Bird Cannon [Restoration]

[@zachfragoso4581]

It's incredible how you manage to keep finding the most dangerous equipment I've ever seen.

[@HandToolRescue]

I think they find me at this point

[@rallymax2]

@@HandToolRescuethe pro and con of being a celebrity. Stay safe. We need to see a lot more weird equipment from you.

[@BigJohn4516]

Seems relatively safe to me. Of course, my dad had a homemade sawmill that was powered by a tractor engine mounted to a wooden frame. It had a big flat belt that you tensioned by rocking the frame with your foot. That thing was frightening.

[@gorillaau]

​@@rallymax2Don't forget blood is not a machine lubricant.

[@thesledgehammerblog]

These aren't particularly dangerous compared to some things on this channel. There are actually toy versions of this same thing (based on the idea that doing something like this is safer than firecrackers for producing loud bangs.)

[@Osgood-e4m]

This is one of the most entertaining, educational videos I have seen in some time. No music , no extraneous talking, just a great video. Thank you.

[@sandgrownun66]

You forgot the word "boring". Half the value of restoration videos, is the uploader providing an audio commentary, as to what they're doing and why. Otherwise, it's like watching paint dry.

[@samwisegamgee2488]

I'm convinced that you started recording yourself taking these apart just so you could recall how to put it all back together again. And then you decided to post it online and for some reason millions of men were like "yeah, this is cool, I want to watch"

[@Nubby007]

That's exactly how it started, he explains it in one of his videos

[@ebbios]

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@spiderprint]

I'm not convinced you're fun at parties

[@samwisegamgee2488]

@@spiderprint well I'm a Hobbit, so of course I'm fun.

[@samwisegamgee2488]

@@Nubby007 Thanks for that!

[@ericstoever9577]

My sincere congratulations on surviving this restoration!

[@3DPrintFarm]

Good ole carbide cannon. My dad used a model similar to this in the 70's. He was a sheep rancher in California and used the cannon to keep the coyotes away. It had water receptacle where you could set the water drip rate via a valve thereby allowing just enough water to come into contact with the dry calcium carbide which in turn would produce acetylene gas which would produce an extremely loud KABOOM!

[@Gunbudder]

where i live they instead use a 40mm grenade launcher with special rounds that count legally as "fireworks". they are still grenades, they just don't produce any shrapnel

[@3DPrintFarm]

@@Gunbudder Wow! I'd like to own one of those! I'd be a big hit at my 4th of July party! :)

[@boredfartless4221]

How many sheep did he find with their feet in the air after dying of shock?

[@3DPrintFarm]

@@boredfartless4221 Zero. What coyotes he didn't scare off, got hunted with a pack of greyhounds who just love to play chase to see who could run the fastest. The coyotes always lost.

[@Vickie-Bligh]

I can see why you considered this the most dangerous tool you've restored. It will scare more than birds, I guarantee! Beautiful restoration, thanks for sharing. That was a startling demonstration, HTR.

[@larrycleeton]

Early Model T Fords (including my 1914 Touring car) had an "acetylene generator" on the driver's side running board. It was a similar design to your cannon's with a contained basket holding the carbide and a water tank above with a metering valve. The generated acetylene was plumbed to the headlights. The headlights had burners in them like old gas lamps. You put in the carbide, sealed the canister, put in some water, adjusted the drip to something reasonable, then opened each headlight and lit the burners. The headlights actually have chimneys to evacuate the black smoke and heat. Yes, it sounds scary, but it worked. I replaced the burners with LED bulbs that look like burners and ran the wires through the gas tube. I kept the generator tank and fake plumbing for the inevitable questions at car shows.

[@GoKenIchiGo]

"what are these pipes on this car's headlights?" asked one attendee. Larry's eyes lit up like Christmas; he was going to going to tell them all about it...

[@joshyaash]

wow, genuine headlight fluid. Gavin was right

[@Adscam]

Oh you never met a miner.

[@mrcomment5544]

@@joshyaash Gavin? You mean every mechanic with a sense of humor since the beginning of time...

[@trevorhaddox6884]

Putting LEDs in a 1914 car makes my skin crawl. Unless you are in Canada and can't get carbide.

