h a l f b a k e r y"Bun is such a sad word, is it not?" -- Watt, "Waiting for Godot"
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As soon as I saw that there is a toy gun (for "kidz" and "grownupz" alike) that shoots smoke rings I wanted one. However, I have thought of an improvement that would improve the utility of the toy.
Often I am plagued by stray cats that come into my yard and kill poor little songbirds, and don't
even bother to eat them. These cats are rather likable characters and are only acting instinctively, and I am rather loathe to harm them (although my feelings towards the owners are less ambivalent), but would like to deter them. To this end, I thought a "Flame Ring Gun" would be a useful innovation.
Fit a toy smoke-ring gun with a fuel source, perhaps butane, rather than the smoke-generating solution that they come with. Also fit with an ignitor at the tip of the gun. When fired, flaming rings of butane could be shot for up to 20'. Alternatively, if the butane could be statically charged so as to ignite upon contacting a solid object that might prove useful too. If a mixture of, say, oxygen and acetylene were used more of a "bang" effect could be obtained. Of course, the smoke solution could also be used with butane, providing an effect rather like tracer bullets. If a cool-burning fuel were used, such as hydrogen, it might not tend to ignite objects nearby (such as cats and papers on desks). However, this gun might be difficult to aim accurately if the rings would tend to rise as they travel (due to heat or a light gas like hydrogen).
The original toy is described as being useful for ruffling papers on a colleague's desk, but rather than shooting smoke or air rings if one were really annoyed with their colleague they could send a flaming donut their way (or maybe just a warning shot over the bow). If one were seriously pissed off, flatulence-odoured scent could be used in the gun to let a colleague know that you think they really stink (maybe just farting into the gun would work, but just be sure the safety's on first).
Rather than being rated as suitable for children or adults I think I would rate this as suitable for childish adults. And include a small fire extinguisher with the gun.
(?) Smoke ring bazooka
http://www.zerotoys...ewsite/airzooka.htm
There are other variations too [riccoman, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]
Whoa these things have been around for a while.
http://www.toytent....ueReplica/4172.html
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]
"Stink beam" projector
http://amasci.com/hoax.html#stink
launch acetylene-balls at any cigarette [wbeaty, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]
Car-staller
http://techtransfer....navy.mil/RVGPS.HTM
cops shoot inert gas into engine intake of fleeing car [wbeaty, Oct 06 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]
[link]
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[And include a small fire extinguisher with the gun] |
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I don't know if you can get this approved for use here in So Cal........ |
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A low-emissions version could be designed for California, you wouldn't have to miss out on this. Of course it would be illegal to remove the catalytic converter. Which makes me think that maybe a good name for this thing would be the Cat-a-lyser. |
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Don't know if it would work - I just don't understand stuff like vortex rings - but, if it would, it would be hella-cool. |
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There's probably a CS-Gas version of this little toy already. If there isn't there should be. |
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I've got to vote against this one [riccoman], I just don't think it would work.
Even if you could get the gun to fire a smoke ring of compressed gas, as soon as it is ignited I think the rising heat would rip the ring to shreds. |
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This could prove more effective at frightening away the songbirds than were the cats! |
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//Often I am plagued by stray cats that come into my yard and kill poor little songbirds, and don't even bother to eat them.// |
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Maybe you should eat them. That would at least stop them coming back. |
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It's funny you should say that - eating cats or dogs was just this week outlawed in South Australia. Don't ask me why. |
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Just get your own cat to kill the songbirds in your yard. |
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If you're gonna get a cat, get one that'll take on the other cats... |
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My cat's a dog, he's old and he's scared of cats. We got him to keep cats out of the yard but he just poops everywhere instead. I live in a national park and would probably get a ticket for eating the birds. Some enterprising sod who sawed the antlers off a roadkill got charged with poaching. |
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A similar idea has been suggested on another website (can't remeber what it is) but it would use an infared camera combined with a smoke detector to fire rings of explosive gas at burning cigaretes to enforce anti-smoking laws. |
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I don't think the same driver also hit and killed the deer, but allowing people to remove parts of road kill might well encourage some to put big bush guards on and go looking for a little dinner or a trophy. I think my neighbors letting their cats go out hunting isn't a whole lot different than the practice of using a dog to hunt (e.g. for cougars, foxes, rats whatever), it's just not quite as well supervised. |
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An improved live cat trap would be a welcome idea around here. The cats are wise to the ones that the wardens supply and won't go in them. |
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It would not be too difficult to make a gun that fired flaming dog toroids. You would want to dry them out first. |
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When "Airzooka" came out, I tried a quick experiment: filling it with propane and firing it at a flame 10ft away. No fire ring appeared. Rats. However, the flame turned momentarily orange whenever the "gas vortex" struck it. I didn't mess with this further, not wanting to melt my new toy from flames flashing-back along the trail of gas. |
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Another idea: smart "no smoking" device. A thermal camera detects tiny distant heat sources [cigarette tips] and uses a smoke-ring gun to launch oxy/acetylene vortex rings at them. Turns any cigar into an exploding cigar! Modification: no cigarettes required: just launch two highly-charged ring vortices at a distant common point, with one vortex charged positive, the other negative. If a corona discharge or small sparks result, then load the rings with acetylene, so an apparently unexplained "BANG!" results at the spot where the invisible gas-balls meet. |
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//There's probably a CS-Gas version of this little toy already. If there isn't there should be// |
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Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division: Tech Transfer
http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwtproj/Ringvort.html |
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I like cats. Therefore I like the idea of scaring the cat away instead of hurting it but don't you think that FIRE would BURN the cat? FIRE IS HOT. FIRE BURN by definition. Therefore I remain neutral. |
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