Restoration of 60 Year Old Gas Cannon - Will it Still Fire?

[@GT_Racer347]

Frikkin awesome! Mad skillz. You never cease to amaze me. 💯💯

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@sherin3623]

@@AcmeRestorations Mm0maa11a1p1p¹

[@lorrainewilliams7896]

Just the sheer amount of different techniques is mind boggling. Dude, you are a genius.

[@AcmeRestorations]

and good lookin'! Thanks for watching.

[@rrnidan4889]

My buddy had one if these in the early 60's. It was the coolest thing to have next to a BB gun. My parents thought it had too much pop and, like a BB gun, they wouldn't get me one. I had forgotten about it until I watched this video...I still want one!

[@charlessteinmetz802]

Look online there is still a Conestoga facility in Allentown Pennsylvania

[@SolvietSoundtrack115]

@@charlessteinmetz802 they make aluminum cased ones now to there really cool

[@flynnlizzy5469]

Mine wouldn't let me have the BB gun ("you'll shoot your eye out" of course) but they gave med one of these when I was 7 years old. Go figure. And like all good American boys, I did the first thing every kid does when recieving one: Figured out what fit in the barrel and made a good bullet for shooting down the plastic army men .... that every good American kid also had back in those days.

[@giancarlobadiali7406]

@@charlessteinmetz802 99oo{{o90o9oo0ooo0òo0oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo{

[@moinsh7443]

@@giancarlobadiali7406ض ةععتعض

[@Digbythecowdog]

I like the fact that even though you can still order exact replica parts for it online, you fabricated them yourself. Great job!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah I found out about the available parts after I was done :)

[@777cmm777]

I had one of these cannons back in 1964. It was a lot of fun. I would launch projectiles made of wadded aluminum foil.

[@ArtandCraft2016]

You were alive back then

[@777cmm777]

@@ArtandCraft2016 Very funny, you young whipper-snapper!

[@weirdcarpetthing97]

@@ArtandCraft2016 if what C Morales is telling the truth, they would be around 50-70 years old rn

[@harrygregory6227]

how about tungsten balls for projectiles and c4 for the propellent for more force and power

[@777cmm777]

@@harrygregory6227 A good suggestion, but those items were scarce in the 1960s.

[@johnzeller1338]

Now that's a restoration! Oh the memories. My brother and I each had one of those. When we ran out of powder ammo we used firecrackers. Had those things for years. Wish I knew what finally happened to them. Thanks for a great video!

[@memyname1771]

I used firecrackers and fired cut off pieces of candles.

[@davidvincent1093]

actually you can STILL buy them on line as well as the powder to work them!

[@mattwyrick8394]

I got lucky when I found mine in my mom's house as we were clearing stuff out to have it demolished. I got it the day before they pushed it over with an excavator. I was surprised with all the other water damage the cannon was almost pristine.

[@ИринаКизик-ш2ц]

Mi er

[@slowneutron6163]

Nice work. Beats watching someone restore a vise for the 1000000th time.

[@frick566]

That they found in a rice paddy!

[@Frank-Thoresen]

So tired of vice restorations

[@slowneutron6163]

Yes, I used vice instead of vise. Then I restored it to perfection. HA.

[@patrickdonaghy2070]

Yet you still watched it. HMMMMMMM

[@gazb6807]

Imagine moaning about watching something you literally had a choice to watch.

[@gregdavis3171]

My grandad had one of these in the 60’s. Brought back lots of memories. Great job!

[@Seahorse1414]

It is such a pleasure to watch someone so skilled . I sincerely hope you now have endless fun firing it !

[@Terrycrackcorn]

I had that same model back in the 70's as a kid. I still have it today!

[@malinournmalinourn5529]

Im jelouse. Not of your tools that just money. But your patiance something i lack in spades. I had to watch your vid at 1.5x's and still skipped sections. You are a master and i bow to you SIR.

[@zaxchannel2834]

I have my Dad's, I don't have the skills to restore it but I'm glad I found a video demonstrating what it was like when new. Mine has a sticker on the right side of the barrel that reads "DO NOT LOOK INTO BARREL OF CANNON WHEN FIRING"

[@Krawl72]

If it's the igniter that's the issue. You can actually order a new one. Just look up Bangsite cannon. The company is still in business. Has been since 1912.

