Building the Death Cannon

[DX]

Finally. Interest in the Death Cannon has been renewed, in fact, as a top priority. I have in my hand right now a 4" piston seal from McMaster-Carr!

There has also been a great change in the function of this cannon. It is no longer just for fun - we intend to use this in hardcore-diehard war. Last year, such a thought would not be possible due to the need to meet strict Battle Practicality standards of our progression levels. However, that was before the Technical Theory - that accounts for the kind of power the Tactical Theory isn't supposed to cover. I've figured out how to extend the idea of Specialized Sidearms into the Technical Theory, to great effect. First-rate water cannons may be so powerful as to push the limit of Battle Practicality away, like the way a category 5 hurricane can push fronts and pressure systems back.

Our last war only further solidified the need for a specialized sidearm of great power. A piston/air water cannon would have wiped the entire Waterbridge defense out in under 4/15ths of a second at High Point. That might seem like a cheap fix, but in rules where anything that can deliver water to a target is allowed, no tech creation is "cheap". After the first shot, the Death Cannon will once again be subject to Battle Practicality, resulting in potential problems. The effort is well worth it, however.

The only question I have is about the piston. Is it more effective to double the piston, like in Ben's SuperCannon II, or can one suffice? Seeing as only Ben has built a piston/air water cannon as far as I know, has one ever even been tested with one piston?

[Silence]

About time you built this thing! Although weren't you going to make it 6"? Or did that plan get trashed along with the force model?

I believe each seal only works one way - hence why Ben doubled them with the concave sides facing away from each other. I don't think you can just use one, but I may be wrong.

[DX]

You'd hardly believe how expensive 6" pipe and fittings are. I took one look and scratched that plan.

We are ordering the 2nd 4" piston seal today, as well as a firehose nozzle. Yesterday we finished up the other parts for the piston. I'm surprised how many parts it takes to make a double piston - rubber washers, metal washers, and bolts galore. Good thing was that all cost under $1, collectively.

We completed and glued a 3" test cannon last night. It was going to be called the Mini-Death Cannon, but we changed it to the Ruta Cannon, after one of the members of Waterbridge that it will be seeking when it becomes operational. This test cannon will tell us whether one piston works, as well as whether conical hose nozzles work well.

One thing I found out is that McMaster-Carr does not necessarily ship out of New Jersey. They shipped our first piston from a warehouse somewhere in the Midwest - it had reached Philly on the 4th day of shipping and Ridgewood on the 5th day.

We also did the gluing right this time. After actually reading the can directions, it does say to apply the cement within like 5-15 seconds of the primer! It was done wrong on my previous 12+ homemade creations!

[Silence]

Right, I forgot about the prices...'tis a pity though. Still, you could say a 6" cannon wouldn't be very easy to lug around (let alone sprint with) in war, especially when "full."

I never found any instructions on a primer can...maybe I should have looked at the cement can.

Have you tested the cannon with a single piston? I doubt it would work, but still, you never know.

Good luck with the cannons!

[DX]

We just fired off the Ruta Cannon [the 3" test cannon with one piston] and it appears to function. We didn't shoot any water, just pumped air to test for leaks and to see if the single piston could move and seal effectively. Releasing the air from the bleed valve was noisy and nothing really came out of the front valve. Those are very good indicators. Ramrodding the piston back was fairly easy, considering that we didn't know what to expect.

We will test the Ruta Cannon again tomorrow morning before its battle debut, which is also tomorrow. This time, it will have water in it. If it works as it should, it will exert more influence on the field than a Douchenator ever could. If the cannon works well, it will be funny, for this is only the test. The actual Death Cannon won't become operational until late next week.