Thread: Cheers Pop

Like most men, I was once a little boy. At some point in this stage in my life, on a visit to some family friends I noticed a cannon. This caught my fancy and upon further inquiry learnt that it lobs C batteries. I was pretty excited an promised myself one day Im gunna have one of these.

Fast forward a few years to my first stint in the college workshop, the teachers showing us around and we get to the lathes. While hes explaining the functions and how to use it little light bulbs start pinging off as i realized this was the machine I needed to build my cannon.

Right up to about a year ago a lathe was still on the wish list but just couldnt justify the cost. I always new my mrs pop had a shed load of gear but never really paid much attention to it until one day he just out and asked if I wanted his gear when hes finished with it. 3 packed trailer loads later and my shed is literally bulging at the seams.

Me and the mrs spent a couple of weeks discussing something nice we could do for pop to say thank you. It came to me when knee deep in gear one day I come across his old stash of brass, there was all sorts from square bar, round bar and hollow bar. Those little light bulbs got pinging again, I cleared some room around the lathe and set her up and went about building my first cannon.

Many late and early shifts in the shed, mostly sitting over a bucket of water with the fine sand paper, I finally got her assembled, just needs a final polish on Christmas eve.