SpudFiles

Looks like I'll be doing this soon and I'm thinking of how to do it right. First thing is that there are a lot more ashes than you might think. Like, about 10 pounds worth! Not going to be a single shot with any reasonable sized cannon. I'm thinking like a 2 inch-ish bore and using however many shots are required.

But I want the shots to have some distance, ya know? Just kicking out the ashes and finding yourself in an ash cloud is NOT the effect I'm going for. At the same time, mixing them in plaster so they just become a rock doesn't sound too good either. I want something that actually scatters the ashes WITHOUT just...well, making an ash cloud that gets all over everyone (ewww!).

First thought is to use soup cans modded like a shotgun wad. Cut the top off. Cut some slits down the side so that when it hits high speed air the cup opens up. I'd prefer to stick to something like a soup can rather than go with plastic just 'cause soup cans rust/rot away in time where plastic seems to stick around forever.

Anywho.... Thoughts/ideas?

Knowing your background, how about casting them within a hollow plaster canister. Have the canister weighted to tumble almost immediately, plaster being plaster and all, it should disintegrate. Or, soup can with a very draggy fabric tail. It should fly straight, as it passes the apex of its trajectory, it should empty.

I'd personally go with some sort of small timed air-burst device, something like those mortar fireworks where you light a fuse and send it down the barrel.

I'd personally go with some sort of small timed air-burst device

Same, surely in your situation a pyrotechnic delay timed for the top of the trajectory would be feasible.

If pyrotechnics aren't allowed, a pneumatic delay is possible though a bit more labor intensive, or in this day and age a simple timing circuit that powers a hot wire after a couple of seconds that could either ignite a chemical bursting charge or burn a burst disk in the case of a pneumatic.

A pyro charge is possible, of course (I was making star shells as a teenager...dead guy was my mentor). I was/am hoping for an alternate method, however, due to the political realities that have changed. Once upon a time someone into pyrotechnics was just a pyromaniac. Today you're a terrorist.

Plenty of non-pyrotechnic alternatives.

How about a spring-loaded piston dispenser retained by a length of fishing wire that is in contact with a short length of nichrome wire linked to a simple timer circuit?

You don't even deed the spring element, a "cluster bomb" type projectile where you have two or more halves held together by the fishing wire and then separated by drag would also work:

Off the top of my head...fill a balloon with the ashes, then helium, launch then shoot it in mid air. Maybe fuse the balloon with about 20 seconds worth??? That would be great disbursement.

I suppose rocketry is out of the question? Mind you, launching a 10 pounds payload would be pretty hefty.

mrfoo wrote:I suppose rocketry is out of the question? Mind you, launching a 10 pounds payload would be pretty hefty.

It's not so much the 10 pounds, but the FAA clearance required to launch the 10 pounds that rules out rockets.

MLRS!

10 characters my rear

Paper packet with a string/wire attached to a parachute to rip it open in flight?

D_Hall wrote:

mrfoo wrote:I suppose rocketry is out of the question? Mind you, launching a 10 pounds payload would be pretty hefty.

It's not so much the 10 pounds, but the FAA clearance required to launch the 10 pounds that rules out rockets.

The idea crosses my head to mix up a big bunch of rocket candy with ash filler, and have everyone set off a small rocket at the same time. Again, I guess scale is liable to kill that one. Shame, I could see myself being disposed of that way.