Today, I’m gonna talk about messing around with a can cannon. Yeah, you heard that right, a cannon that shoots stuff out of a can. My main goal was to see how far this thing could launch a tennis ball. Sounds fun, right? Well, it kinda was, but also a bit of a pain in the ass.
Setting Up
First off, I gathered all the crap I needed. This included the can cannon itself, which is basically just a tube attached to some sort of air compression system. I also got a bunch of tennis balls, because, obviously, that’s what I was gonna shoot.
The First Few Shots
I started by loading a tennis ball into the cannon. It’s a bit tricky because you gotta make sure the ball fits just right. If it’s too loose, the air just goes around it, and if it’s too tight, it might not even come out. The first few times I tried, the ball barely went anywhere. I’m talking, like, a couple of feet. It was pretty lame.
Figuring Out the Pressure
So, I realized I needed to play around with the air pressure. This cannon thing works by building up compressed air and then releasing it all at once behind the ball. I started pumping more air into the chamber. Each time I added more pressure, the ball went a little further. It was like a mini science experiment in my backyard.
Getting Some Distance
After a bunch of trial and error, I finally got the hang of it. I found that if I pumped up the pressure to a certain point (I’m not gonna give you exact numbers because I don’t want anyone blowing themselves up), the tennis ball would shoot out pretty damn far. We’re talking like, across my entire yard and into the neighbor’s bushes. Sorry, Mr. Johnson!
The Tennis Ball Problem
But here’s the kicker: the tennis balls started to get messed up. The force of the air and the heat from the blasts were burning off the fuzz on the balls. After a few shots, each ball was basically bald and didn’t fly as well. It’s like the fuzz helps create a seal or something.
Measuring the Distance
I tried to measure how far the balls were going, but it wasn’t easy. I’m not exactly equipped with high-tech measuring gear. I paced it out, and my best guess is that the furthest shots were going somewhere around 100 yards, maybe a bit more. But honestly, it was hard to tell.
Other Ammo
- Coke Cans: I also tried shooting full Coke cans. These suckers flew pretty far too, and they didn’t get messed up like the tennis balls.
- Other Stuff: I’m not gonna lie, I launched a few other random things too. Let’s just say, don’t leave anything lying around in my yard if you don’t want it to become a projectile.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it. My adventure with a can cannon. It was a fun little project, but not exactly precise. If you’re thinking about doing this, just be careful. It’s easy to get carried away and shoot something you shouldn’t. And definitely don’t aim it at anyone, even if they really deserve it.
It also made me think about how the real cannons work. I read somewhere that the old-timey cannons could shoot like, over a mile. That’s insane! Anyway, that’s all for now. Catch you guys later!
