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The Big-Bang Cannon, also known as the Calcium Cannon, [1] is an American toy cannon first manufactured in the early 20th-century. Numerous consumer fireworks injuries [2] convinced a physics professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to patent a "Gas Gun" in 1907, and the manufacturing of Big-Bang Cannons started in 1912, from the Gas Cannon Company.
In 1916, the name was changed to the Toy Cannon Works. In 1924, the company changed names again, to The Conestoga Company, Inc. An assistant professor from the same physics department at Lehigh was the company founder and owner until 1955. The Conestoga Company manufactures nineteen models of Big-Bang Cannon in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
A bombing plane, tank, boat and pistol were manufactured during the 1920s, firing on the same principle as the cannons. 1930s designs included a Giant Roller Coaster, Ro-To-Top, Spinning Top, Field Glasses and G-Gun. [3]
Repurposed for toymaking, the historic 4-story wood and brick plant is depicted in T. M. Fowler's 1894 "aerial" drawing of West Bethlehem, with ground floor access both from Connestoga St. on the 1st level, and from 1st Ave. at the 4th level. All machinery on the first three levels were driven by a single electric motor via belts and drive shafts the width of the building. In the mid 1950s, the plant burned, and operations were terminated. Dormant several years, the company was bought from physicist & founder Doc Wiley by brothers Frank H. & Robert E. Miller, who rehired Joseph Gombotz as plant manager and future owner. Taken by eminent domain in the late 1960s to construct the 4-lane spur route I-378, now PA Route 378, the plant moved to E. Goepp St, until its present owners moved it to Sumner Ave. in Allentown.
Calcium carbide was one of the first products of electric arc furnaces, made economical by Niagara Falls in 1888. After cooling, irregular chunks were packed in air-tight containers for sale and used to generate acetylene gas by slowly dropping water on them. Small carbide lamps were (and still are) used by miners to produce a very bright flame; larger versions were used on early buses and cars.
These toys operate by introducing a little carbide into a chamber containing some water where it reacts immediately to release acetylene gas. A few seconds later (long enough for the gas to spread out in the chamber, but short enough for it not to be lost out the barrel), it is ignited. A means for introducing fresh air for the next explosion is also provided. Acetylene in air has the widest range of explosive limit of any common chemical [4] and also a very low ignition energy, a combination which very reliably produces a loud “bang” explosion compared with other vapour explosions.
The original 1907 “Gas Gun” patent does not claim novelty for the idea of using carbide-produced acetylene to produce explosions in a toy; rather it was the combination of a gas generator, ignition means, and various parts which were cheap to manufacture. That model used battery-operated spark-coil ignition; widely sold mid-century models created a spark as modern lighters do using ferrocerium.
Another key feature of these devices as toys is that acetylene explosions, compared with gunpowder, were much safer. The low density of the acetylene/air mixture is such that the total combustion energy is quite low and there is no recoil and little stress on the chamber holding the explosion, even if the outlet barrel was partly blocked. The original toys were brittle cast iron; the company even demonstrated cannons made of glass to show that there was no likelihood of dangerous fracture. Deliberately adding too much carbide does not increase the energy of the explosion but instead weakens it.
Since a means for producing a consistent gas charge was important, a special granulated form (about 1 mm grains) of calcium carbide was trademarked as Bangsite in 1952. It could be easily metered in a dispensing mechanism, and promotional materials emphasized that Bangsite was difficult to abuse by hammering, lighting with a match and other things young boys might try.
| Patent | Patent Number | Patent Date |
|---|---|---|
| "Gas Gun" Archived 2019-04-28 at the Wayback Machine | 874,952 | December 31, 1907 |
| "Gas Cannon" Archived 2019-04-28 at the Wayback Machine | 1,352,715 | September 14, 1920 |
| "Toy Firearm" Archived 2019-04-28 at the Wayback Machine | 1,624,086 | April 12, 1927 |
| "Gas Gun" Archived 2019-04-28 at the Wayback Machine | 2,754,607 | July 17, 1956 |
| "BIG-BANG" | 117,799 | July 31, 1917 |
| "BANGSITE" | 559,919 | June 10, 1952 |
| "CONESTOGA COLLECTORS' SERIES" | 2,653,490 | November 26, 2002 |
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2 and structure H−C≡C−H. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution. Pure acetylene is odorless, but commercial grades usually have a marked odor due to impurities such as divinyl sulfide and phosphine.
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success and productivity, the company was a symbol of American manufacturing leadership in the world, and its decline and ultimate liquidation in the late 20th century is similarly cited as an example of America's diminished manufacturing leadership. From its founding in 1857 through its 2003 dissolution, Bethlehem Steel's headquarters were based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. Its primary steel mill manufacturing facilities were first located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and later expanded to include a major research laboratory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and plants in Sparrows Point, Maryland, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna, New York, and its final and largest site in Burns Harbor, Indiana.
Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of CaC2. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
A gun barrel is a crucial part of gun-type weapons such as small firearms, artillery pieces, and air guns. It is the straight shooting tube, usually made of rigid high-strength metal, through which a contained rapid expansion of high-pressure gas(es) is used to propel a projectile out of the front end (muzzle) at a high velocity. The hollow interior of the barrel is called the bore, and the diameter of the bore is called its caliber, usually measured in inches or millimetres.
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Smokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to black powder. Because of their similar use, both the original black powder formulation and the smokeless propellant which replaced it are commonly described as gunpowder. The combustion products of smokeless powder are mainly gaseous, compared to around 55% solid products for black powder. In addition, smokeless powder does not leave the thick, heavy fouling of hygroscopic material associated with black powder that causes rusting of the barrel.
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The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models employed by both Allied and Axis forces during World War II. Many versions of the cannon are still used today.
Linde plc is a global multinational chemical company founded in Germany and, since 2018, domiciled in Ireland and headquartered in the United Kingdom. Linde is the world's largest industrial gas company by market share and revenue. It serves customers in the healthcare, petroleum refining, manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, fiber-optics, steel making, aerospace, material handling equipment (MHE), chemicals, electronics and water treatment industries. The company's primary business is the manufacturing and distribution of atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases, and process gases, including carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, ammonia, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.
A Carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O).
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The Frank–Caro process, also called cyanamide process, is the nitrogen fixation reaction of calcium carbide with nitrogen gas in a reactor vessel at about 1,000 °C. The reaction is exothermic and self-sustaining once the reaction temperature is reached. Originally the reaction took place in large steel cylinders with an electrical resistance element providing initial heat to start the reaction. Modern production uses rotating ovens. The synthesis produces a solid mixture of calcium cyanamide (CaCN2), also known as nitrolime, and carbon.
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Big-Bang Cannons: A Unique American Toy by Raymond V. Brandes, Ray-Vin Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9636127-6-X (Hard Cover)
Blast from the Past: Our History: An American Legend
The Bangster...Volume 1, No. 4, June 1929, published by The Conestoga Corporation
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Toy World Magazine February 1929