[@chefduane3742]

I still have my Big Bang Cannon from my childhood. I also have a 15" version (LOUD!!) I do recall that the igniters were always getting lost. IIRC they were cast... yours are a lot nicer. Great job on the wheels. Bangsite (calcium carbide powder) is still available and my cannon still works. I drag it out sometimes for 4th of July demos. Also my Wilesco Steam Engine.

[@davidvincent1093]

Thank you so very much - you don't know how much you helped me. About 2 months ago I was rummaging around a back room in our lodge storage area. I found one of these (the largess model in black) along with all the things to make it work. No one had seen it in over 30 years and it had been forgotten. I have been playing with it in my spare time with no real idea of what to do even with the original instructions from 1960 - 1962. Now I have seen the workings of it I will be able to get it firing again. Thank you again

[@glasshalffull8625]

My brothers and I were helping clean out our mother’s garage. As we found stuff from our childhood, I lamented that the only thing I really wished I still had was my Big Bang Cannon that I bought in about 1967. Low in behold, my brother says “you’ll never believe what I found” as he held up my cannon. With a few parts from Conestoga, I’m back in business terrorizing the neighborhood! Have fun with yours!

[@exwldr6945]

I played with one of these as a kid in the sixties, it was alot of fun. Liked it so much i built a Larger one!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Nice! Yeah I've had a lot of fun with it.

[@ladytron9188]

I’m not remotely interested in a gas cannon,but the skills to restore it were absolutely amazing.First class craftsmanship.

[@breezeone3514]

I had this cannon in 1965. It worked great Very loud bang my neighbors hated it

[@buddyrogers4538]

I had one when I was a kid in the early 70s. I think my father got it for me at a fireworks stand. Loved it. If you got the mixture just right it made a hell of a boom.

[@geoffcraggs1596]

That was a first class job mate. Congratulations.

[@kesharkhadkapunwar2029]

Great job !! 👏🌹🙏 May God bless you !! 🇳🇵Hail Nepal !!!

[@Datrebor]

I had one like that one but it was made around the 70s. It was great fun and was very loud. That a great restoration job.

[@jrand2631]

A really great restoration, and a lot of fabrication of missing and worn out parts. Very well done!👍👍👍

[@josepherhardt164]

Forget the restoration. I'm salivating over the tools!

[@davidhall8874]

Yes! I had one just like it back in the 60's. I loved that thing. That was the beginning of my love affair with cannons. Today mine use black powder! Nice job rebuilding the ignition system.

[@Oanh96354]

Xe để

[@patrickdonaghy2070]

A FAR cry from my high school metal shop course but it's pleasing and gratifying to see the basics are still being utilized. Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Brought back pleasant memories.

[@josecancello957]

Great restoration! Congratulations, pal!

[@karunakaranjoseph958]

Never seen anything like this ....cool restoration

[@benjaminsanchez1869]

Father-in-law has one of those cannons. It was missing the cap and ignitor too. He almost threw it away until I found out that the company that made it is still in business and sells replacement parts for all of their cannons. He brings it out every 4th of July.

[@TheGhostchaser8]

I had one just like it as a child.

[@crosleyman50]

Back in the day when toys were cool.

[@bextar6365]

NOW, KIDS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OWN A CAP GUN!

[@ChanceKearns]

Bextar636 yes you are

[@Reman1975]

Tell me about it. Back in the day you could buy your kids the "Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab" science toy, Complete with a few different types of uranium ore and a Geiger counter !!!! Nowadays we live in a world where toys for teenagers can't even have small parts in case they choke themselves to death on them. How I see it, If you're too stupid to understand that putting the mussel of a firing toy canon in your mouth and setting it off could kill you, Guess what, The gene pool's better off without you. That's called "Natural selection in action".......... Don't let the coffin lid hit you in the ass on your way out. :)

[@joe-xk8nl]

Correct. I have an old toy tank from the soviet union. rotating turret, all metal, rotating tracks.. Now toys kids gets are cheap plastic pieces of crap.

[@CZ350tuner]

@uncletigger I used powdered safety (brown) match heads, sulphur (evaporated the water out of dead battery acid) & soot (carbon) to make gunpowder for the cannon I made as a teenager in the 1970's. Worked fine. Generation X kids were way smarter than todays Millennials & Generation Z kids. We knew how to figure things out & practicalities when it came to making things.

[@minhaislam6219]

Good working I like it

[@hajareljerrari2574]

I like it when you restore very old things

[@194misterx]

This would have been the absolute best toy ever for me when I was a child. God damn I would have had fun with this.