[@andrewhighberger5596]

In the 60's I had a "Bangsite Cannon" "Big noise for Boys!" It had a small water bowl in the bottom and a mechanism for adding a small amount of Bangsite (Calcium Carbide) for each shot. There was a plunger for a flint and with each press you got a big Bang! I used to blow up all kinds of stuff with that thing. Wish I could find some "Bangsite" again. Thanks for the great video.

[@minusvanbaalen]

'Our own devices' did just a video about this toy! Apparently they are still made.

[@mplsmark222]

Yes, Bangsite is not hard to find , here in the USA. I don’t know about other countries. I’ve got the biggest Big Bang cannon, it’s great fun, and perfectly safe as long i don’t do anything stupid. These were made to be a safer alternative to fireworks/firecrackers.

[@RuralTowner]

Times were different back then. Then safety was invented.😋

[@geoffholmes7291]

Canadian History ❤​@@minusvanbaalen

[@Laz_Arus]

Marvin the Martian: "Where's the Kaboom? There's supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom!" HTR: "Hold my bucket of Evapo-Rust" 💣

[@erebus1964]

Well, I am just through the first 11 minutes of the video ... expectations are high.🤣

[@jodidavis6595]

Lmao. Best comment. I hope he sees this 😂👍🏼🇺🇸

[@HandToolRescue]

After all the holes, I didn't know if this would make it through the restoration.

[@paulcooper9135]

Beat me to it! I was thinking the same exact thing!

[@ankles632]

Thx I needed a chuckle

[@benjaminaburns]

Thank you for not putting the cover on. I love the gizmosity.

[@michaelskinner896]

I'm continually amazed at how much mechanical engineering goes into something designed for the simplest purpose.

[@maggs131]

I wish more realized that fact. Look back on his videos where he did a hand cranked apple peeler. Its a piece of mechanical art ❤

[@michaelskinner896]

@@maggs131 Haha, yeah I saw that one. Pretty amazing.

[@jeffh8803]

Simple purpose but what its doing really is complex. I guess you could just set this up and it would meter out the gas all day and fire itself all day. That's a very clever achievement with double regulators and an auto ignition that all works with no power source except gas pressure.

[@kevddpp]

Interesting also that the electonics required to do something like this are actually way more complicated, but just hidden from view by being microscopic.

[@AWizardAndaMouse3432]

Congratulations! You have just discovered what a Rube Goldberg Machine is: A very complex machine designed to do the simplest task. ( I’m not trying to be sarcastic.)

[@ninaevans4501]

Mr Hand Tool Rescue, you ARE a GENIUS, of that there are no doubts. Sadness at this end for one of Canadas greatest sons (yourself included), the passing of the late Donald McNichol Sutherland C.C. 17/07/1935 - 20/06/2024. Forever Rest In Piece "Sargeant Oddball", one quote in Burning Bridges we'll never forget from Dons character "Hey, don't hit me with your negative waves first thing in the morning!". It says it all, never give up, never give in. Remain possitive regardless.

[@SlyGuy2000]

I know what that was, the moment I saw the thumbnail pic. I used to work at an old steel mill in Pennsylvania, we had contaminated grounds that were netted off, and had those around the perimeter, to scare the birds away from the contamination. First time I heard one go off, I ducked, thinking someone with a shotgun was in the area... Fond memories! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!

[@IrelandLover]

What kind of contamination? Also, when was that?

[@SlyGuy2000]

@@IrelandLoverwas in the mid to late 90's and chemical contamination of the water and soil, EPA has them put up counter measures until it could be cleaned up.

[@IrelandLover]

@@SlyGuy2000 damn

[@ronm3245]

I suppose eventually we will genetically modify organisms that can eat any kind of contamination you want.

[@Naudia93]

@@ronm3245you saw how that worked out with gain of function

[@131dyana]

Thanks!

[@HandToolRescue]

Thank you!

[@bobjohnson6371]

Does that bring back memories. When i was a kid, a farmer near us had one of those out in his cornfield. Myself and a couple buddies thought it would be a good idea to see if we could shoot an ear of corn out of it. One ear didn't do much, so decided to stuff it full. Something happened then, something bad. Kind of blew the barrel off it, but it was very loud. Got in a little trouble over that adventure. Great video as always, thanks for posting.

