Energy efficiency is sure a watchword these days of high energy costs. Why I remember buying H 4831 in a paper bag for 75 cents a pound and now its pushing 20$. So you have to be efficient. I wanted a cat mortar for a long time so I designed one. I got a piece of thickwall county plastic water pipe they left along the road. It had a 6" i.d. and a 7 1/2" o.d. Then I found a piece of seamless steel tubing pretty thickwalled just right to sleeve the plastic with. A buddy here found/made the caps for the end and a good epoxy to stick it all together. He turned it to resemble a Civil War Parrot rifle only 20 inches long but still with a 6 inch bore. Looked like a Parrot mortar I guess. I made a mortar bed and traverse too. I found a giant gas check looking thing and set up the combustion chamber to hold two tablespoons of regular with lots of room underneath the gas check. The gas check was fitted with a "o" ring and a microswitch so that when anything over an ounce crawled down the barrel and sat on the gas check, the regular lit off via the microswitch and a battery/glowplug combination. The gas check had a little depression made into it to hold an ounce of tuna. Tests with a realistic 5 pound dummy cat allowed me to establish a trajectory table which included reached an intersection a block away. Self starting, fuel efficient, low velocity. It also alerts me when a cat goes for the tuna and sends said cat to the intersection.Patent pending.

Bravo!

Photos and video of the machine in action, please!

By george N.S. I would love to see a pic of it!
Action photo's would be nice! You are an inventor of sorts!

You better Paten it !!

I like the idea , I may try a simelar toy .
But I will aim it at the concrete wall .
So I can see the grease stain.

Johnch

johnch--if you aim it at the wall and it performs as expected, do you now have crat splat, crat splatter, splatted crat, or crat splatted?

Kitter-catter-splatter-matter!

I really think this is misspent energy (pun intended).

Of all the times for the spectacular and excessive use of energy, crat splatting should be at the top of the list. How else does one justify a .458? Would you have us all reduce our efforts to .22CB's and put away the big bores?

quote:

ohnch--if you aim it at the wall and it performs as expected, do you now have crat splat, crat splatter, splatted crat, or crat splatted?

dustoffer, I must question your rendition of tenses there. I thought it should be Splat, Split, Splot. Or in graphic conjunction(as in skull and wall) Split the Splat on the Splot[on the wall].

CratSplatDu

Dan

Pres. TYHC

http://www.ProfessorOf.Mayhem

As the first guy to ever shoot a potato through his Dad's garage door with a spud gun I think the term really is "KERSPLAT!!!!"

Who didn't build a spud gun when in high school?? Myself and some buddies actually did some serious damage to a fellow students car (purely by accident) after football practice one crisp fall afternoon.

Now, this cat gun, I gotta see! Digital Video is king these days. Please share with us all!!

quote:

Who didn't build a spud gun when in high school??

Well, to properly illustrate the gap between generations I must allow that I didn't. I bought mine, which is something lost on today's go-go generation. OTOH, the following summer saw some experimentation with 1.5" galvanized pipe and a piece of wood suitable thickness to become the handle/breech plug, as thus was my first effort at building and using a muzzleloader born. This during my Junior High days BTW. My friends thought it a wonderful idea, and soon we were having Civil War re-enactments. Or maybe it was cowboys and indians, I don't recall. What I do remember it that a 1.5" piece of spud can really raise a welt inside of 50 yards. Hiding in the back yard across the street is no guarantee of safety either, as direct fire weapons are easily converted to use as mortars. Lastly I learned the basic concept of supply and demand. When Mom's supply of potatos disappears, there will be a demand made for an explantion. It is a good time for truth as potato litter will give you away every time.

Dan

Pres., TYHC

http://www.SpudsN.BlackPowder

quote:

Originally posted by Steel Slinger:
Who didn't build a spud gun when in high school??

I didn't. I built a potato CANNON.


HTRN