Ideas for cannon ball extraction?

[dodge man]

I’m not sure I’ve learned anything but it has been entertaining. The saga is not over yet either.

 

[npalen]

The OP dances to his own music. Says he doesn't want to drill into the ball, then drills into the ball. Says the bore is crusty, but only kinda cleans it (a 2 1/2"flap wheel mounted on an extension would make that bore clean and shiny). Use any 80 weight oil to lubricate the bore or help seal the ball if pushing with air blown through the touch hole - NOPE. Several posters have made suggestions that would have gotten the job done by now, but the OP is dancing to his own music and ordering black powder.

I believe he will get it out. To paraphrase Frank Sinatra "He'll do it his way"

I did it my way.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Just another bit of blackpowder technical trivia here. (Probably the last).

When it comes to actually loading and firing your cannon, or any other blackpowder muzzle loader, you must always seat the bullet/ball/projectile completely against the powder charge. NO air space allowed. When the ignition pressure starts to build, it must be pushing against the projectile from the start. If there is an air space between the powder charge and the ball (in this case), the pressure builds quickly without ball movement and can actually "ring" the barrel. This ends up as a swelled area right behind where the ball was sitting in the barrel.

So when you take that thing out and fire it for the first time, (you know you want to!), make sure the ball goes all the way down against the powder charge, and some light compaction of the powder from the seating of the ball is preferred.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve seen hand held cannons used to announce a wedding day in the alps…

Of course no cannon ball but a wad is rammed or packed tightly… and VERY loud as the sound echos through the mountains.

The tradition dates back hundreds of years and started as a way for mountain sentries to warn the village of approaching danger…

100mm is now max size in Germany I believe.

The first video is the group I have seen…

 

[2manyrocks]

Maybe some little boy put some more canon balls into Dad's cannon when Dad wasn't looking?

 

[Richard]

Good thing for me, the balls didn't exist when I was growing up! (his office workers got them for him many years later)

Anyway.... I just did the MossyToad method....and used a fanciful tape measure. I put some Toads in, head to toe.... counted the flakes of moss on them and it didn't add up!

The second ball is still in there (wife has some projects we're going to work on for while so this is on pause) None the less, measuring to the ball....measuring to the ignition hole, suggests that indeed, there just might be a THIRD one in there.... If not a third ball then SOMETHING might be in there holding the second ball in place or otherwise indicating a gap behind the ball. I really hope not, this is getting old lol.

Pretty much decided that this first ball has about TWO chances to start moving, if not, I'm pulling out the drill and having at it.

Won't know anything for sure until I can get it out.

 

[Jstpssng]

I nominate this thread for best in show.

 

[shooterdon]

Good thing for me, the balls didn't exist when I was growing up! (his office workers got them for him many years later)

Anyway.... I just did the MossyToad method....and used a fanciful tape measure. I put some Toads in, head to toe.... counted the flakes of moss on them and it didn't add up!

The second ball is still in there (wife has some projects we're going to work on for while so this is on pause) None the less, measuring to the ball....measuring to the ignition hole, suggests that indeed, there just might be a THIRD one in there.... If not a third ball then SOMETHING might be in there holding the second ball in place or otherwise indicating a gap behind the ball. I really hope not, this is getting old lol.

Pretty much decided that this first ball has about TWO chances to start moving, if not, I'm pulling out the drill and having at it.

Won't know anything for sure until I can get it out.

I hope the "third ball" is not black powder.

Slowpoke is correct. If you ever fire that thing, be sure there is no space between the ball and the powder. At the minimum you need a ramrod to seat the ball on the powder. In many cannon demonstrations you will see the barrel wetted before the second shot to address debris that was left in the first shot that could be smoldering. (Not a good outcome to put a fresh powder down a barrel that has a source of ignition). After wetting, the barrel is swabbed out to "dry" most of the water.

I am a safety ****. But here is a true story

A guy not far from me fired a cannon for the 4th of July Never got the full story but "something went wrong". He blew the arm off his four year old son. His son was air-lifted and lived.

 

[MossRoad]

Good thing for me, the balls didn't exist when I was growing up! (his office workers got them for him many years later)

Anyway.... I just did the MossyToad method....and used a fanciful tape measure. I put some Toads in, head to toe.... counted the flakes of moss on them and it didn't add up!

The second ball is still in there (wife has some projects we're going to work on for while so this is on pause) None the less, measuring to the ball....measuring to the ignition hole, suggests that indeed, there just might be a THIRD one in there.... If not a third ball then SOMETHING might be in there holding the second ball in place or otherwise indicating a gap behind the ball. I really hope not, this is getting old lol.

Pretty much decided that this first ball has about TWO chances to start moving, if not, I'm pulling out the drill and having at it.

Won't know anything for sure until I can get it out.

Or maybe a ball and a bunch of dirt/debris, or, gunpowder. Who know? Anyhow, again, thanks for the documentation of the project. It is fascinating.

 

[MossRoad]

I hope the "third ball" is not black powder.

Slowpoke is correct. If you ever fire that thing, be sure there is no space between the ball and the powder. At the minimum you need a ramrod to seat the ball on the powder. In many cannon demonstrations you will see the barrel wetted before the second shot to address debris that was left in the first shot that could be smoldering. (Not a good outcome to put a fresh powder down a barrel that has a source of ignition). After wetting, the barrel is swabbed out to "dry" most of the water.

I am a safety ****. But here is a true story

A guy not far from me fired a cannon for the 4th of July Never got the full story but "something went wrong". He blew the arm off his four year old son. His son was air-lifted and lived.

If you google 4th of july cannon injury death explosion, etc. you get more hits than you'd think.