A great décor item for any type of pirate theme is a cannon. For a child’s party, the kids may enjoy pretending with the cannon, while with adult parties it may simply be a prop. Standing guests decked out in their pirate costumes next to the pirate cannon can also be a great scene setter for photographs. It may be difficult or expensive to buy a party cannon prop, but with some supplies and tools you can make a pirate cannon for a party.

Drill hole in PVC. Take one of the PVC pipes that is 4 feet long and measure approximately 2½ inches from one of the pipe. Drill a 1-inch hole here that goes through both sides of the pipe (top to bottom).

Create the cross piece of the cannon. Take the copper pipe and insert it into the holes. Use drywall screws to keep the copper pipe in place.

Create an authentic look. Use black electrical tape and wrap it around the each end of the PVC pipe. This creates the raised rings found on real cannons. You may have to use several layers of tape for it to look the way you want it to.

Spray paint the cannon. Sand down the pipe with a piece of sandpaper and leave the sand on the pipe. Use black spray paint to paint over the sand left behind by the sandpaper for an aged appearance. Allow the cannon to dry completely.

Set up the base. Turn the wood crate over so that the opening is on the bottom. Arrange the camera or telescope tripod so it stands on and close to the wood crate (set it low enough so it slightly protrudes off the crate) and tilt it up or down at a slight angle.

Attach the cannon. Set the cannon on the tripod. Secure it to the tripod with electrical tape. Position to the cannon so that it slightly tilted up or down to put it in position for “firing.”

Add cannon ball accent. Set one or more small plastic bowling balls on top of the crate or on the ground near the cannon to represent the cannon balls.