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  1. W

    Carriage expense?

    I built a pair of naval carriages (slightly over sized for my and a friend's 5/8 scale carronades), and the lumber alone was a substantial expense - you don't use junk wood for these things. The raw iron (I hand forged the hardware) also wasn't cheap, but the material cost is insignificant. I...
  2. W

    hammer forged barrel from seamless steel tube?

    The only bashing is what those bare-handed (and bare footed) craftsmen were doing to that iron. Some clarification seems needed. DOM is not the same as seamless. DOM has a seam. It is made by rolling steel and welding it along the seam. Seamless is generally made by extrusion. I'm not a...
  3. W

    is a breech plug necessary?

    Note the size range I said the rifling machine is designed for. Zimmerstutzen said he plans on a 1-1.25" bore. The machine I know of specifically is capable of .5-2.5". .50 cal is not at all unusual for a rifle. I can pm you a reference for this if you like.
  4. W

    is a breech plug necessary?

    I happen to know a bp cannon maker who built a rifling machine capable of rifling thru or blind holes in straight or gain twist to handle bores from 1/2"-2 1/2" x 54" long. Also, drilling a straight blind hole is possible. Most cannon makers I know do so on a lathe. It's definitely possible...
  5. W

    Japanese Matchlock -Sword combo

    Some samurai embraced the firearm. Takashima Shūhan imported flintlocks from the Netherlands. There were others before him that embraced the matchlock and cannon. Combining a pole arm with a gonne was probably the most useful pairing. A sword with a matchlock wouldn't be very functional...
  6. W

    is a breech plug necessary?

    I was assuming he was planning a smooth bore, and those were the only side issues I could think of - again, there are several options for approaching any of them. Think of handgonne or hackenbuchse (made very similarly to what is described) - many approaches to mounting, and just using barrel...
  7. W

    is a breech plug necessary?

    It should work just as well as it would with a cannon, but cannon mount to carriages much differently than barrels typically mount in stocks. The breech plug not only seals the barrel, but also provides a tang/place to mount a tang. There are many work arounds to this, of course, but something...
  8. W

    1/3 Scale 32lb Naval Gun

    I don't recommend using newsprint in a cannon. It smolders as it is fired, and I have watched bits of newsprint from a cannon burn a hole in a flame retardant tent before (belonging to the guy who was using newsprint in his cannon).
  9. W

    Ramrod swirl ?

    I've never done this, but Wes/Tex's method sounds very close to iron acetate, which can be produced by dissolving iron (steel wool) in vinegar, and is used to react with high tannin woods to darken them. It is a nearly instantaneous process. Oaks darken really fast (I used this on a cannon...
  10. W

    5.5 inch howitzer

    A rammer with a cradle to hold loose or preload powder sized to match the powder chamber. Insert it in, rotate to leave the powder in the chamber.
  11. W

    Cannon Salute with flash

    That's always a good hope. A number of years ago, the wife of one of the members of my cannon crew asked me to covertly order a barrel for him a few months before Christmas. I ordered two, bought a 13'x18"x4" plank of oak (heavy beast to load into my Camaro by myself), and set to work with...
  12. W

    Cannon Salute with flash

    Rescue Mike - I wasn't insulting your .50 cal cannon. I've got a firecracker cannon that's much smaller. I just don't know if a cremora shot will be worthwhile in that size gun.
  13. W

    Cannon Salute with flash

    Cremora is for show, and is only effective at night. There is no reason to use anything but a blank load for it.
  14. W

    Cannon Salute with flash

    .50 is a pistol or rifle for me, and I can't remember using Cremora in either. For the cannon, it's usually just an approximate amount - somewhere around half the volume of BP, if I remember correctly. Experiment with it to see what gives you the desired effect.
  15. W

    rust blueing

    I'm pretty sure the heat is a catalyst for the reaction, but the actual change requires a restructuring of the iron and oxygen. Boiling in water not only provides a means for the chemical release and recombining of oxygen, but also provides a constant heat source, which probably yields a more...
  16. W

    Japanese matchlocks?

    No, they don't display. I'm not sure why, and I'm too tired to figure it out, but here's a direct link to the album. http://s743.photobucket.com/user/rickystl/library/Matchlock%20Dale?sort=2&page=1 Canute - thanks for the dimension of the rope. Odd that it's so far off spec.
  17. W

    Cannon Salute with flash

    A friend of mine uses AL powder in an ematch fired mortar. There's no way he or I would put that stuff in one of our BP cannon. We have used Cremora to good effect. No matter what you use, it should be dark out to really see a great flash out of a cannon. Doing the flash in daylight won't...
  18. W

    Japanese matchlocks?

    I've been considering hemp. I currently use matches made of cotton. What diameter rope do you use?
  19. W

    Japanese matchlocks?

    It's a cheek stock. You support it with your left hand, hold it up to your cheek, and try to keep it steady (it's a bit heavy and long) while aiming. A yoke would not have been uncommon traditionally.
  20. W

    Building a unique wheellock from scratch

    1. The mechanisms behind the wheel are a safety. I'd have to search for a picture of the workings of them. If you look at Raszpla's posts and videos, and you'll see some of them (follow the link in 4b). 2. I'm pretty sure I've seen other mechanisms, but they're very rare. I have a feeling...
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