T-shirt Launcher

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Jmulderig

We shoot about 100 feet with something like 20psi.

In order to get much range at low pressure, you'll need to have large pipes and valves. On our air cannon, we use a 3/4" solenoid as the smallest point in the line. This means that we cannot use a tank designed for tools; the flow is not enough. We have a large (probably 8 gal) cast iron accumulator with about a 2" fitting at one end. We usually charge to about 40-50 psi, and have thrown t-shirts over the top of our press box with it at 60. Also, a large-bore relatively short barrel gets more of the energy to the shirt than long and narrow. We're currently using a 3" barrel about 20" long. The 3" barrel also works well with small foam rubber footballs.

We figured out a very simple way to prepare the shirts for the launcher that does not require any tie wraps or string or tape:

1. Lay the shirt flat on a horizontal surface
2. Lift the bottom hem a few inches, and raise (relative to the shirt orientation) until the fold is at the armpit.
3. Lower the hem until the next fold is at the shoulder
4. Repeat the two previous steps until you're out of shirt
5. Fold one sleeve over the shirt body
6. Roll from that sleeve, across to the other shoulder
7. flip the other sleeve inside out and wrap around the cylinder, like folding socks.

This fits a large short-sleeve shirt in our 3" barrel nicely. A small shirt may require making the cylinder a little shorter, and an XL a little longer.