fandomhigh | Shop Class #7

Upon entering the Danger ~~Room~~ Shop, The classroom finds it transformed into a metal scrap yard.

Mac sits on the remains of a car seat tossing a medium size pumpkin in the air.

"Now that we got the emitters back in order, it's time to put some of your fabrication skills to work. Today I want you to start work on an apparatus that will fling a pumpkin. It can be a catapult, trebuchet, cannon, giant slingshot... whatever you want."

Mac motions to the scrap yard around him.

"Only catch is? You can use the parts you found from the junkyard behind me. You have full use of the shop tools to build whatever it is you plan to build. You have class today to plan and build. On Thursday we'll test out your new creations."

I'll be grading your project on:
Originality
Use of materials
Accuracy
Distance

"We have open shop this afternoon, and I'll have open shop tomorrow for those who want to use that time to work on their project. If you guys want to do this in groups or on your own, it's up to you."

"Thursday morning? We make a mess."

((I'll be modding the results of the pumpkin fling on Thursday based on how you build your "flinger". The more detail? The better your results.))

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Mac chuckles. "As much as I'd love to see you get all dizzy, I don't think that's up to your usual caliber of Grade A work."

Sam grins and begins making her "shopping list" from her sketch.

1. Tall Pole (preferably metal)
2. Cable or Rope
3. Release mechanism
4. Motor
5. Small gear to hold pole

Yes sir. I'd love to help out more. I, erm, never got the chance to observe Kitty at the controls, though. Is there a manual or something?

((OOC: Waves magic wand. *ding* You and Kitty got together sometime and you learned what you needed to know.))

Oh, wait... d'uh. Nevermind, I did. Just slipped my mind, that's all. Do you want me to man the panel now, or can I work on the pumpkin flingy-thing?

"I've got the panel all programmed, so go ahead an work on the project, however next Thursday I'd like you to come up with a class project. Would you be able to do that?"

Like, next week, or in two days sir? I'm not sure I can come up with something interesting in two days, sir.

"Next week. We'll be doing the results of the pumpkin flinging this Thursday. If you need more time to think of something, that's fine too."

((Don't mean to put you on the spot. Whenever is fine. Just want to make sure you get a chance if you want.))

Oh, next week is fine, sir. Just wanted to make double-sure, and all that. *nod* But I'll let you know if I'm having trouble.

[[Oh, it's plenty of time, actually. I'll come up with something, and run it past Mac IC sometime this weekend, probably]]

Rogue vaguely remembers building a rocket launcher of sorts in highschool. She wishes they had liquid nitrogen [[because working for the physics department has its advantages (http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/mats/WCIA/Mats_mortar.wmv). That would be shrieking in the background.]]

Instead, she starts working on a larger variation of a potato gun. She finds several sections of 12 inch sewer pipe, a 55-gallon drum, and an electric grill starter. She hangs the electric grill starter in the center of the drum with some wire. She uses some scrap metal to make a cone shaped lid for the drum, one that will attach the drum to the smaller diameter of the pipe. Once it's secure, she cuts a small hole in the bottom of the drum, under the starter. She sets a pan inside.

"Mac, once we test it, I'll be putting something combustable in the pan, probably gasoline," she says eyeing the junk cars. "I'll close the hole, shove a pumpkin in as far as it can go, and light the starter. It should send the potato--er, pumpkin flying."

[[Okay, coding is now right, and it's in the right place. I hope.]]

Finally satisfied with her list, Sam rips her list off the pad and begins scrounging through the junkyard. The first thing she finds is a long, thin metal rod, but on testing, it's too flexible for what she has in mind, so she throws it back on the pile.

However, there is one higher up, which she snags and upon testing seems to be ideal.

Eventually, she finds some aircraft cable, which is thankfully still attached to a turnbuckle. That will make adjusting the cable to the proper tension easier. She promptly puts that on her work table next to the metal pole.

Climbing over another mountain of junk and then digging through it for a while, Sam finds an old exercise bike and promptly pulls the cotter pins out of it. They're light, but not particular sturdy. They should do nicely as a release mechanism--when they fail from stress fractures.

Now, all she needs is a motor and a belt system of some kind, and she'll be all set.

((Motors should be available. Anything from a lawnmower to a car engine.))

Mac looks over the work and nods.

"Looks good. What do you want as the combustable? It should either be gas which we have on hand to fuel an engine or what can be found in the junkyard."

"Finally!" Sam returned from the junkyard dragging a lawnmower behind her. A pull of the ripcord had told her that it was still in working condition, which made her job much easier.

Working slowly, but carefully, she made a hole in the top of the pole, then looped the aircraft cable through. To the bottom of the cable, she attached a reinforced duct-tape sling that she had made--hopefully the pumpkin would fit inside it using the cotter pins.

She next grabbed a screwdriver and a wrench and began taking the casing, wheels, and handle off of the mower. Once she had the motor visible, she rigged another sling, so that it turned as the belt in the mower did, but without getting snagged.

She placed the pole inside the second sling and watched it spin around quickly from the motion of the belt. She sat back on her haunches and grinned. "Cool."

"Well a real potato gun would use hairspray, but that wouldn't be enough, I think. Do you think gasoline vapors would be enough? Or should it be, say kerosene? We don't want a fire, but an explosion."

Mac nods. "Yep. We've got a kerosene pump as well. Or we can provide one. You'll have a gas can of it for Thursday."

Anders signs in and starts going through the junkyard, looking around for Cally and trying very, very hard not to think about the two fresh hickeys on his neck.

He picks up a crankshaft in fairly good condition and starts thinking about some kind of hand-cranked wheel to generate the momentum to fling the pumpkin, so he goes digging around in search of wheels, and something to use as a tripod or stand.

Bridge spents several minutes scrounging through the scrapheap, before coming up with:

A mostly intact coffeemaker
A medium sized piece of sheet metal
And several unidentifiable objects.

*will, sadly, most likely not be here on Thurs* *has woe*

*Suggests you take woe and put it in emo-bank*

Mac cocks an eyebrow at the coffee-maker. And watches Bridge with interest.

*Also suggests that slow-time can be our friend*

Bridge is only allowed a certain amount of emo-time per week. He just used it up!

Anders raises an eyebrow and gets distracted from his own scrounging, because as always it's fascinating to see what Bridge comes up with . . .

*sneaks up after having talked to Mr. Macgyver about TAing*

Boo. *giggle*

Page 2 of 4

Shop Class #7

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Cally?

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork

Re: OOC:

Re: OOC:

Re: Classwork

Re: OOC:

Re: OOC:

Re: Classwork

Re: Classwork