fandomhigh | Mythbusting, Tuesday, 7/21, Period 2

Class met in the Danger Shop today, and there was an array of logs stripped of their bark, gunpowder, and woodworking equipment set up at one end, with blast shields lined up near the middle of the room. Tyler glanced up from his notes as the class assembled.

"Morning," he said. "This is a things-that-go-boom week. There's an old Hungarian legend that a city called Paks defended itself during a siege by chopping down a cherry tree and making a cannon overnight. The cannon worked until it blew up and took the town with it. Now, I'm not a carpenter, but I see a couple problems with that story." A beat. "Which is why we're retesting it."

"You should just have time to make and test a cannon in class if you work in small groups; the wood and woodworking tools are over there. I'm handing out a sheet of specific directions, but basically you want to drill a hole through the log, add a metal tube with gunpowder in it and a fuse, load a cannonball, light the rope, stand back behind the blast shields, and -- in theory -- boom." He spread his fingers to demonstrate the "boom."

"Please wear safety gear, please don't be stupid. This is Danger Shop so you can't get hurt, but that doesn't make it playtime."

"Questions?"

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Dutifully adjusting some safety goggles over her eyes, Turtle cracked her knuckles a little and looked around to see if anyone might want to partner up and help, although she was dedicated to thinking she could handle all her own, too.

"Wanna work together?" Claire asked, barely suppressing a grin as she pulled on her safety gear.

"Sure!" Turtle said, not even bothering to suppress her own grin. "You have any cannon building experience, Claire?"

"Can't say I do," Claire giggled. "But it seems like a skill that might come in handy some day."

"It almost makes me wonder if this is something that could be useful for the fighting reserves," Turtle admitted, looking over all the stuff. "But I think we should maybe check and see if it actually works before thinking about that. Let's see." She took a look over the instructions again. "You any good with a drill?"

Claire was pretty sure she had never used a drill, but, hey, there was a first time for everything.

"It can't be that hard," she said, picking up the drill and looking it over. "And, yeah, if it works, it might be something that the reserves could use."

"Then again," Turtle said, picking up a drill for herself, too, and inspecting it, "with what it might take to make this thing, we might be better off with real cannons."

"Good point," Claire admitted. "But somehow I don't see the administration being supportive of us bringing cannons in."

"They would be for the school's protection," Turtle pointed out. "You can't honestly say they wouldn't get use, either."

Mythbusting, Tuesday, 7/21, Period 2

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]

Re: Make a Cannon [7/21]