Metal Piston-Valved Cannon

[noob of noobs]

15$? Is that in USD? Holy crap... I think I might have to stick to steel for now, but I do want to make a copper gun when I get the dough. By the way, does your piston ride in the nipple behind the T?

[joannaardway]

15$? Is that in USD? Holy crap... I think I might have to stick to steel for now, but I do want to make a copper gun when I get the dough. By the way, does your piston ride in the nipple behind the T?

That's not a lot at all... in the UK, a 54mm (Essentially 2" ID) tee costs £9.23 before tax, £10.85 after - and that's about $21/$22. And that's off the internet, before a hefty delivery charge. And it will be nearly impossible to solder as well.

For an idea of the cost of a full UK cannon...
He's not supplied me with all of the data, but for Ragnarok's latest cannon (this is a 20.3mm bore), the running total is about ~£300 ($600) for both it and the homemade pump to accompany it. For the launcher alone entirely from scratch, you just might get away with half that.
It's a pretty nice launcher, I'll give him that, but given that some US builders will baulk at a quarter of that for a cannon, you should consider yourselves very privileged.

[rednecktatertosser]

Yeah, its true, in the good ol USofA we have it relly god as far as plumbing supplies go.

On topic: Looks good on the cannon, You used the epoxy for a piston right?

[noob of noobs]

21$ for a 2" T? Wow, that's gotta hurt the wallet. Sorry for balking at nothing, it's just my budget's fairly slim if you know what I mean.
Rednecktatertosser, he said the piston was made of 2 3/4" PVC caps glued together.

[joannaardway]

21$ for a 2" T? Wow, that's gotta hurt the wallet.

We just have to recycle old cannons and parts (copper unsolders, but PVC can't unbond), make a few less cannons, gather a bit more budget and plan a bit more carefully - or nag our parents for more cash.

You're working in one situation, so your budgeting ideas will be different.