How to Make Confetti Cannons

Confetti cannons blast out pressurized gas and send confetti into the air so that it flutters down gently. They are easy to make, and they may add fun to any party.

Things You'll Need

• Kleer Drain
• 1 toilet tube
• 1 glue gun with glue sticks
• Safety gear
• A hose clamp and rope might be useful for the triggering mechanism.

Instructions

1. Get a source of pressure. Obtain something that is powered by carbon dioxide or compressed air. It has to be a hard enough blast of pressure to send the confetti into the air but safe enough that the confetti doesn't do damage. Use a Kleer Drain device, which can be bought at hardware stores, but don't assume that any projectile is safe in this device or will go where you want it to go.

2. Put the device together according to the directions in the package, but do not install the CO2 cartridge until you are ready to fire the device into the air.

3. Hot glue the toilet tube around the exit hole of the Kleer Drain device. If you want more confetti and a longer range, get a tube from a paper towel roll. The longer the roll, the more you can put in it, but don't make it too long or it won't shoot out the confetti as well.

4. Make your confetti. You can use a variety of paper types, such as construction paper, wrapping paper or tissue paper, as long as they aren't too heavy. You may want to cut them by hand or you can use a paper shreader (cross cut is preferred). Mylar bags and balloon leftovers can be recycled as confetti. Feathers, small cotton balls and shapes cut from paper with hole punches are also used in professional cannons. Be careful with the confetti because some confetti can stain when it gets wet. Coils of streamers can be made by loosely winding tissue paper around a pencil, sliding out the pencil and then making the roll of paper into coils of streamers by cutting cross sections.

5. Make two loops of rope. Attach a hose clamp to the part of the device that must be compressed toward the handles to fire. Under this clamp you should run the two loops of rope on either side so that the loops are held to the container at their middles. The loops should reach from the hose clamp to your four trigger fingers (two on each hand) just above the handles that come with the device. Other triggering configurations can be tested so experiment (especially if you don't have the hand strength to pull this one off). Test the device outside. Make sure you do it on a windless day so that you can clean the mess up easily.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your cannon more festive by wrapping parts of it in wrapping paper attached with glue. Make sure that the decoration doesn't interfere with safety or function.

• Do not point the cannon in the direction of anyone. Do not expect everything to travel the direction that you point it. Do not pack the device or put in anything that is more dense than loose paper/feather filling. This is a prototype and should be treated as such. It is recommended that all parties present wear goggles and that they keep the device away from their head. The device may be loud, so take precautions, especially in closed spaces. Do not use this device after you have used it for your toilet. By doing anything in this article you are claiming full responsibility for the results. If you can't do this safely, don't do it at all. Read and follow all safety warnings that come with the device.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Demo of how to use the Kleer Drain
• Kleer Drain infomercial
• A source of confetti ideas (or a good place to buy them)
• Another version of a confetti cannon (do not overinflate)