*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 04:43:58 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: Nitroglycerin Gun?  (Read 2139 times)

Offline Enakan

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 72
Nitroglycerin Gun?
« on: April 01, 2019, 09:12:53 PM »
Okay!

Explain how this works for me folks!

Background: I was watching the 1999 movie version of "Wild Wild West", the one with Dr. Arliss Loveless and his nifty steam tank and 80' Tarantula.  Which had twin nitro cannons/guns. 

Of course Gordon and West don't think the giant robot can get out of his city, until he blows some buttes apart with his cannon. 

Now, the cannon could be powered by nitro, or could shoot nitro ammunition.  Or both???

From the Hollywood animation, it almost looks like a plasma gun, similar to the ones used by the big bugs in Starship Troopers (the FIRST one). 

It doesn't seem very long ranged too, when Loveless starts blowing up a town and a train.   Maybe a few hundred yards?  Quarter mile max?

How would y'all say it works?

Offline mysteriousbill

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 605
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2019, 03:49:43 AM »
Try this link to get you started

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite_gun

Offline FramFramson

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10680
  • But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2019, 05:15:33 AM »
I think that thinking too hard about the physics or mechanics of anything in Wild Wild West might lead to an aneurysm.  lol


I joined my gun with pirate swords, and sailed the seas of cyberspace.

Offline Enakan

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 72
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2019, 06:08:13 PM »
Yep,

I'm probably on some watchlist now!

Pneumatic pressure, huh?  That's how the USS Vesuvius fired it's shells in the SA war, not very long ranged though.  I watched the video of WWW again, it almost looks like rockets are being fired from the tube under the spider's head, then they blow up.  I doubt it could be nitro, as any hard KNOCKS would set it off.  Maybe a missile with a dynamite warhead???

Was actually going to try a game with Dr. Arliss fighting some Martians, whose pre-invasion scouting cylinder came down by his Spider Canyon headquarters.  Trying to give the post Civil War US forces some kind of chance!

Offline HerbyF

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1981
  • Why fear nightmares when you can be one
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2019, 03:58:39 AM »
Gringo 40's does a really nice Sims-Dudley dynamite gun and crew.
LHV 2015 +200 2016 +770 2017 +636 2018 +888 2019 +1015 2020 +656 2021 +174 2022 +220 2023 +312 2024 +95

Offline Hat Guy

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1541
  • If you want peace, prepare for war.
    • Superhero Gaming Blog
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2019, 06:48:03 AM »
I think that thinking too hard about the physics or mechanics of anything in Wild Wild West might lead to an aneurysm.  lol

What about when I thought way too hard about the politics?  ;)

https://leadcapes.blogspot.com/2018/07/superhero-media-wild-wild-west.html

Offline The_Beast

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 4916
  • As my grandchildren see me...
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2019, 05:39:32 PM »
Neither a chemist (sorry, don't how to say 'not-pharmacy') nor play one on TV, but I thought Dynamite IS nitrogycerin, physically buffered to make it slightly more stable.

Doug

Offline mithril

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 78
Re: Nitroglycerin Gun?
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2019, 08:45:36 AM »
Neither a chemist (sorry, don't how to say 'not-pharmacy') nor play one on TV, but I thought Dynamite IS nitrogycerin, physically buffered to make it slightly more stable.

Doug
It was. Historically Dynamite was nitroglycerin blended with inert materials. Clays were the ideal, but the cheap kinds used things like sawdust. Obviously those were more dangerous to handle.
Modern 'dynamite' usually uses RDX or PETN.. Basically plastic explosive using a different filler. Old nitro based dynamite had a tendency to 'sweat' raw nitro through the waxpaper coverings if stored too long, thus the changeover in more modern times

In the film loveless probably was making his own dynamite to his own specific mix, thus the raw nitro shipments.