How a cannon barrel is made.

Most of you probably know this already but this will still be a fun thread.
A while back, I partnered with Jack Hearn of Hern Iron Works to make a wooden pattern of a Verbruggen barrel so he could begin casting them.
These are a whole lot of the pictures of the process. The wooden barrel has to be made in two halves. The halves are set in sand to make a pattern in the mold halves. Then the two mold halves are put together and molten iron is poured in.
A steel liner is cast in place. The result is a 37" long Verbruggen barrel with a 2.25" bore. Right at 200 lbs.
I had a set of barrel drawings to get my measurements from.

I have to load a lot of pictures so bear with me.

Twinge!

Get to molten hot metal foundry part already.

Pins and Needles.

Great collection of pics.

Nothing more exciting than pouring liquid steel.

I worked in a foundry for a while while in the service.

We wore proximity suits and hoods for protection.

I traded my wooden pattern for the first poured barrel.
In most cases wooden barrels are the beginning of the barrel making process. I have made a whole lot of wooden barrels that are pretty nice.
They do not fire, of coarse, but are excellent examples of our fascinating hobby.

I would be willing to show some of them if there is any interest.

Very cool. Thanks for posting. What is going on in this photo?

Are you kidding me, bring those wood barrel pictures on please.

There is an incredible amount of work just in pouring and finishing a barrel. Seeing your photos gives a clear understanding of why they cost what they do and it almost makes them seem a bargain.

Making an accurate pattern is a significant amount of work too and really nice work on your part. How many hours do you have in making all those shavings? When I was teaching the Vocational Director had the wood shop turn a barrel for him and it looked real good. Yes, we want to see photos of your wood barrels.

Most interesting set of imagery! I assume the material the barrel is cast from is cast iron. You mentioned a steel liner being "cast in place". I'm guessing that after the sand is packed and the pattern removed, the liner is placed and the barrel is poured around the liner. Is that correct? Does the bore require any machining after casting?

Is the procedure for bronze the same as for iron?

I doubt that I shall ever own a cannon, but it sure would be fun to have around!

That was absolutely awesome. Thank you so much for posting all that.

BillKilgore said:

Very cool. Thanks for posting. What is going on in this photo?
View attachment 190014

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Preheating the liners just before placing them in the mold.

hawkeye2 said:

There is an incredible amount of work just in pouring and finishing a barrel. Seeing your photos gives a clear understanding of why they cost what they do and it almost makes them seem a bargain.

Making an accurate pattern is a significant amount of work too and really nice work on your part. How many hours do you have in making all those shavings? When I was teaching the Vocational Director had the wood shop turn a barrel for him and it looked real good. Yes, we want to see photos of your wood barrels.

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I didn't count the hours but it does take a little time.

Dale Allen Raby said:

Most interesting set of imagery! I assume the material the barrel is cast from is cast iron. You mentioned a steel liner being "cast in place". I'm guessing that after the sand is packed and the pattern removed, the liner is placed and the barrel is poured around the liner. Is that correct? Does the bore require any machining after casting?

Is the procedure for bronze the same as for iron?

I doubt that I shall ever own a cannon, but it sure would be fun to have around!

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They are cast iron. That is why a liner is needed.
Liner in place



I don't think the liner bore needs any machining other than cleaning.
I don't know if the procedure is the same for bronze.

zulu said:

They are cast iron. That is why a liner is needed.
Liner in place

I don't think the liner bore needs any machining other than cleaning.
I don't know if the procedure is the same for bronze.

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Awesome!

The six steel studs to keep the liner from moving backwards when fired is pure genius.

64 Springer,

I believe the studs are only there to keep the breech end of the liner centered in the bore during casting and not to keep the liner from any movement.

davec2 said:

64 Springer,

I believe the studs are only there to keep the breech end of the liner centered in the bore during casting and not to keep the liner from any movement.

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This is correct.