[emergencyfan]

I'd like to do a cannon (as in "the human cannon ball") and make it lifesize so that people can actually use it as a photo op. Sono tubes that size are not stocked in my area (and the cost/shipping for an online purchase is prohibitive). I've thought about papermache or monster mudded chicken wire, but I don't think I'd be able to get a nice smooth look from either of those. Any ideas? It will only be outside a couple of days each year so it doesn't have to be weather resistant but it will need to be strong enough to hold up to people climbing in and out of it. PVC would be ideal but I don't think they make it that big. I'm also toying with the idea of splitting it down the middle (long ways) with hinges to make getting in and out of it easier (possibly adding some fog, and maybe a removable burned corpse for when it's not being used for photos). I just can't seem to settle on a good material for the barrel.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

Large rounded garbage cans with the end and handles cut off? Not sure how sturdy they'd be to someone climbing in and out tho, and you'd have to make sure to build a support structure under them to support the weight of a person laying inside... but you could probably make them where you could attach hinges of some sort to make it easier to climb into and out of and they'd stand up to weather if it did get wet.

I sometimes see large plastic barrels available like these: http://www.thecarycompany.com/containers/drums/plastic

But I'd want to make sure whatever you end up using, that the edges are super smooth and no chance of someone getting cut on them.

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Haha. When I was reading this I suddenly recalled a time when I was a kid -- one of the neighborhood boys decided to crawl through the new concrete drainage pipes that were being laid in our neighborhood. He somehow managed to get his foot and tennis shoe wedge in there and couldn't go forward or back out. I think the parents had to call the city to have them cut the concrete apart after trying to manipulate his foot didn't work. Remember him crying in there afraid he wouldn't get out and scared the concrete saw would cut him. Hopefully if you get this off the ground your photo op will go smoothly.

I like the idea of maybe using garbage cans. Some tend to be angled but I'm thinking I've seen straight sided ones. The only other thing that comes to mind, also from when I was a kid, were those really strong cylinder shipping containers. They came with lids that you could seal to ship once you loaded them up. My aunt had books and clothing shipped in several and sent to our house when she was moving across country. Have no idea if that kind of thing is still being sold. Guess there are steel drums but probably would take a torch to cut through them and who knows what kind of substance was stored in them or if you'd get a smooth edge where the bottom got cut off.



Here's a link to the shipping cylinder container I was thinking of. Trick would be finding one used and cheap. Maybe through CraigsList? This place below sells 55 gallon drums new for like $58 but you'd have to buy 2. If you think something like this would work at least you know to look for Fiber Drums in your search. They also sell plastic drums (and other metals) but those are even more expensive per unit than the fiber ones.

http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-7900/Drums/Fiber-Drum-55-Gallon


OK apparently there are companies that sell used fiber drums, here's one. I just googled "used fiber drums" and saw a few listings and some tailored to my state or certain cities. Too bad they don't have any for sale. That $17 price for a 55 gallon looked very attractive. Maybe they have a waitlist. I would check the diameter of these and see whether anyone can comfortably crawl into one before pursuing.

http://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/Fiber-Drums-Fiber-Drum.html

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Before you get too involved in researching this, curious if your guests/ToTers will be wearing costumes. If so, chances are you'll end up with more problems than not and need to think up a better approach -- maybe do a close-up photo instead where just their heads are coming out of a cannon barrel for the photo shot alluding to them being in a cannon.

 

[Gym Whourlfeld]

Might be quicker,easier to build a rocket with a door in the side, nobody has to climb. Have a porthole window, (Almost like a cannon! )
You would be "Going modern!"