Imagine a normal table with a normal dinner set up, perhaps a family is enjoying a seasonal celebration. Uncle Phil, as per, decides he needs more salt. He reaches for the salt cellar, and shakes a little on his food. Now, that salt is just sitting right at the top. Dull.

Solution: Design a salt cellar that looks like a pump action shot gun. It could conceivably be of almost any size, but shotgun sized is good. The pump action is crucial here: On the way out, it grinds salt, on the way in*, the salt is loaded into the chamber. Point at the food and squeeze the trigger... phooop! The salt is ejected at high velocity by CO2 from one of those bicycle tire CO2 cylinders that seem cheap enough. Now, hopefully you have a little salt penetration into the food. Changing the internals around a bit should let you select grind size from near-lethal fin-stabilized cylindrical salt-slug** through to a fine powder so that you may tune the whole process in the same way shot gun enthusiasts have been doing for years.

*You use the grinds from the previous cycle, so it goes in- out to preserve the shot gun-like action.

**the slug that works on slugs, I don't know why I even pay the marketing division.
-- bs0u0155, Nov 24 2015

http://bugasalt.com/ [custard]'s link [pocmloc, Nov 25 2015]

Ketchup gun https://wanelo.com/...ketchup-and-mustard
close, but ketchup is a liquid, or ahh, non-newtonian fuild [evilpenguin, Nov 25 2015]

You could team up with these guys ... Maizechinegun
[normzone, Nov 13 2018]

Alternative loads for a different ... target market Cat_20food_20can_20shotgun
[normzone, Nov 13 2018]

An assalt weapon?

Q: How does [bs0u0155] like his potatoes? A: With assalt and buttery.
-- AusCan531, Nov 24 2015


I expected something hydraulic.
-- travbm, Nov 25 2015


I can't link it from work, but look at the bug-a-salt gun. It's a pump action plastic gun that shoots a tiny spit of salt out and is used to kill flies.

You load salt into the hopper on top, pump it to charge the spring/whatever, then aim and shoot the salt. It's got an effective range of maybe 8-12 inches.

Very similar to this idea, but for a different porpoise.
-- Custardguts, Nov 25 2015


[+]
-- 8th of 7, Nov 25 2015


Brilliant. Ripoff of this idea coming in 3...2...1...
-- doctorremulac3, Nov 25 2015


// With assalt and buttery// Okay, Thank you AusCan531, I will use that line at thanksgiving tomorrow. I will, really.
-- evilpenguin, Nov 25 2015


I just love the visual of my mashed potatoes getting blown away. Yay. Food fight in a whole new genre.
-- blissmiss, Nov 25 2015


[+] Airgun food mixer. Never need to wash the soup spoon again.
-- pashute, Nov 25 2015


The disadvantage of your action is that you get the previous user's chosen fineness of grind (at least for your first shot). I don't see why the mechanism couldn't be connected the other way, with the way you slide the slidey thing staying the same.
-- notexactly, Nov 11 2018


Black Hawk Down salt cellar - which does a tinny Ewan McGregor impression"...it's all in the grind".
-- not_morrison_rm, Nov 11 2018


I totally came up with the bug assault idea and posted it here pre-2000.
-- nomocrow, May 28 2020



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