[@maggs131]

I knew a guy who used one of these cannons. Although i dont know why. He made wicker baskets 🤔

[@thomasbraeking6225]

@@maggs131 "Get off my lawn"! That's why. 😁

[@braxtonnelson5375]

The "nipple" reference was worth the price of admission! This is one of the Rube Goldberg-est thing I've ever seen! And now that I've seen it in action I really want one!

[@davidbwa]

That thing is surprisingly complex. I understand how it works but the thought of designing it from scratch seems daunting.

[@_Tim_Allan_]

These are only made to go off every few minutes or so. I bet that's why when testing the propane and acetylene, the fuel mixture was too rich. Very cool! Propane and acetylene gas operated ones are still operated today to scare off birds and to disrupt weather so hail won't ruin crops

[@Fabric_unfolded]

Watched all the way to the end to see a bird get fired out of the cannon and now disappointed! 😂😂😂 Great resto as usual sir!😊

[@marktroiani5401]

😂😂

[@brianallen9810]

Yeah, I was expecting a bird to come flying out. Really neat and dangerous too.

[@andrewthecelt3794]

Search for CBC's "Royal Canadian Air Farce chicken cannon" for what you seek.

[@DeliveryMcGee]

​@@brianallen9810 @Fabric_unfolded The Slow Mo Guys did a video on THAT kind of bird cannon (with ballistic-gel birds) recently, and Our Own Devices had a video of the toy version of the thing in this video last week, both the most recent on their channels at the time of writing.

[@HandToolRescue]

It's there, you just missed it.

[@Turnin_N_Burnin]

Started watching your videos on a deployment to Qatar four years ago. Here I am, getting ready to deploy to Iraq and still watching. You are an amazing craftsman.

[@Britephartt]

So many of these restoration channels manufacture there own damage. Good to see a genuine restorer. Such a good tool.

[@haywoodyoudome]

their

[@magnushederstjerna5975]

Thats so smart. The way they made so many mechanical devices that "just worked" back then, it makes modern things look quite silly, when they always fall appart and can't be fixed.

[@Liam1H]

There's a very good reason (for them) to make things that fall apart and can't be fixed. You're forced to buy another. Recently had the simplest thing go bad on my Shark vacuum. Couldn't be fixed. Couldn't even be opened up. I plan on not using products from companies that employ planned obsolescence.

[@KerryCox1967]

It's always a good day when a new episode of Hand Tool Rescue comes out.

[@eric_seguin]

Between you and Carter Auto Restyling I am not sure who is wackiest. Nothing bad about either of you. It does make me a little leary of my Canadian relatives. They're not near as fun to watch as you two. Wish I could help both of you but my financial situation sucks. I have the beginnings of some great projects but survival always seems to get in the way. LOL One day maybe. Cool project. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@Bbeaucha88]

Hand tool rescue notification usually results in a fast click for me but seeing the word "cannon" on one of his videos made me warp speed click!

[@cecilgore495]

I am constantly amazed at your ability, you never say a word not even an oh shit when things don’t quite go right. Some of these items (not sure what they are or where you got them from) are very unique. Really enjoy your videos. Ohio, USA.

[@Donorcyclist]

It always amazes me that you’re able to figure out how to disassemble something so complex without breaking it.

[@RichieCat4223]

If there's a patent number on it it's easier to figure it out.

[@NOLAfugee]

He fixes whatever he does break.

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

calmly assess what is possibly keeping it shut and make sure to document every part you remove so you can put it back later when you've worked on other parts

[@RI-ns8wz]

Nice tool and nice video! I live in the neighborhood of an airport (El Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina), and when I was a child they used a similar device to scare away birds, in order to not be an issue for the planes when lifting off or landing. Lately, FLYBONDI used to depart from there and they used fireworks for the same result. Thanks!

[@majormojo]

Perfect! This has everything: overly complex engineering, dangerous chemistry, a generous helping of product placements for HTR hand-made tools, and a kaboom at the end. No better restoration video will ever be created!

[@briangoldman8209]

Been a welder for 45 years. I remember working at a local welding shop when I was in high school (circa 1970). That’s how my interest in welding started. The place still had an old acetylene generator. It was not very efficient and was not used anymore.

