Mopping the bore

[musketman]

For the sake of fairness, a few serious questions...

Robin, if you are mopping the bore, then it must have been fired...

What is the size of the charge that was used in this fine cannon?

Was it fired with a blank, or was a projectile loaded on top of the wadding?

Also, what did you use on the mop to clean it with, just water or a black powder solvent of some type?

 

[Claude Mathis]

Also, I know nothing about cannons. Is it rifled?

 

[musketman]

Some are rifled, some are smoothbores...

During the Civil War, The vast majority of field cannons were unrifled. However, both sides began manufacturing some rifled cannons once the war had started...

The most famous rifled cannon was the Parrot Gun (pictured below), a field rifle that fired 10-pound projectiles.

Its easy to see the smoothbore of this Field Howitzer, and they were used as large shotguns with their deadly loads of grapeshot...

 

[robinghewitt]

Hi Musket Man

That was very nice of you to ask, not that I need much excuse to talk about cannon ::

That was a public display with the hoy poloy not far from the muzzle so just a handfull of powder in a paper wrapper, no grass clippings and no recoil.

To clean it you add a bucket of water, place a thumb over the touch and then work a sheepskin covered mop in and out a few times. It's hard to do because of the hydraulic lock but it loosens the soot. Thumb off for the last push and a jet of dirty water goes 20 feet in the air.

We have several surviving ECW barrels but no carriages. There are plenty of splendid period descriptions but few good pictures so I had to go further afield to find one to copy. For my wheels I have the Polish cannon recovered from the Vistula river near Warsaw in 1913.

This is a split trail carriage and there a few examples surviving anywhere but here's a beautiful piece from Europe. Notice how the wheel rim is made from 6 strake bands nailed on, The art of shrinking on a continuous rim was lost after Roman times and had to be rediscovered.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Must . . . resist . . . temptation . . . (*gasp*) . . . to . . . sell . . . wife's . . . piano . . . to . . . buy . . . (*groan*) . . . cannon.

Must . . . resist . . .

 

[musketman]

That was a public display with the hoy poloy not far from the muzzle so just a handfull of powder in a paper wrapper, no grass clippings and no recoil.

In a paper wrapper, you say...

Was it just plain paper or nitrated paper?

Nitrated paper would be fully consumed in the shot, I poured a hand full of powder out of curiosity, I was able to hold 400 grains of FFg in my cupped hand... ::

Depending on your hand size, you could make quite a boom...

 

[robinghewitt]

Hi Musket Man

See what happens when you stop posting them silly pictures? It goes deathly quiet ::

The gun crew was mostly girls dressed as boys, small hands, plain paper, by the book etc.

Not being a girl I would have favoured a stiffer charge, but not a girl, not my gun.

best regards

Robin G Hewitt
GHH

 

[Xtramad]

If you are looking for good descriptions of carriages, there are some nice links for you below.

Early breechloaded cannons.
Ship cannons.
Carriages and equipment.
Some more carriages.
Textbook for artillery cadet ca.1750

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

"On 23 August 1779, the USS Constitution set sail from Boston, loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission: to destroy and harass English shipping..."



Now here is a nice little toy!

USS Constitution 24Pdr Gun

 

[robinghewitt]

If it's a ship's gun, shouldn't it have a ring on the cascabel to hold the rope?

Not trying to be smart, it just looks a bit odd without one.

 

[Xtramad]

If you see under the link "Ship cannons" you will see the different methods og secureing the cannons to the deck.

 

[brushbuster]

don'T forget about the whitworh cannon it had a hexogonal (whew)bore just like the rifles :m2c:

Hey robin...i ave only heard of this cannon it would be cool tf you or someone has a picture eace: :thumbsup:

 

[robinghewitt]

 

[brushbuster]

wow!!! thanks for posting thar picture,i always thought it was a muzzle loader not a breech loader.
the only way i even heard about it was over a conversation over the whitworth rifle daddy outlaw purchased six months ago

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: