NEW KABOOM!

[andrellj]

JUST RECEIVED MY NEW TUBE!
30X4 INCHES.
FIRE'S GOLF BALLS OR 3/4 POUND BALL ROUGHLY.
IT'S A REPLICA OF A 24PDR. WHETHER IT'S BRITISH
OR AMERICAN, I'M NOT SURE.
I'LL TRY TO POST PICKS WHEN I GET HOME, NOW IT'S
OFF TO THE HARDWARE STORE TO BUILD ME A CARRIAGE!
THE BLUEING IS ACTUALLY BROWNISH, SO IT WOULD BE
PRETTY CLOSE TO P.C. BUT NOT PERFECT.
I CAN'T AFFORD PERFECTION, TUBE ALONE COST ME MY
LUNCH MONEY FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS!!
:redthumb:

 

[musketman]

I CAN'T AFFORD PERFECTION, TUBE ALONE COST ME MY
LUNCH MONEY FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS!!
:redthumb:

Just imaging the amount of powder you will go through when you get it...

FIRE'S GOLF BALLS

"Fore!" Ka-Booooooooooom...

 

[andrellj]

No kiding, I'll save it for holidays!
Anyone here know how much powder I should use for a blank
and a shot?
I heard somewhere that a blank could be as much as double
that of a shot, without jepordizing my safety.

If you check out brass with class in the links cat.
you'll see my tube firing just under their disclaimer,
pretty cool!

Still no chance to take pic's and post 'em, but I'm
workin' on it.

oh yeah, would ffg suffice or should I try finding
fg?

 

[musketman]

oh yeah, would ffg suffice or should I try finding
fg?

FFg would works for blanks, there is no real pressure issue with them...

Fg or Cannon grade powder will work for projectiles...

 

[andrellj]

Good to know,
thanks musketman!
My dial calliper reads 1.75 in. bore.
That's big enough to dry out my lead resources in no time,
blanks will do just fine for now.

I have another problem however, cannon fuse.
No one ships this stuff to Canada, someone must have done
something really stupid wich made ther government either
ban it alltogether or made it hard to come by. (like maybe
someone in demolition may have a contractors permit to by
certain tools of his trade.) :shake:

 

[microbe1]

I once tried making matchcord using a saturated saltpetre solution...fizzled and popped and burnt like what I imagine matchcord is meant to... not as a fuse like we expect!!
I have read that feather quills can be filled with 3 - 4F and used as fuse...never tried.
What about the caplock cannon ignition systlem that Dixie Gun Works sell... uses a lanyard and a musket cap with a swinging pendulum type of affair?
See ya, Al

 

[andrellj]

definetly worth lookin into,
thanks! :front:

 

[Will Bison]

Your cannon sounds similar to one a friend of mine just built. We have been using 1,000 grains of 1f behind a one pound cast lead ball. His tube came from Cannon Mania and is all steel. It develops about 750 fps at the muzzle.

For blanks we use 1,500 grains of 2f or 3f and it makes a good pop.

Fuse is not always the best way to fire cannons. Once lit you have little if any control over the shot. Most formal cannon shoots prohibit fuse for ignition. A linstock with slow match is much safer.

Slow match can be made from 3/8" cotton sash cord soaked in salt peter. For the small amount needed, salt peter can be extracted from gunpowder by pouring 1/4 pound in a bottle with water. Allow it to sit 24 hours. Pour all the nasty black liquid through about five coffee filters and the sulphur and charcoal will remain in the filters. The almost clear liquid will retain the salt peter. Soak the rope about three days in the liquid and dry in the oven on the lowest heat setting. Shake off any surplus salt peter after the rope drys. A little alcohol mixed in the water seems to help also.

Prime your vent with black powder and then put just a bit of smokeless ball powder on top. The smokeless lights much easier than black.

Good ball moulds are available from a number of folks in Canada, Australia and the US. Stay away from the cheap aluminium fishing sinker moulds, they are a waste of money. I have a really nice bronze 1 7/8" mould from a gent in Australia that will cast to less than .002" from perfect round. They ain't cheap, I think I paid around $120.00 AU for it and that was about 18 years ago.

Have fun, be safe.

 

[musketman]

Your cannon sounds similar to one a friend of mine just built. We have been using 1,000 grains of 1f behind a one pound cast lead ball. His tube came from Cannon Mania and is all steel. It develops about 750 fps at the muzzle.

7 shots per pound of powder...

 

[Henry]

From Montr

 

[Woodgoat]

Will Bison, how far will that tube shoot a 1lb lead ball with 1000gr of fg? Ive got a piece of 1.7" bore boiler tube that I breeched and have only shot patched golf balls in. 300gr of fg will shoot one about 800yds as near as I can tell. Just wondering how far, if yall know, that lead ball will travel?
I havent got up the nerve to make a mold for mine yet. We dont have near as much open ground here in Ga. as yall do out there in the desert.

 

[Chuck Thom]

I have a cannon with 1 1/2" bore and I use 500 grs 2ffg for balls still makes alot of noise with just powder

 

[andrellj]

finally figured this out... duh.
I'll keep posting pics as I build the carriage.