Handcannon

[sandbergski]

what do you guys know about 13th century handcannons

 

[hogslayer]

"In the 13th century" ? All i no is someone in the future would invent one,but i might be wrong.
(Pete)

 

[Zoar]

Hahahhahahahhahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahhahahahaa.

ahhhh, geeez that was funny... anyway:

Also known as gonne or handgonne

The general consensus is that hand cannons originated in China, and were spread from there to the rest of the world.[2] The earliest known evidence of a hand cannon is an artistic depiction of a firearm-wielding figure that was found in twelfth-century Sichuan.[2] The earliest reliable evidence of hand cannons in Europe comes from the 14th century

 

[sandbergski]

Sorry i was a 100 years off, Just trying to learn. Any info on or experience in building one.

 

[sandbergski]

I have a a 9" X 1.250 barrel that i bored to 50 cal.For making a handcannon what size touch hole should i drill. please any info would be appreciated.

 

[Zoar]

sand--No need to apologize I was laughing about the comment made to your first question because it was so witty!

So do you plan on using a FUSE to ignite your handcannon?

If so, then the diameter of your fuse plus a tiny bit.

My cannon at home is a 1/8 inch hole. Since I am using a off-the-shelf, store bought fuse the tolerance is not that critical. (3/32" High Quality American Cannon Fuse... Green American Visco, Cannon Fuse @ $7.25 (COLOR: Green)3/32" )

So that gives me a 1/32 tolerance to fit the fuse in.

 

[sandbergski]

I was thinking just touching it off with a smoldering felt string.

 

[Zoar]

1) Jamming that felt string into the hole will be a royal pain in the arse.
2) Do you plan on holding that handgonne for half a minute or MORE as you wait for the slow smolder to finally proceed to where the smolder is in the hole and finally alas makes the thing go boom?

(IDEA: you can buy paper fuses really cheap like the ones used on small firecrackers and they advance much faster. The smoldering felt string is slow as ice melting in winter in the shade).

 

Actually, the Tannenberg gonne was discovered in the well of Tannenberg Castle, which was destroyed in 1299ce. It has been argued that the gonne may date back even further to 1275ce.

CP

 

Might I suggest homemade quills? Cocktail straws and cellophane tape coated with blackpowder. I have found these work well. Easy to ignite with your smoldering felt.

CP

 

[Zoar]

Another way to go with all that burning plastic is take small pieces of newspaper with a small amount of black powder spread from one end to the other in the center (like rolling a tiny cigarette) and roll these into 'straws' making sure the tiny amount of powder is distributed throughout out. Make these very tight.

 

[voltigeur]

if you are interested one century after.
http://poudrenoire.forumactif.com/t11965-mon-nouveau-joujou-inclassable?highlight=couleuvrine
http://poudrenoire.forumactif.com/t4323-un-pt-i-dernier

http://hermineradieuse.aceboard.fr/14766-5062-31809-1-Compaings.htm
http://couleuvrine.skynetblogs.be/archive/2005/10/index.html

it's Bilbaron who made these weapons and all go to
liège for the proof with sucess

 

I used to do that, but someone swiped my rolling machine. Nitrated cig papers work well. And if those aren't available, nitrated onion or rice paper.

But, I do police my straws, even reuse them. They don't burn as much as you would think. Just the cellophane tape is consumed, which is not plastic. To make cellophane, cellulose from wood, cotton, hemp or other sources are dissolved in alkali and carbon disulfide to make a solution called viscose. The viscose is, then, extruded through a slit into a bath of dilute sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate to reconvert the viscose into cellulose. The film is, now, passed through several more baths, to remove sulfur and to bleach the film. A final bath adds glycerin to keep the film from becoming brittle. Not much different from the making of paper from raw materials. And you can smell a paper mill from miles away. Phew!

CP

 

[Zoar]

Very informative. And glad you police those straws and re-use them and I was not aware that they did not burn in the process of using them as fuses. ... all good info.

 

Quills offer instantaneous ignition. They don't slow burn like fuse does.

Sometimes the end of the straw will melt a bit. But, they are generally pushed clear by the gases escaping the vent.

I cut the end of the straw that enters the vent on an angle. This allows a small amount of the powder from the charge to enter the straw, insuring ignition.

Never had a miss or hang fire with them. Can't say the same for fuses.

 

[sandbergski]

Thanks guys any more info would be cool, i will post pics. as i go.

 

[Zoar]

sand---

Have you seen this company's offering and designs?
http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/hand_gonnes/hand_gonnes.htm

Cool stuff there!

 

sand---

Have you seen this company's offering and designs?
http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/hand_gonnes/hand_gonnes.htm

Cool stuff there!

Cool stuff, generally a long wait.

CP