Ep 13. Duct Tape Hour

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman host a special episode of Mythbusters centered around everyone's favorite household tool: duct tape. In this hour-long episode, the team investigates whether duct tape can be used to construct a working cannon capable of firing a projectile through a plywood board.

To test the feasibility of constructing a duct tape cannon, the team first sets out to construct a duct tape trebuchet, a medieval siege weapon that uses a swinging arm to launch projectiles. The team constructs the trebuchet entirely out of duct tape, including the counterweight, the arm, and the sling that holds the projectile.

Once the trebuchet is complete, the team tests its accuracy by launching tennis balls at a target. Despite some initial difficulties with the counterweight, the trebuchet proves to be a success, accurately launching tennis balls over long distances and hitting the target with impressive force.

Encouraged by the success of the trebuchet, Adam and Jamie move on to constructing a duct tape cannon. Using a cardboard tube as the barrel and duct tape to hold it together, the team sets out to create a cannon that is capable of firing a steel bolt through a plywood board.

After constructing the cannon, the team loads it with a steel bolt and primes it for firing. To ensure the safety of everyone on set, the team sets up a barrier several yards away from the cannon, and everyone dons protective gear to guard against any potential shrapnel.

With everything in place, the team fires the cannon, aiming it at the plywood board several yards away. To everyone's surprise, the bolt flies through the board with ease, leaving a clean hole in its wake.

But how does duct tape hold up against other materials when it comes to constructing a cannon? To find out, the team constructs two additional cannons, one made out of PVC piping and one made out of steel. They then line the three cannons up side by side and fire them simultaneously, comparing the distance reached by the projectiles and the overall power of each cannon.

In addition to testing the cannons, the team also conducts a series of smaller experiments to see how duct tape holds up when used to construct other objects. They test whether duct tape can be used to construct a buoyant boat capable of holding an adult, and whether it can be used to repair a hole in a canoe.

Throughout the episode, Adam and Jamie share tips and tricks for working with duct tape, including how to create a stronger bond between two surfaces and how to use different types of duct tape for different purposes. They also offer some fun facts and history about duct tape, including how it was originally designed for use in World War II and how it has been used in space to repair damage to the exterior of spacecraft.

Overall, Duct Tape Hour is a fun and informative episode that explores the possibilities of duct tape as a versatile and durable material for constructing a variety of objects and tools. With the help of Adam and Jamie's ingenuity and expertise, viewers are sure to come away with a newfound appreciation for this household staple.