[@savagestevens6398]

I had one of these as a kid in the late 70’s. My grandmother bought it for me one year at our local July 4th fireworks stand. It made a good loud bang. Pretty sure I still have it somewhere. Memories

[@tavorium32]

Another channel added to my "perfect restoration channels to binge watch" list. Subbed.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you!

[@slojoe58]

You sir, are a master craftsman!

[@tomcarlson3244]

Great job

[@homeyshlitz]

The Big Bang toy cannon, isn't just a theory. Good job man.

[@AcmeRestorations]

LOL

[@nickjanssens]

The attention to detail is above and beyond.

[@cheekymonkey444]

They still manufacture and sell these cannons ten minutes from where I live in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Every kid I knew had a cannon.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yes! My next video, should be up on Friday, is a Conestoga Big Bang Tank. They haven't made them for a long long time. Stay tuned.

[@Procrastinator1948]

I remember the Bangsite cannons that worked the same way with the calcium carbide. Of course, that wasn't quite loud enough for us back then, so we used empty paint cans and just poked an igniter hole on the bottom at the edge. A bit of water, 3-4 chunks of the calcium carbide, press the cap on tight, prop the top edge of the can up on a piece of wood and wait 3-4 minutes for the gas to build up. Then wedge a wooden stick match 's head halfway into the igniter hole, light the other end of the match, and back way up. After 3-4 minutes of the gas building up, those things sounded like Howitzers going off. There would literally be 5 or 6 feet of flame shoot from the the can as it blew the lid off. Most times the can couldn't be reused after that as both the can and lid would be rounded out. Yes, we were quite nuts back then.

[@AffordBindEquipment]

nothing nuts about that at at all. too bad the kids today won't have those kinds of memories. All they will remember is helicopter parents.

[@josepherhardt164]

I never had fun like that when I was a kid. Taking notes ...

[@patrickdonaghy2070]

We did something similar except we used soda cans, tennis balls, and lighter fluid. Coated the inside with lighter fluid, sun it around a couple of time to coat the lining, dropped the ball inside and touched it odd via a hole in the bottom most can. Unfortunately, cans are now made differently which negates this.

[@deadgowr8958]

@@patrickdonaghy2070 I used to do something similar with tennis balls and pringles cans. We'd put anything we could find that was combustable into the can; Perfume, cooking spray, ground up match heads, maybe a combination of the like... Then jam a tennis ball in as far as we could, poke a hole and use a match as the fuse... Sometimes it was anticlimatic, sometimes we got grounded for breaking windows. Good times.

[@AcmeRestorations]

We used hair spray in our tennis ball mortars. LOL.

[@HardwayRanch]

My best friend had one of these and we played with it frequently. We usually split the costs for supplies. Lots of fun for a couple of pre-teen boys!

[@AcmeRestorations]

I just found out about these. Missed out as a kid. Made up for it yesterday though!

[@mightress]

As kid i went to the local blacksmith and sweeped the floor there for the fuel. He used it to make the gas for his torches.

[@davidjeffery2823]

This is a new level of restoration. Fantastic.

[@kalebfannin3393]

How much do you want for it

[@ilinabonesinaziktiryaylala2960]

Wavv

[@brucebrinkley9043]

Good job thanks for showing it

[@pokepete3]

My dad had one of these! I never knew it was missing pieces and this is certainly the first time I’ve ever seen it fire! Thanks muchly!

[@stevenmccart5455]

I had a friend that had one of these. We were at his place one day and spotted it in the garage. He had to get his dad to shoot the thing because he wasn't allowed. It was one of those kind of presents you get from your cool uncle on Christmas.

[@Zodd83]

I'm speachless. Fantastic. Such skills!

[@madphilb]

Awesome. I grew up with one of these (late 70s), so not as old as this one, though it doesn't look any different. Fun tip: more "ammo" produces more of a flame, less produces a louder bang.

[@adamclarke7394]

That is fantastic. I've never seen one of these before. Congratulations on a wonderful restoration.

[@VeradonaRestoration]

Wow, super restoration my friend :)

[@AcmeRestorations]

Many thanks

[@kerimkerem896]

Nice what I am looking for, good dazzling job well done

[@dallasjonpaulgrove547]

The Cannon model kind of looks like it was based off the "Cannone da 149/23" an Italian Heavy Howitzer. It's model of /23 was used from WW1 to the Interwar period where it was later changed out for the modello 35 and later the modello 40. What's interesting is the gun's caliber remained a staple in the Italian army until after the cold war.