[@TASTYTREATSPLS]

The narrated versions of your videos are so great. People really don't know what their missing.

[@HandToolRescue]

Thank you!

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

[@thomasphillips885]

*they're

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

@@thomasphillips885 👍👍

[@andy4an]

Where are the narrated ones?

[@TheParkAttendant]

I have been going through a very hard time. I had almost forgotten how much fun it is watching your controlled destruction was! Then watching the magic of reassembly.

[@mrgunn2726]

Fantastic restoration. I was concerned that b/c you did not patch the holes in the combustion chamber with metal welds, you would explode yourself. Then it would be a Hand Tool rescued episode. Glad you are well and in one piece.

[@XXCoder]

Come to say that. That was my concern also.

[@HandToolRescue]

Came here to also say that was my concern.

[@Adamsadventures83]

I thought maybe he was just going to do the jb weld for the filling and then make a sheet metal liner to slide inside and spot weld in place.

[@filanfyretracker]

on a fun note the channel Project Farm did once make the head for a lawn mower engine from JB Weld. It did hold the compression but did not take the heat for very long.

[@BigAmp]

Brilliant and beautifully restored. A long time ago, when I was a little fella, there were 3 commercial wineries in Mt Wellington (Auckland NZ) and the guy that had the largest and best, well known for his "rough red" used one off these devices or similar (thunderbolt maybe?) in the late 1950s - early 1960s to scare off the birds who would otherwise be hoeing into his grapes and livelihood. I lived about a kilometre away (as the very frightened bird flies) and could hear it going off, no trouble at all. Close up it must have been truly spectacular. Some of his neighbours did not like it and complained, others were OK with it. Eventually the local council issued an abatement order and took him to court to stop him using it - sad.

[@KissedSomeFrogs]

Thanks! I really enjoy your projects! Keep them coming! 🐸

[@HandToolRescue]

Thank you!

[@butwait]

Growing up near farms in the Netherlands, these things were everywhere. Nice to see some made it to the other side of the planet.

[@michaelroberson2546]

Grew up in a small mining town in central AZ. LOTS of carbide around. One could find old carbide lamps used underground just about anywhere and the hardware store sold carbide. Someone's dad got ahold of some 4" pipe, welded a cap on the back of it and drilled a hole toward the back. Pour in water and some carbide, hold your finger over the hole and then drop a match in and "BOOM"! We then found that if you put a beer/soda can (also in great supply and steel,, not aluminum) it not only trapped the gas better but you now had a missile projectile. Good times.

[@anomalouswoof2554]

Love your use of nylon lock nuts as replacements ❤

[@logannewman4532]

This reminds of something I used to do as a kid. Disassemble a Bic lighter, stick the flint between the coils on one end of the spring to hold it, then use another lighter to heat the flint until it was glowing red. Then you throw it on the sidewalk and make a lot of sparks.

[@neilward9932]

Brilliant job as usual, and good to see you back. Nice to see proper rust removal and not vinegar and salt and water in glass jars, and no slow motion shots !

[@civicute89]

Missed the gratuitous head bumping into the window on the sand blast cabinet lol😅

[@aussiebloke609]

Yeah, its just not the same without the gratuitous faceplant. 👍👍👍

[@Toastedtasty42]

I had the same thought

[@MrCthieke]

I miss it too but he is probably getting a headache from doing so much

[@HandToolRescue]

Life is meaningless now...

[@geoffswinbank9449]

Yep...same here. I was telling a mate about the faceplant, who was watching HTR for the first time. "It's his signature move", I said. We waited. And waited. Nothing. So I showed my mate a second video...hilarious. Great mirth and laughter ensued. My mate is hooked on HTR now. Awesome project too. Two thumbs up. KABOOM.

[@dewfall56]

That shot of you with an open mouth smile in the introduction, always cracks me up. Very reminiscent of the 1980's.

[@cillablacksbackpack8524]

Aww yeah, some Bird Cannon action on a sunny Thursday afternoon

[@highball1415]

Masterly done ! I used to work in a machine shop cleaning and repairing all sorts of things, making them presentable and functional again, this is far far superior to what I did, but brings back great memories. Thanks so much. I assume that this is only (?) a gadget to make a very loud BOOM! ?? If so, I want one.

