Introduction
Many many moons ago, whilst at a Civil War reenactment, someone was going round collecting everyones baked-bean tins from dinner. Intrigued, we went to see what they wanted with them, and so he showed us....
DISCLAIMER
You make this device from your own free will - don't blame me if you come to any harm, or you get arrested for building this!
Video
Here is a short video showing a launch...
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beercan.wmv: Launching Video
Design
You will need:
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7 baked bean tins (not these modern ones, they
MUST
be the old variety which have the solid band at each end) -
Some electrical or duck tape
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A can opener
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A nail, or drill, or something to make the touch-hole
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Some petrol lighter fluid
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A lighter
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Lots of friends to eat the beans!
Method
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Eat the beans
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Half-cut 3 of the tins bottoms to make the baffles
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Fully remove the bottoms from 3 of the tins - these are the launch tube
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Make a small hole (about 2-3mm across) mid-way up the side of the last tin - this is the combustion chamber, and touch-hole
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Join all the tins together using the tape - make sure they are tightly joined
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The combustion chamber goes at the bottom
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The baffles should be offset from one another
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The launch tube tins are attached to the top of the baffles
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Firing
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Get a beer can, or coke can
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Put a small squirt of petrol (and I mean small - otherwise the mixture is too rich, and it doesn't work) into the touch-hole
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Swing the tubes at arms length upside down to get the fuel to vaporise
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Place a can in the end of the tube until it falls down the baffles
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Light the touch-hole with a lighter - it may take a while, but when it goes.....
Pictures
Here are some pictures of the launcher in action - I still hope (one day!) to get it launching - but alas, as yet....
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The completed launcher:
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A view down the barrel:
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Sam lighting the Launcher:
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Charley spinning the Launcher for max-combustion:
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Charley lighting the Launcher:
