New project for Pitchy?

Looking at the barrel on the original, I am guessing that the mug would be slid into the flanged part of the barrel with the wedge holding the mug in place. I would suggest the opposite for the one you are thinking of making Lenn. Machine the mug so that it can just slide over the end of the barrel kinda like a sleeve. Would be much stronger than the flange design. I figure you could use the wedge or make a true Pitchy design to hold the mug in place.

Trying to get something started over in the canon forum. If we build the carriage then will have to get a barrel. :thumbsup:

Thats my crew! ...but not my cannon

Sorry I don´t have plans for the cannon. the barrel is made by Artefacts (uk) 15+ years ago, based on several originals found in the sea (ship cannon) near Anholt, Denmark. It´s over a meter shorter than the originals (had to fit in a big car). The original wooden stock is dendrochronological dated to about 1520, but, as you problably know, the type of gun is known from the first half og the 15th century.

Unfortunally it´s allmost impossible to get to livefire a cannon like this in Denmark, so I´ve only been shooting "blanks" (80-100 gram charges with a lot of well-packed bread in front...) I think I´ve fired it about 6-800 times during larger events at the medieval centre of Bornholm (who owns the gun).

Good to see ya here and thanks for your info and help.
Well we`ll just have to build a similar one, i`m going to get going on it soon as i pick up the tube for the barrel. :thumbsup:
Welcome back. :hatsoff:

M. Sommer, welcome! :hatsoff: That's a great crew and a great cannon. I'm glad you decided to join us. :thumbsup:

I built a breech loading "Sling Piece" for Ft. Toulouse AL a few years ago, 1 1/2" bore. When they excavated Toulouse they found a bronze breech there.

I used the same sized tubing for the breeches. I turned a taper into the bore and a matching taper on the front of the breeches. Took solid round, same O.D. and turned a press fit tenon into the breech rear and "Vee'd" it back and welded it in solid. Faced the rear to length. Used an iron wedge run in horizontally.

I got little to no gas leakage and about three rounds a minute with the three breeches. I used drawings from "Round Shot and Rammers" by Harold L. Peterson for pattern.

Brad Rivard in FL has made several since. I think there are photos of some of his work here: http://www.searlesbuccaneers.org/school_of_16c_2004.htm

The page is from Searles Buccaneers website

Thanks for the pics and info, that`s how i planned on making mine but i`m also going to put a piece of pipe over the back end for the mug to fit into besides the taper. :thumbsup:

That's what I did. I used tubing to fit over the barrel, 3/8" wall, cut it out on top and forged a squared side to it, and welded in a back plate and tiller. it cradles the breech pieces. If you haven't seen "Roundshot and Rammers" it should be available on inter library loan.

There is a Spanish "Pedererro" drawing taken from one recovered off the Dry Tortugas, I think the ship was from the same Plate fleet as the Atocha.
Peterson called that design a "Port Piece".

Here's a drawing of a Spanish swivel gun.
http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/research/uw/research/ships/rosario/swivelgunlg.html

Ben

And here´s a video of how it´s made. Link

Here´s some photos of the cannon:

The barrel is made by Artefacts, the carriage is newer and made by a friend og mine.











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Those are some nice pictures, that was the first design i was going to copy. And still might build that one but a little smaller. I like the wall in front also and would think a set up like that sitting in my yard would be neat.
Thanks bro. :thumbsup:

That gun is sweet! It looks like a genuine antique. Many thanks for the pictures. :hatsoff:

By the way, it looks like you guys start training your crewmen quite young. :grin: :thumbsup:

Marvelous video! I really had no idea as to the thinness of the barrel wall. Thanks. Gotta make one (after I finish the 1/2 scale 1841 6pdr. that is!). Ben

M. Sommer,
That video sure was instructive. I was about to ask a stupid question, looking at the muzzle end of the cannon you have in the still pics. But the making of that cannon is truely amazing in that they could conceive of it let alone do it in the 15th century.
volatpluvia

we shouldn't be surprised at anything our ancestors came up with, they were just as smart as us. :wink:

Unfortunately modern schools try and teach us that technological progress is linear and inexorably upward, and that the further back we go the stupider people were. :bull:

In reality almost everything mechanical has been thought of before, but an idea cannot be a successful one until the economic, social, and technological factors are just right for it.

The argument I have heard for these breech loaders falling out of fashion was that pressures increased too much for the metal to cope with when they switched to metal projectiles instead of stone. When metalurgy caught up, we got the whitworth breechloading cannon :grin:

That is the same reason that serpentine powder remained in use for cannon long after corned powder was adopted for the muskets.