[@highball1415]

Nothing I like better than taking something old and cruddy apart, cleaning it and putting it back together.

[@kaydog2008]

They were also used to start avalanches. A great piece for a museum.😎😎👍👍

[@Lee01Mr]

Here in the Netherlands we still use these Carbide rocks. Its a tradition to fire them from milk cans (30 liters or so) every New Years eve. And we love making crazy contraptions to get the biggest bang 😂. Like slurry tanks converted into cannons. Just look it up 😂

[@Borgedesigns]

I get the distinct feeling that this device wont do what I hope it does

[@nicstroud]

Awesome! I want one. Also a privilege to have the _gizmosity_ revealed to us. 😆

[@ManCrafting]

Damn. Love that ending. I used to sell the modern propane version. There’s a video somewhere on YT of me firing it in my backyard. I had no idea how far back these went. So cool seeing this antique version. Amazing job. Only thing I’d improve is powder coat vs paint, but you already knew I’d say that. 😂

[@HandToolRescue]

It's so loud!

[@youngmonk3801]

@@HandToolRescue yea all the other cool kids are powder coating these days...love that cannon!!!

[@DonariaRegia]

@@HandToolRescue I saw one of these used at a large landfill. It worked at first but over time the birds got used to the sound and barely reacted. Thousands of the little bastards.

[@RogierHoogmolen]

Next time you have stubborn nut heat is like you did but than apply a bit of candle wax, best anti-seize/ penetration oil there is

[@heiner71]

@@HandToolRescue There is also a kids version of this, called the "Big-Bang Cannons" from the Conestoga Company. They sell a powder with them to use for making it go bang. you fill the container attached to the cannon with water and then drop a bit of the powder into it. After a few seconds you strike the built-in flint and it will go boom. Very loud. It is probably carbide based. After letting it go off for a while, the water turns white and you have white residue left in the water tank, similar to what you showed.

[@waynebinks1091]

That is so cool! Man I wish they still made stuff like this! We had to get all worried about "Safety!" I love that somebody back in the day thought " I got an idea on how to scare all those pesky critters away!"

[@marktroiani5401]

That knurling is very good

[@lightgunner1]

These things were very common here in Europe. Especially the Dutch use(d) it a lot. It also says "Made in Hoilland". They even have a yearly fun event shooting pumpkins out of milk cans using Carbide. That's awesome!

[@StirlingLighthouse]

It’s always a good idea to change your rubber. JS. Thanks a bunch 🙏 🇨🇦⚔️🇨🇦

[@timothypirnat3754]

Outstanding! You find the weirdest machines to restore. When I was young, we had little carbide lamps like the early miners had. They were fun to operate, and made a pretty bright flame. We would take a 3lb. coffee can with a plastic lid, punch a nail hole in the bottom, throw a couple carbide rocks and water in the can and wait a few minutes. Touch a lit rolled up newspaper to the nail hole and BAM! Homemade carbide cannon.

[@mAdM0nK7]

"The holes are for airflow" In the industry, we refer to those as "speed holes".

[@highball1415]

Industry? Which industry?

[@dzymslizzy3641]

Very nice restoration. Having grown up in San Francisco, I never heard of a 'bird cannon.' When we moved to our current address, it was much more rural, and I was hearing them, wondering "What on earth is all that racket?!" I thought people were setting off fireworks. A local native explained to me what it was. I hear them far less lately, as the area is becoming more suburban than rural. I'm impressed with your lathe skills...and the knurling attachment! You and my dad could have had a ball talking shop! 😁

[@AgentWest]

A very similar idea, just a much bigger vortex cannon, is also used to get rid of clouds. A truck carrying one of those big ones gets parked some place, then fires up at heavy clouds. That mixes them up enough to trigger a rain fall and clear the sky. This along with cloud seeding is often used to create sunny weather for parades or other outdoor events. Or for when you really need to water the farm but the clouds seem to just pass over.

[@brysoncorley]

Not going to lie, I watch a lot of KZbin. When I see a new hand tool rescue vid, I smile like a kid given a bowl of ice cream.

