you design for it. When you design for it, however, you typically end up using a fair number of fasteners. They appear to use six. SIX?? Yeah, I'm betting they put zero thought into it.

Valving? Just a guess, but I'm going with this being a very early valved hybrid attempt using diaphragm valve in a coaxial configuration. Zero knowledge, but that's what the overall look of the gun screams to me.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

They've mad machinist skills and access to equipment but don't know a damned thing about gun designs. This is evidenced by obviously having to zero in on the fuel/air mixture via experimentation. Anyone who's put that much work into a gun should never experience a misfire. **NEVER**.

Agreed, and playing with oxygen in that situation is really not a good idea.

[jrrdw]

This video was posted to YouTube 4 years ago and the web address in the end of the video didn't work for me.

http://www.troynietschmann.com

[youtube][/youtube]

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

This video was posted to YouTube 4 years ago

Just over 7 years:

Published on Feb 15, 2012

url is down for me too, hopefully our intrepid inventor didn't blow himself up.

[Moonbogg]

Nice analyses and comments. I can't get over that freakish music, and the website doesn't work for me either. That was the first thing I tried. I'd love a closer look at this cannon and how it works, but we may be out of luck for anything more than this video.

[jrrdw]

The chamber wasn't built very well...

[mark.f]

archived
Looks like he had been working on it long before 2012 it seems, although of course since it's a smaller site the actual page on the gun isn't archived. Looks like your typical "buy an oxy-propane/butane torch from Lowes and plumb it into a cannon" cannon with more money to burn but not enough know-how.
(by the way, what's up Moonbogg?)