Golf ball mortar

[eugene13]

I've always wanted to build a tracked vehicle using timing chains and crank sprockets, finally got my wish. I simply pressed in a bushing drilled to the axle size, with a .002" interference fit. The first pic is a stock single row chain, and the next is a double row roller, I like the look of the single row best and as soon as I get one I'll change it over. The third is the finished trunion legs and the small square objects are clevis' to adjust the chain tension, and of course the last pic should have been the first. I smell taco's cooking and I'm really hungry.

 

[Tolerent]

Is this something that will get a drive train and end up being remote controlled? Should we be worried you might have plans to conquer the world with micro tanks?

I am already jealous of the mortar as I don't think I am allowed to build one in Washington. > .50" bore, easily converted to powder even if starting life only powered by a 209 primer. Our legislature has not much sense of humor.

 

[Cadillac]

Eugene I like you ideas looks awesome! I vote for the double row chain look beefier.

 

[epanzella]

I've always wanted to build a tracked vehicle using timing chains and crank sprockets, finally got my wish. I simply pressed in a bushing drilled to the axle size, with a .002" interference fit. The first pic is a stock single row chain, and the next is a double row roller, I like the look of the single row best and as soon as I get one I'll change it over. The third is the finished trunion legs and the small square objects are clevis' to adjust the chain tension, and of course the last pic should have been the first. I smell taco's cooking and I'm really hungry.

Looks AWESOME! Always liked tracks. If you're gonna drive this thing I'd really be interested in how you build the steering.

 

[eugene13]

Thanks for the compliments, It's not going to be driven or towed, the tracks will roll but are mostly for eye appeal, I think it's beginning to look a little Steam Punk. As for the mortar, just build one, it's easier to get forgiveness than permission

 

[Inferno]

I'm going to take this back off track for a minute.

I made my first black powder cannon when I was 14, in high school. It had a 9/16" bore and was almost a foot long. I had a lot of fun with it. I packed it with paper towels for years. A good thing too because one 4th of July I accidentally shot my mom in the back from 30 feet away. The paper towel wad left a nasty bruise.
Now I have a 6 shot, 3/4" bore signal cannon and a 1-1/2" brass signal cannon (I've shown it on this website). I'm not bragging. I'm letting you know I have 40 years of experience with black powder cannons.

Many years ago, my best friend, who also had a black powder cannon, and I decided to find out what kinds of crap we could fire. And of course we experimented with pipe cannons and the like. We even, once, buried 3 stick of dynamite 3 feet deep to make a crater. It didn't go off and we're pretty sure we retrieved all the dynamite but it was sort of, well, spread out from the blasting cap.

Again, this isn't to impress.

A former coworker and I were bored when it was slow at work and we played around with the chemicals in the shop to see which one would make the best propellant. Starting fluid did pretty good.

Now, this is why I am writing.

My best friends cousin ended up losing all the hair on one side of his face and head while breech loading a cannon without waiting for any remaining embers to extinguish.
My best friend made a 2" pipe cannon and we buried it in the ground with the barrel opening just above ground. I didn't see that he lit it and ran right past it, luckily right before it went off. The pipe didn't contain the explosion and turned into a tulip. We never found the top half of the pipe. It was packed with jelly beans.

A different friend and I were firing grade school glitter from my first cannon. We were firing it into the sky. It was really pretty coming down in the streetlights. It wasn't pretty having my friend remove pieces of glitter from my eyes.

As I said, I have experience.

My coworker and I managed to find the best propellant. We were using a 3" tube with a golf ball and a carrier. We shot one so high we couldn't see it anymore and scurried under cover in case it came down near us. It wasn't far off. Maybe 30 feet. It bounced almost high enough to not see. Ended up hitting the hood of a car.

OK, so what's the point here?

You mentioned the golf ball was a snug fit. This could be a bad thing. Gold balls deform pretty easy, relatively speaking. When the pressure is applied to the bottom of the ball, the ball will spread and, possibly, create a tight plug. This could be a bigger bang or it could be an explosion.

Chances are you will be fine. Chances are, that is.

If I were going to fire a projectile from a cannon, I wouldn't use anything that could compress and plug the bore. And if I did do that, I'd take cover before it went off, just in case.

Also, FWIW, if you want a good bang, cheap bread works better than paper wadding.

 

[Tolerent]

And that is why my homemade Tannerite white lightning never gets mixed and shot. I am afraid of getting the wrong kind of experience.

 

[Cadillac]

And that is why my homemade Tannerite white lightning never gets mixed and shot. I am afraid of getting the wrong kind of experience.

while looking for chem mixture for hot bluing process I came across a vague thread on diy tannerite mix. Care to elaborate on the recipe?

 

[pontiac428]

while looking for chem mixture for hot bluing process I came across a vague thread on diy tannerite mix. Care to elaborate on the recipe?

Well, for informational purposes only, the basic concept is the same binary solid fuel mixture that propels our ballistic missiles: ammonium perchlorate and aluminum powder. Missiles have reliable ignition systems, so for a bullet to detonate the mixture, the commercial mix has a touch of titanium powder, ammonium nitrate, and zirconium hyxroxide in it as well. Now please don't go and hurt yourself.

 

[Tolerent]

Tannerite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannerite

Flash Powder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_powder

In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives advises: "Persons manufacturing explosives for their own personal, non-business use only (e.g., personal target practice) are not required to have a Federal explosives license or permit."[5] However, "persons falling into certain categories are prohibited from possessing explosive materials".[5] Those prohibited from possessing explosives include most non-citizens, unlawful drug users and addicts, those convicted or indicted for serious crimes, fugitives, and those who have been officially declared mentally defective or have been committed to a mental institution.[5] Restrictions imposed at the state and local level also apply.[3][5] In California in particular, a permit may be required to use or possess the product.[6]

Various regulations also govern the storage of unmixed explosives. As oxidizers and combustibles, the unmixed components still have some shipping restrictions in the United States.[8][9]

None of the above is legal or technical advice. Just me pointing to what I read and cut paste from the wiki article regarding legal implications. Also, Laws and regulations change from time to time so what was legal or winked at last week has the potential of being a crime today.

Note: there are strong recommendations about some mixes and some ingredients being overly sensitive. Any mix containing Potassium Chlorate is a lot more dangerous than Perchlorate and anything with Sulphur for example.