[@sandgrownun66]

So you like watching videos without any informative audio commentary?

[@kindabluejazz]

The mystery and building suspense in this episode was a blast!

[@LazlotheInstigator]

The intro always makes me think he is busy and someone shows up to record him and he just says "eff it... film me."

[@danielduncan6806]

He probably began filming his tear-downs, so he has a record to rebuild from. Like when I am tearing down something electronic, I also take pictures of everything. And then it occurred to him "Why not just post the footage I got?", and a KZbin channel was born. I am pretty sure he does this as a business; I have seen him, on multiple occasions, reference client preferences.

[@ditherdather]

Can you imagine the amount of engineering that went into producing that thing, and the engineering that went into making the machines that made the parts for that thing? You'd have to make millions of them for it to be affordable, or even profitable. So complex.

[@lynn437]

Wouldn't that be a great method to get teenagers out of bed in the morning. The cannon is compact enough to fit under a bed. 🤣🤣

[@markpeterson5479]

Now how am I going to get to sleep tonight??? I'll still be laughing!!!

[@Nunya_Bidnez]

Step 1. Disassemble. Step 2 revitalize/Repair. Step 3 Reassemble. Problem solved. Love watching you do you're thing brother.

[@a3aantjeh]

your neighbours must have been over the moon with your new toy 🤣

[@jimmackey2909]

High school around '67, science teacher added water to calcium carbide in a tobacco can. About cleared the room when the lid blew off. lol Favorite teacher.

[@jesseamaya4594]

For what it is and is designed to do it's absolutely ingenuous. Would probably go for up to several days on its own on a single fill.

[@kevinrivera1492]

Haven't seen one of this for 20+ years! Thank you!

[@MadMax-bq6pg]

Bravo Maestro. The little part of my brain that actually learned something from my personal hypergolics experimentation is happy about the lack of calcium carbide 😉 Kindest regards from Oz 🇦🇺

[@malachiXX]

Gotta love 'clever springs', working in opposition to each other, holding a mechanism together.

[@erikburman530]

Just needed to get the air-fuel mix right. BOOOM! Now that is a profound work of art!

[@thinkcivil1627]

Reminded me of an "advanced" potato launcher a mechanic friend made when we were young and stupid. Originally, it shot tennis balls, but those became a little too expensive after the cannon was modified to shoot them so far that we would lose them. Of course, a potato was a one-shot deal, but the effect upon impact was well worth the small amount a bag of spuds cost 50 years ago. Boys will always be boys, no matter how old we get. You did an incredible job on the restoration.

[@FreeCanadian76]

Not sure if it's because I am super high, or that I am having a few beers, but I am absolutely mesmerized by the complete lack of Chinesium metal in this device!!! Looks skookum as frig!!

[@beautifulsmall]

Amazed it didn't blow the barrel open. nice work. Suprisingly CaC2 is available in the UK for miners and car lamps.

[@BashoftheMonth]

I can't BELIEVE you would mangle up those original 1950's hoses like that!

[@dlkline27]

Back in my teen years I lived in an area that had a lot of orchards. The locals called these devices "carbide cannons". I never actually saw one so I found this video to be particularly interesting.

[@geemac7267]

It's impressive enough that you take things apart, clean and put them together again. But the real impressive thing is that most of the stuff you do has been obsolete for so long, there aren't even people around to tell you what it is or how it worked in the first place (I assume). You just seem to figure out how things work.

[@chris101ward]

I wouldn't call this thing obsolete. These things are still used to this day. Though, they're typically propane fired and don't use calcium carbide to generate acetylene. They're often called a bird banger.

[@lockmakeryorkscavr]

Lived on a farm in the UK. Almost blew myself up a few times with the acetylene generated from the calcium carbide 'borrowed' from these - frizzled both pairs of eyelashes together like velcro on one occasion. Acetylene with the right 02 mix is certainly a dangerous and powerful gas.

[@stuartmoulton6426]

Knew exactly what its purpose was as soon as I saw it but the way it works is excellent, thanks for posting the resto!!!

[@davidquirk8097]

We used to use the more modern version of these gas guns on the farm. Ours were run on Propane and used a Piezoelectric striker mechanism. It was always a good idea to wait until it had just fired before approaching it to turn off the gas at dusk (legal requirement in the UK) as it made one heck of a bang.

