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What do you have for a cannon?

8K views 62 replies 26 participants last post by  dvuyxx 
#1 ·
With the 4th almost here it is time to clean the cannon and get ready to wake them up at the yacht club! Ha! Hoping for thick shore fog so they won't know what the hell is going on.

"Downeast" is an interesting place. In very eastern Maine they talk about deer season as the three weeks of the year when the fine goes off, just to give you an idea. At our Perry, Maine farm we celebrated the 4th by firing a "cannon" at the Loyalists across the St. Croix River in St. Andrews, NB. Just to rub it in!:D We had many friends there who expected the display and welcomed it in the spirit it was intended.

I still have the "cannon" and will be celebrating this year here on Mt. Desert Island. I called the police and asked about my plan. The chief, in a text message, assured me that if no projectile is involved it will be O.K.. They have never witnessed a firing but seemed to feel a little calcium carbide generating acetylene would be harmless enough.

Well! I expect they will change their minds but not until after I manage to set it off two or three times. Fired out over Seal Harbor it will garner wide attention.

Cannons are common sailboat race starting devices. We have all heard them. Usually a 10 gauge blank. Sharp and loud enough to be heard over the water. Anybody have one?

My cannon is a 10 gallon milk can with a press on lid. A quart of water in the bottom, add a small measure of calcium carbide, gently press on the lid and after waiting for the carbide to generate acetylene touch a flame to a 1/4" drilled hole about 6" from the base. BOOOOOM!!!! Tie a long Amsteel lanyard to the lid and paint it a bright color so you can find and retrieve it for the next shot. It has been compared to a couple of sticks of dynamite if you get the acetylene / air mixture timed just right. We bury it in sand at the beach at a 45 degree angle and aim it away from habitations.

The yacht club party will notice! (I am a member. At least for now!)

How many other cannons out there? I would like to mount it on the boat but haven't come up with a safe design for a mount.

My son has advised me to record ALL reactions on video.

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#37 ·
SUB TITLE: Toys for Boys. I am surprised that the use of a potato gun was not included in this fascinating list of boy toys. My son made one several years ago and showed it to my dad. He took deadly aim at the sky and released a nice sized spud well into the inner space. a few moments later we heard a thud as the potato landed on the top of a neighbors car. My dad simply handed the "gun" to my son and camly walked inside. Also useful for launching unwanted vegitable matter out of your camp site when you are out of garbage bags.
 
#45 ·
Anybody trying to fire a 10 gauge shot shell out of a signalling cannon can kiss their toy goodbye. They may also create all sorts of mayhem and destruction on and around their boat. It is very stupid and very illegal.
 
#46 ·
I wouldn't fire a blank out my signal cannon, for fear of injury. It was my grandfathers and only a rusty momento now.

Nevertheless, as an analogy only, I'm sure your not exempt from needing a pistol permit, just because its old and rusty and you wouldn't personally dare firing it.
 
#48 ·
So over the years I've come to an agreement with the harbour master not fire my cannon in the harbour as it scares the horses but the laws in the land of the free are based more on common sense which works for me. My on board tale to British tourists goes like this; One day the Queen and Philip are going to tea at the Empress and walked close by my bowsprit as we moor at the same docks Big crowd all around as this a royal event. One of the naredowells on board Thane hollers 'Hay Philip' The Queen and consort turn and give the royal wave. I suddenly realize they are looking down the muzzel of my cannon and I could wipe out the house of Windsor. Then I thought 'Jeese Louis, they've never done bad to me' so I let them live. See what I mean? common sense , eh!
 
#52 · (Edited)
Onceuponatime, I believe it was Donald Street who used to put his boat down as a "sloop of one gun" on clearance papers, and indeed he carried something like a one-inch salute cannon and did indeed use it when crossing harbor defenses in various Caribbean ports.

A fine old nautical tradition but these days? Start with the US, where my hazy memory is that anything larger than 50 caliber (1/2") may fall under BATFE regulation as well as varying state laws, no matter how shallow or ceremonial it is. In many states anything that uses "stored energy" of any type, whether it is compressed air, springs, explosives, combustible powders, etc. is classified as a firearm and when it reaches a certain caliber...there's often someone with a similarly limited sense of humor around.

Do exercise some paranoia, and perhaps ask the local PD Chief or whoever gets called out on these things. Sometimes it doesn't matter if they want to live and let live, if someone files a complaint, they often have to comply.

Now, on the flip side, the 4th of July is coming up and us Yankees are required to blow something up on that day, aren't we?

By the way, if you ever hear a cell phone "ring" with the classic Star Trek audio clip of "Self destruct sequence activated" that's probably me, do come over and say hi. On the rare occasions that one rings, it tends to upset the local environment.(G)
 
#53 ·
Do exercise some paranoia, and perhaps ask the local PD Chief or whoever gets called out on these things. Sometimes it doesn't matter if they want to live and let live, if someone files a complaint, they often have to comply.

