Happy New Year.......Carbide shooting in the Achterhoek......tradition.

 In the Achterhoek it is the Dutch farmers tradition to shoot off calcium carbide cannons, usually from steel milk churns with a tight fitting lid, or a soccer or basketball stuffed in the end.  A hole is drilled in the bottom and a piece of calcium carbide rock is put in the bottom along with some water.  This produces a flammable gas (acetylene) that is ignited and shoots the lid, or the ball several hundred metres and makes a hell of a bang.

Here's a little video, for all you 'do-it-yourselfers' 

 https://youtu.be/iegD2Rfpev8

Titbits

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbide


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