[@squibblez2517]

Ive got a beer and a salmon dinner, now ive got something good to watch on the big tv. Thanks!

[@richardbaumeister466]

`I never heard of a bird cannon before. What a cool invention and a great restoration as well.

[@aaronfritz7234]

Awesome restoration. Propane would have worked but you would have to mix it with an oxygen tank. Reminds me of the gopher-nator also known as rodent blaster.

[@horsebee1]

I remember these working in the strawberry gardens. We had to move them each day as the birds got use to them if they stayed in one place. There is a very good reason why you cant get carbide any longer, it was completely unpredictable and had a nasty habit of exploding without warning, we hated moving them for that reason as it would upset the water flow with predictable results which required many a change of underpants

[@BDiaz1000]

I had a carbide cannon when I was a kid. They used to sell them as toys. You could never get away with that these days.

[@tonyferralli6156]

You can still buy them. The same company still makes them. The Conestoga Company Big-Bang Cannons.

[@longlowdog]

Such a shame you can't get calcium carbide rocks. Here In the UK we can still buy it for vintage car headlights and vintage caving/mining gear among other applications. Great video. Regards from Scotland.

[@stanislavczebinski994]

The first firing tries with acetylene had obviously too much gas in the chamber. The first firings were too rich - giving more of a slow, smokey burn due to lack of oxigen. The acetylene originally created with calcium carbide had probably a lot less pressure - and therefore a better fuel/oxigen mixture. Obviously, you got it sorted, eventually. Greetings from Germany!!

[@gregoryl.4872]

I don't know if this device is genius or a rube Goldberg. Fascinating!

[@horstszibulski19]

Great thing with the autofire function...you could set it up in the field, fill it up and it would scare the birds away the whole day! German wikipedia has a full article about "carbide shooting", including a picture of this cannon from a museum... Thx for showing! 🧨👍👍👍

[@Mrbuggsnot]

My Stepdad had one of these back in the late 60's. He raised hundreds of turkeys, and in the summer he would move them out into a fenced field under portable shelters. To keep predators away, he set it up out in the field. About every ten minutes, you would hear it BOOM! off in the distance. My younger brother called it the "boom gun", I haven't thought of that in 50 years. Thanks for the memory.

[@fairwayeichhorn9930]

You continue to amaze me. Thanks for sharing your talent!!

[@BRAVOBLUEZ]

I've been watching you for a very long time.And when I was on the run from the f.B.I the only thing that could calm me down.Was your videos.....turned myself in and I got right with the law.But let me tell you if it wasn't for your videos.I wouldn't have been in a VERY tough spot......

[@nickbray87]

Where does he get all these wonderful toys! I have never even heard of a bird cannon lol or 98% of the things he restores but love it all!

[@Gunbudder]

you can sometimes get large 1 pound (or even 5 pound) tins of calcium carbide at any army surplus store. really old school hardware stores or tractor supply stores might have it too. the army surplus stuff is from when they used carbide lamps

[@gunner4544]

If you want 2 cans of carbide, I have them from years ago along with a miners carbide head lamp. I’m in NB. My dad bought the stuff in PA years ago. Calcium carbide is cool as you dump a bit on the ground, piss on it, then throw a match on it and it lights… great party trick.

[@francisfruscalzo]

That would be so better if i can read subtitles in french when i see the videos because i like that you as restorations. And i liked to understand the process.

[@crystalsoulslayer]

Definitely thought on first sight that this was for launching birds at aircraft parts for certification purposes. Turns out that it is for keeping the birds away from the aircraft parts (and crops and whatever too, I guess) in the first place. Cool.

[@PeterTmann]

I think the flints for propane torch manual strikers are a little larger diameter than the ones in lighters. That might fit your tube better.

[@davebrittain9216]

Cool, it is a bird banger. Keeps the birds away from orchards and airports.

[@spidyr2k]

You find the most interesting things to restore. Thank you. You're a good man.

[@inkmaster2136]

The 90s sitcom intro is nostalgic and awesome..

[@tylerh21]

So cool. Would love to see you add powder coating to some of these restorations. It will hold up stronger than spray paint.