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My boss presented me with a technical challenge a while back. His proposal was to develop a new product to be used for law enforcement. I am not at liberty to discuss the details of this project, but the first words out of my mouth were: "What method will be used to deploy this product ?". "The user will throw it" he quickly responded. "Through a window?" I asked. He nodded his head in acknowledgment looking at me as if I was mentally disabled. I asked him "You are aware that I have a psychological disorder that compels me to launch vegetables on various occasions". So he says "Well, I know you're fu^&ed in the head, if that's what you mean, but please, entertain me". I then explained my strange potato cannon hobby and things escalated from there.

The next thing I knew I was heading up a short term design project to look into the possibility of employing a pneumatic (modified potato) launcher to be marketed as part of a complete system.

I must have died and gone to Heaven. Building potato cannons on company time...well almost. I was refused entry into the building on the saturday that I had allotted to do this "after hours project". Was it because I brought my 2 daughters to help or did I look like some freaked out Kazinsky type with my bag of tools from home and an arm full of ABS pipe? It could have been the Barbie doll that I stuffed into my back pocket too, you never know when it comes to THE GATEKEEPER and who she selects to come and go.

Anyway, with some help from my buddy Josh, we finally got this thing up and running after a couple of false starts. This was my first Pneumatic cannon and I learned a lot from it. It is in every way similar to the refined version of the 2" pneumatic cannon except that it has a 3" diameter barrel. Nice simple effective design. The other difference is that due to the relative size of the 3" barrel, an air reservior can not be effectively acheived within the 4" chamber that houses the piston assembly. Thus the J shape with the reservior below the barrel.

Test one :

Empty Coke can in the back hall, 10 PSI.    -    Yielded rather impressive results with the can buckling upon exit of the barrel. Severly hooked 20 yards, smacked into a preparation table(rather loud) and came to rest on the floor. Drew a lot of unwanted attention. Next test outside for safety sake.

Test two :

We went up over the hill to the back side of the property this time. A 2 3/4  inch sealed playground ball full of water was to be the projectile of choice for this after work excursion. An oily rag was used to seal the ball to to the larger diameter barrel. With our little 12 volt automobile tire inflator we breathlessly endured 5 minutes of charging time waiting for the cannon to explode into a cloud of ABS shrapnel. Josh hesitantly accepted the honor of being the first to live fire the cannon while Scooter and I stood by with the first aid kit. At eighty PSI Josh opened that lovely champagne bottle with a deep bass THUMP that drove the ball an estimated 300 yards. Very impressive!

Test three - The Boss Test :

"But will it go through a window?" - "But will it go through a window?" -"But will it go through a window?" AAARGH! That's all I heard for the days preceding the final demonstration from my boss. We went out to the pond behind the building and proceeded to set everything up. I charged it up to fifty PSI, aimed it at a hill about a hundred yards away and let her rip. The round overshot the hill slightly and struck an oak tree across the street from our target and exploded in a mist of playground ball plastic and water. I turned back and looked to see him with a "Holy Shit" look on his face. With his jaw hanging to the ground and his eyes glazed over I don't think he heard a word I said when I stated "It'll go through sheetrock and 1/2" plywood too".