[@russellwatson8145]

You are the master blaster....unreal...great job.....excellent...

[@jessejamesharrison5921]

everybody: see's scrap ACME Restorations: see's a whole army of robots waiting to be assembled

[@diegoalzaouki6979]

Atomic_Bombs lol

[@vernabink2865]

My five boys would have loved this cannon. Great restoration.

I really love your way of doing it. I look forward to exchanging and recovering with you

[@danielestebanperezmorales9183]

Good job bro

[@someguy2741]

I like the calibrated eye dremel work. Not everything needs precision tools and setup :)

[@homerosantanamartinslara7417]

Ah sim! Assisto muito de suas restaurações. Ficam boas; bonitas e funcionais. Parabéns.

[@woofislandairforce357]

I don’t know how people watch this stuff but it’s addicting

[@PGRFN]

Toys were different back in the day lol

[@michaelhogan9053]

These are still made today in Allentown Pa.

[@josepherhardt164]

@@imperialpresence3331 I saw a restoration of one of those toy ovens, can't recall which channel. The toy was also coated in lead paint, of course. After the restoration, the restorer showed how to make brownies. Yum.

[@patrickdonaghy2070]

@@imperialpresence3331 No seat belts/child seats, allowing the child to sit on their lap and drive, vehicles made of steel instead of aluminum, hiking, exploring the forest and learning about wildlife, both with plants, animals, and insects, learning survival skills in the wild, building tree houses, fishing, camping, family days, road trips, surprise trips to the ice cream parlor or the local swimming hole, hobby shops, everyone together at the table to eat, no electronic distractions, assisting with household chores, upholding responsibilities at home, caring for the pet you JUST HAD to have, both parents making/having time to properly raise and assist their offspring with homework and/or extra curricular activities, playing board/card games, family/neighborhood bar-b-ques, progressive dinners, mutual respect and trust with everyone in the neighborhood, mowing, (landscaping), babysitting, and generally going out and doing things to earn and save money, knowing each other and their children, safely allowing the children to go out on Halloween without parental supervision, allowing children to walk to the nearby village and leave the neighborhood unsupervised, firecrackers, cap guns, working and living together as a family unit, everyone coming together in the neighborhood when help was needed or when adversity struck. Yeah, it was such a pain and dangerous time to be raised back in the 50's and 60's.

[@golepelogelopelo1953]

Patrick Donaghy Well, yes, but: -The child is endangered by not being on a child seat -**POLIO** -Cold War -Led paint being almost everywhere -AIDS Epidemic -LA Riots -Ferguson -OJ getting away -Great Depression -Economic collapse in the 70s -The ozone layer being fuckin’ erased pretty damn quickly -Violent Crime being a common occurrence in the 80s-90s -Lynching was still a thing -79’s energy crisis And so on Yeah, i’d say back then times were quite different, wouldn’t you?

[@farpointgamingdirect]

@@golepelogelopelo1953 Nothing like a doom-saying liberal to spoil everything for everyone.

[@anmoliiit-allahabad2958]

How many people come here to see how it fire 🔥 👇

[@BigButtocks967]

Back in the day you gave your kids live fireing cannons and real mini steam engines to play with, kids nowadays aren’t allowed to play conkers or climb trees as it’s to “dangerous” and we wonder why we live in a world of snowflakes.

[@georgeshelton6281]

My brother David R. Shelton once used to keep this World War 2 military toy cannon. It was back then during the mid 1970s.

[@garymucher9590]

Nicely done. I have one of those Big Bang cannons in a different style. Amazing how loud they are. Thumbs Up!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah. I watched a video on youtube and the guy said they weren't very loud. My first shot...ears ringing for a few minutes. Too fun!

[@ElizabethFranquiEsq]

OMG - this is unbelievable!

[@brianbrown585]

Fantastic! You are so skilful. Well done! Greetings from South Africa.

[@AcmeRestorations]

Hello!

[@bonnielass3975]

Well done you! That was an awesome restoration to watch. Loved that it worked perfectly! (As usual..) love your work.

[@dustythunderknuckle2229]

Beautiful simply beautiful

[@everettliu5157]

Very fun! Nice job!

[@ЄвгеніяЯковцова]

Багато кропіткої праці,ви Майстер своєї справи!

