making a T-Shirt cannon....

[Homer]

anyone do this? I want to make a few for our 4th of July parade..."professional" launchers cost a mint, holy smokes!

[mk162]

they maybe cost a mint because they work...and more than likely won't explode, killing or maiming parade watchers...

I am sure it can be done, but the risks aren't worth it...or don't build it with PVC:
************WARNING GRAPHIC***********
https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/1Zs3c

[Homer]

c'mon, where is your sense of adventure?!...all I need is a paperclip, a snorkel and an avocado...I've done more with less...

[bimmridder]

I remember when we were kids, before these flimsy aluminum beer cans, we'd make tennis ball cannons that were fired with lighter fluid. That was fun. And safe!

[dsh]

It's been a few years ago but someone had a small cannon and shot it off on July 4th, and it exploded and took the back of a neighbors head off.  My neighbor had a cannon similar to that and used to shoot it off now and then.  I think he quit after that story came out.

[whitewater]

maybe slingshot?

[Sbrem]

The bungee cord idea is what I've seen at some minor league hockey games, but check out a potato gun, basically some pvc plumbing parts, a barbecue "starter" and I forget the fuel, but look it up...

Steve

[jvanick]

personally I'd stay away from most things home-built, other than possibly a slingshot...

Anything else could you land you in some serious hot water if it blew up and hurt someone...

For a slingshot, you could build one of those 3 person ones quite easily with some paracord, surgical rubber tubing and a patch of leather.

[Homer]

water balloon slingshot, that's a great idea. I don't need it to launch 100', just 25'-35' or so I'd guess....I'll have to check that out. Roll and rubber band all the shirts I think. thanks guys!

[ebscreen]

Remember it's a t-shirt cannon that killed Maude Flanders.

I've often thought of doing the same, we built them for potato's with pvc pipe and sprinkler valves
when I was a kid. For a projectile that large you'd need a full bore or gate valve, preferably solenoid activated.
Compressed air is a heck of a lot safer than flammable gasses.

[Frog]

For a projectile that large you'd need a full bore or gate valve, preferably solenoid activated.

and liability insurance?

[ebscreen]

For a projectile that large you'd need a full bore or gate valve, preferably solenoid activated.

and liability insurance?

Hahaha.

We looked into doing this on a float for the Fourth in Concord. The insurance required made it an
instant no-go. Which is a bummer 'cause our parade is off the hook.

[Frog]

For parades, I'd think that if they were sufficiently bunched up, they could be easily tossed the required distance.
Not as flashy, but it's the bottom line of free T's that's on the crowd's minds.

[Homer]

..I'm not telling them I'm "launching" shirts, we're simply handing out some free shirts... Just so happens they will be hurled at a high rate of speed off the ass-end of my trailer 

Frog..I want it to be memorable.... nobody remembers the guy handing out a free shirt.....they remember the crazy bastard knocking kids over with a high powered t-shirt chucker!

[Frog]

Hey, I dig pizazz as much as the next guy, but I just know from what I've seen, some pretty girl, or nut in a costume with a sack o' shirts, tossin' 'em to the crowd gets the folks worked up and screaming for them! Even that is not totally risk free, but would certainly be viewed in a more favorable light if someone was to get hurt.