Make a fireball shooter

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, March 21, 2008 12:53 PM | permalink

200803211115 Our Boing Boing Gadgets editor, Joel Johnson, wrote an article for the magic-themed issue of MAKE on how to build a fireball shooter. Today, MAKE's video producer, Kip Kay has a video on the awesome shooter. Link

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Discussion

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#1 posted by Hunty

, March 21, 2008 1:25 PM

We've been watching lots of Arrested Development, so all I can think when I see this is "yeah, but where did the lighter fluid come from, right?"

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#2 posted by microcars

, March 21, 2008 1:57 PM

I've been making these for years out of those plastic hand-held confetti poppers.

Remove the cardboard end and the confetti -dispose.
Take a full sheet of flash paper, wad it up, stuff in in the thing.

Aim it and pull the string= nice large flash ball that shoots better than the one in the video, only caveat is that it is disposable, but it worked well years ago when I handed them out at a wedding reception and did a "toast of fire". Fireballs coming up from all the tables was pretty impressive.

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#3 posted by Joel Johnson

, March 21, 2008 2:07 PM

Holy shit. I'm awesome!

Kip's modifications to my plans are way better than the original, too. This is why that is my first and likely last MAKE contribution. I actually sort of suck at making things!

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#4 posted by Antinous , March 21, 2008 2:09 PM

Isn't it better not to place your free hand right under the blade when you're sawing something?

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#5 posted by glycolized , March 21, 2008 3:07 PM

Not to nitpick, but that is clearly not aluminum or copper rod - it is tube. If someone goes to the hardware store and says, "I need some half-inch copper rod", they are not going to give you the stuff in the video.

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#6 posted by rushkoff , March 22, 2008 11:16 AM

Yeah. It's got to be hollow. Otherwise there's nowhere to put the stuff.

If you want a little more excitement, there's a canon we used to make with tennis ball cans, deodorant spray, and a potato. I wonder if that one is online somewhere... I suppose it's not so safe.

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#7 posted by firestarter , March 22, 2008 8:07 PM

I love the fact that he's setting these off in what looks like his living room!

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#8 posted by Denomerdano , March 22, 2008 11:17 PM

wow... nice vice.. next time you may want to bolt it down and not place your hand under the saw.
damn..