Now, on the flip side, the 4th of July is coming up and us Yankees are required to blow something up on that day, aren't we?
Yup! I know the "Lobster Backs" in St. Andrews expect it! Even if it is just symbolic rapid oxidation of a naturally occurring gas we used to rely on to light our homes prior to rural electrification. It wasn't that long ago in some remote parts of this great (paranoid) Republic! Let the games begin and let the chips fall where they may! Ha! Literally! But not on our neighbor's houses.

I am planning to paddle one of our canoes around Manhattan with the Admiral this August. Studying tides and looking for a safe and convenient launch / haul out site has been interesting. A little more involved than planning to paddle along the coast from Boston to Eastport and its only 25 miles. The restrictions placed on vessel traffic ostensibly a result of 9/11 are remarkable. I am still researching this and have decided to start and finish the trip in Englewood, New Jersey. I expect to find a pdf recommending we avoid eating anything that might produce gas the day before our trip. ;)

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#56 ·
FedX just delivered 10 pounds of miner's lamp grade calcium carbide! Yippee! It has gotten expensive. Shipping is expensive. Hazmat! 5 two pound cans. Should last 5 years if I am prudent and don't get arrested. Ha! I will double seal the cans with paraffin to keep moisture out.

Chem was one of my majors as an undergrad so I get the chemistry and the risk. We are Good to Go! Unless the Admiral convinces me to take her to Boston for the night of the 4th!

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#57 · (Edited)
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Funny thing about carbide and hazmat. I went that route earlier this year trying to ship some carbide. UPS and Fedex call it hazmat. But the USPS will take it WITHOUT HAZMAT as long as it is shipped by GROUND. So, no priority mail, but parcel post (I think they call that "select post" now) you can ship limited quantities of carbide with NO HAZMAT FEE OR MARKING.

It took multiple calls to the local po, to the local main po, to their hazmat department, to group reading of the usps's hazmat guide to get that figured out. But there's at least one vendor on ebay who has been routinely shipping 5x2lb cans of carbide by usps that way for years now, openly, with no problems. So for next year--save the hazmat fee, specify usps ground shipping or find the vendor who already knows about that.

Hazmat is fun, every *ing carrier has their own ideas and none of them gives you the same answer from any two different offices.

WRT NY Harbor, what restrictions? Other than keeping clear of the UN, the bridge abuttments, Ellis and Liberty islands...what's been redlined, that you'd really want to visit anyway? Bear in mind there's a couple hundred years of junk and landfill in a lot of that water, I wouldn't poke around anyplace that might have old pier pilings or other debris hiding in it. And for a "canoe" the East River could be a bit challenging, sometimes there are 2-4' standing square waves forming in parts of it as the water bounces up off the bottom. Quirky, but nowhere near as bad as a herd of giant kraken.
 
#58 ·
Nothing red lined I want to visit. Knowing which docks to avoid. Heleports and some other misc stuff. We plan to stop at the park just below Hellgate if things look uncomfortable. The UN isn't a problem until mid September. We will take the east channel. There are things like ventilation shafts, ferry terminals, Stuff I wouldn't be concerned about in a large boat but navigating along the shore in a canoe I don't want any surprises. The usual navy ship security zone stuff. We are experienced canoe paddlers. We paddle some open ocean races and camp along the Maine coast by canoe. A couple of white water national championships in our younger days so we are heads up about waves and currents. I have a farm in Washington County Maine. I used to paddle through "The Old Sow" on my way to work in Eastport. Now there is a challenging set of rips! Ha!;)

Thanks for the hazmat info.

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#59 ·
Its CANNON DAY! Ha! Happy 4th of July to you all!

We will see what kind of appreciation the area's "Safety Patrols" have for some 4th of July noise! :D

I have decided to try my cannon on my own property. Not the public beach which will be bursting with humanity. I expect visits from the local police, who I am on first name basis with and have notified of my intentions. The Acadia National Park police, not so much. My property shares a boundary with the park. Having been an ANP seasonal ranger in the past I know how "UP TIGHT" that govt. agency is. Worse than the military. No projectiles. Not even the lid on the milk can. Tightly held plastic will work if the Youtube videos are an accurate measure.

My large American Flag will be flying and hopefully ears will be ringing. I will be wearing my Husky helmet complete with face shield and ear protection. ;)

Have a safe 4th.

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#60 ·
Admittedly, I always stop at the RGB Cannons exhibit at the sailboat show and pine away at teir brass cannons.

When I was a kid, there were always wahoos that would set up cannons made of long PVC pipe and rubbing alcohol. I'm not sure of the chemistry or setup, but it was loud!
 
#62 ·
Admittedly, I always stop at the RGB Cannons exhibit at the sailboat show and pine away at teir brass cannons.

When I was a kid, there were always wahoos that would set up cannons made of long PVC pipe and rubbing alcohol. I'm not sure of the chemistry or setup, but it was loud!
"Wahoos"? Ha!;) "Rapid oxidation reduction engineers!":D

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#61 ·
I want one of these on the bow of my dinghy:


Made from PVC ... does that make it a vegetarian cannon? ;) (Historically, what they called "Quaker Cannons" because they're pacificist and don't really fire. I'm thinking of filling it with flour and using the dinghy foot pump to give the puff of smoke, still working on the bang.)
 
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