Comments on: Harmless Steam Cannon Shoots Ball Bearings (Oct, 1936)

By: BaSH PR0MPT

BaSH PR0MPT — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:34:18 +0000

Comment #1, “For all intents and purposes…”

Further, I doubt you can think of a dozen ways to kill yourself with it, Eamonnanchnuic, as there are only four, three if ‘shooting yourself dead’ with it doesn’t work.

1. Asphyxiate on the water.
2. Stab yourself critically with the tube.
3. Swallow enough ball bearings to choke to death.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:56:58 +0000

Multiple ways to burn and injure, fun for the whole family.

By: Rudy Eckner

Rudy Eckner — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:03:55 +0000

No, it is not dangerous. Maybe for crazy American kids it
is not appropriate, but most technically inclined youngsters
in the rest of the world know how to be careful with such
things. At least adults don’t get hysterical letting them
try interesting projects like this.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:15:13 +0000

How fast would that ball bearing be moving? I figure a red hot ball bearing moving at any speed would be quite damaging to someone.

By: Finch

Finch — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:19:22 +0000

Well see the title says harmless “Cannon,” the non-harmless parts are the bearings. The cannon itself is safe as it gets.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:32:13 +0000

All my life I thought it was “intensive purposes” until I was reading something in college and saw it written down. It was quite a “Doh!” moment for me.

By: MaggieL

MaggieL — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:21:52 +0000

With any kind of luck, the hot steel ball will miss any living targets…we hope the cooling effect of making the steam will have cooled it below the ignition point of whatever it does land on.

(“For all intents and purposes” is the idiom. I’ve heard it mangled to “all intensive purposes”, but “extensive” is a double-mangle.)

By: Erika

Erika — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:23:30 +0000

now there’s a fun birthday gift for the whole family. Everything about it screams ‘Safe’, oh, except for the steam, cannon and hot ballbearing bits.

By: Village Idiot

Village Idiot — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:47:28 +0000

Ball bearing cannons don’t kill people, people… aw, nevermind. At least the thermal mass of the likely still-hot bearing will cauterize the wound channel as it goes through your little sister.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:53:04 +0000

Shoot frolicking passers-by in the back with 3/8″ steel ball bearings! Harmless fun for everyone.

By: jayessell

jayessell — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:40:50 +0000

‘This is obviously some strange usage of the word “safe” that I wasn’t previously aware of.’

(Thanks and apologies to Douglas Adams.)

By: Eamonnanchnuic

Eamonnanchnuic — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:45:46 +0000

While this is the coolest toy I’ve seen in a while I can easily think of a half-dozen ways to kill yourself with it. For all extensive purposes this is a steam powered musket.