[@gforcekaras]

The amount of fabrication is unreal with fantastic skills! I've learned more about chemistry watching this channel than my chemistry class lol!!!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Wow, thank you!

[@milkymemes5036]

My grandfather owns one of these and its still in perfect condition. I would go out into the backyard and play war with him and we would fire it at troops in trenches.

[@pookatim]

From an era when "free range" kids used to have fun.

[@boarbot7829]

Lord Edward you are clearly misunderstood. Kids still have “fun” nowadays, just in different ways. I’m sure firing at each-other with air rifles was fun back in the day, so was riding without a seat built, but braking your back wasn’t. Consoles and phones provide a different kind of fun, and sure, it’s not as physically healthy to do, but you still have a great time. And speaking of free range, kids all over the world still spend loads of times at the park, and stuff. So don’t worry. Just because it’s not fun for your generation, it doesn’t mean that it’s not fun the the children of today.

[@martinxy1291]

and lost some fingers

[@XvCiiA]

@@boarbot7829 Pretty sure you misunderstood. I'll let you figure weather your response was needed, warranted or wanted. Not once did he say... well basically everything, you claimed he did. Go away, who asked you to interject your assumption about what he said?

[@عباسالموسوي-ه2ز]

Nice work

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@toml.1408]

That was fantastic! Congratulations. Great job!!!

[@gualtieropugliesi7552]

Straordinario! Bravissimo..

[@rexjolles]

Hey, I have some old 1960's Boy's Life and Popular Mechanics magazines that have tiny ads for these . they call it a "carbide cannon" for parties and stuff.

[@RussellStClair-cy1vu]

I had that Cannon when I was a kid ! That and a howitzer gas Cannon ! Click BOOOMMM !!! WOOHOO !!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Yeah, this turned out to be WAY more fun that I thought it would be! Thanks for watching.

[@johnchalleen3278]

Neat trick for hubs

[@joshua43214]

7:00 how to ruin a dead center followed immediately by 7:30 how to ruin a collet. use the face of the drill chuck to keep the die flat, and wrap the file in foil. Awesome toy :)

[@AcmeRestorations]

Well, you're not wrong, however that center was ruined long before I got it. It's my "do not use as a center" center. Came with the lathe. I keep it for jobs like this.

[@kevinboyd8531]

Amazing work fabricating the missing parts. I do however feel there were a couple missed opportunities here. Removing the casting marks and giving it a high polish would have really set it off.

[@cre8tv556]

Agreed. Very nice restoration! Would just have wanted to see those casting lines filed off. Other than that it was great

[@jeanettebarbieto2124]

Good Job! 👌🙂❤️

[@mikea683]

i always wanted a "Big-Bang" cannon! Awesome video! well worth a sub!

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

Great skill

[@johnhensley7027]

Removing the casting flaws would have been a nice touch.

[@raisagorbachov]

Back when kids had real toys to play with.

[@PorchPotatoMike]

sniperdragon707 They do. This exact cannon and even bigger ones are still being made by Conestoga. American made and available by mail order. www.bigbangcannons.com

[@axelwulf6220]

Shame we didn't have these when I was a kid

[@AcmeRestorations]

I didn't have one either. But they've been making them since 1907. I never saw one until recently.

[@chrisbolland5634]

Kids' toys were so cool back then.

[@georgeescaped6035]

had one of these "bangsite" cannons they were fun and loud

[@halukonal1400]

2:15 I love how you avoid saying "I make a new one" 😀

[@AcmeRestorations]

LOL

[@halukonal1400]

@@AcmeRestorations great restoration by the way

[@singendertanz5075]

really a nice toy!

[@Popeye64]

Just brilliant. Love it

[@sheetmetalbyzaker4938]

Very nice

[@kerimkerem896]

You recreated an amazing rare piece of damage Thanks. you very much. Keep creative

[@CheswicksCigarettes]

Loved it. Great job! Thanks for the entertainment.

[@XvCiiA]

Top notch.

[@exwldr6945]

Nice job on the restoration!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thanks!

[@wayneandrus307]

What an amazing restoration ! This man is a great machinist and a true perfectioniist! Wonderful work!!

[@AcmeRestorations]

Thank you very much!

[@BooksyBloom]

loved it!

[@robertphillips6296]

If Whil E. Coyote had only purchase his Contraptions from you, instead of that other Acme Company, he would have caught that Roadrunner.