Thread: Canons?

I made a cannon once. I was about 15 yrs old from memory. Found an old heavy duty marking pen at dads work (ag machinery). Was made of seamless steel tubing, and had a screw in front and back. The front fitting screwed into the body had a 4mm hole in it that held a balsa wood nib. The back fitting was for putting the die in. The interior was full of fluffy stuff to soak up the die. It was used for writing on the plywood packing cases stuff turned up and, and then readdressed to NZ addresses.

Looked the part. Chromed outside and about 'mini cannon' long. Best of all was its inside diameter was 'Mighty cannon" diameter.

Remember those years.... actual proper fireworks???

Anywho, a few evenings in dads carpentry workshop had it mounted as a 'cannon'. Nib had been drilled out and was where the firecracker fuse came out. projectile: well bugger me if marbles wern't the ideal diameter, stuffed in with a bit of loo paper.

Proof firing occurred at the back of our half acre section in provincial Palmy. 2 thicknesses of Heavy gauge fibre cement sheet had a bullseye printed on them, then leaned up against dads chook house. Made from tractor packing cases. 3/4 inch ply both sides.

Cannon was set up at point blank range (10 ft) and the blue touch paper was lit and I stood well clear.

Marbles are pretty sturdy things. This one went straight through two sheets of fibre cement, 2 sheets of 3/4 inch ply, no chickens, 2 feet above grandma hanging out washing 30 yards away and embedded itself in the woodwork fully 2 inches from the only stained glass window in our house

Coool!!!

Gran was less than impressed, though didn't learn of the marbles final resting place until many years later...

Rang my mate and told him of my success. His dad was into shotgun reloading (remember paper hulls??) so he perked a few oz of #4 and off we headed to the Manawatu river.

Set it up in a gap in the willows, loaded up, waited for a covey of ducks that appeared to be floating downstream and lit the blue touch paper again. The cannon spoke and 4 ducks found their way into our schoolbags to present to an appreciative dad

The next day I couldn't find my cannon anywhere????