2" Golf/Tennis Ball Shoulder Launched Cannon + Damage!

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

That's more like it while it's commendable that you too the possibility of ricochets into consideration, I would have taken more procautions - at the very least safety glasses, a bigger firing angle and some sort of side-mounted backstop to catch any stray projectiles.

[Jabingo19]

Yeah in retrospect that is definitely what I should have done, but... I was with my friends and we were all being idiots

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

I was with my friends and we were all being idiots

Granted, and we've all done that - but there was a recent graphic reminder of the potential consequences of being an idiot

[Jabingo19]

Wow. Well, new plan. Wear more safety stuff when shooting.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Good man, better than learning the hard way. This was my lesson though some on the forum will be happy to suggest I haven't learn much

[Jabingo19]

Wow. Nice, clean hole at least. Thankfully that didn't ricochet like the golf balls were.

[Jabingo19]

Alright. Well, my piston blew out the back of my gun. I didn't have time to get pictures yet, but I am showing you guys basically what happened on an old picture. The red circle around the female adapter is where the damage happened. Basically, it blasted off the threaded part and left the solvent welded part attached to the rest. I think I'm just going to replace the whole piston housing with a schedule 80 version of itself, from the black arrow on up (also including the back female adapter), and the part in the white box with schedule 40 parts. Also, the blue line is where I cut the pipe, just going to add two couplings.

Any ideas for a better bumper besides half a tennis ball? I think I've seen 1/2 OD air hose used before but im unsure...

Also, I feel like this is a stupid question, but schedule 80 parts will solvent weld to schedule 40 parts correct? The black is just for color coding?

Thanks guys
Jabingo19

[saefroch]

Schedule indicates a wall thickness, and usually corresponds to a different ID only, same OD based on pipe size.

[jsefcik]

Wear your safety gear please,!!!!! I learned the hard way, I took a golf ball to my forehead at about 115 psi

look herehttp://imageshack.us/content_round.php?page=done&l=img12/1829/dscf8240a.jpg&via=mupload&newlp=1

[MrCrowley]

For future reference, you could cut a piece of PVC a couple of inches long, sand down both ends of the PVC so they're concave and jam it between the back of the galv. iron tee and your 2" PVC chamber.

You still should find a better bumper but this might also help distribute some of the force from the piston opening.

[Jabingo19]

jsefcik I'm not getting the link to work, but it certainly sounds nasty.

And MrCrowley, yeah I think that with a more suitable bumper and a schedule 80 housing I should be alright, and I'm not totally understanding what you mean about making the PVC "concave".

Also, do you guys think it's okay to have the part in the white box be schedule 40 or should i go right ahead and make it 80?

Thanks,
Jabingo19

[Technician1002]

For a bumper, after I changed to the guts of a Poof brand foam ball (dense open cell foam) for a bumper and nothing has broken since.


Foam bumper for the ABS cannon is next to the golf ball. I cut it with a pipe with a sharpened edge.

[MrCrowley]

I'm not totally understanding what you mean about making the PVC "concave".

To make the end of the PVC fit around the pipe like a barrel support:


Edit: Damn the photo doesn't work. Basically, cut a curve in the end of the PVC so it will fit around another pipe.

[Jabingo19]

Oh and also one thing I forgot to mention in the above post, since I know that my piston fits well in 2" schedule 40 pipe, do you guys think it would be okay to put schedule 40 in schedule 80 fittings, assuming I have a decent bumper?

And also technician, doesn't it help to have abs for this kind of thing because the abs would stretch versus shattering?

[Jabingo19]

And oh I see what you're saying MrCrowley, now that I look back at your original post I feel a bit dumb...