Ideas for cannon ball extraction?

MossRoad · Jun 23, 2022

If it's a lead ball, couldn't you just heat the cannon up like a crucible and pour the lead out? It would only take a few large torches, a few bottles of gas, removing the cannon from the wood mounts, making new metal supports for tipping the cannon from the melt point to the tipping point, some protective gear, something to pour the lead into so it doesn't go to waste, like a mold of a grizzly bear, or maybe even another cannon ball?

You're making it way too easy when you could make it much more complicated for our entertainment.

WM75Guy · Jun 23, 2022

I would make it a "Hold my beer" event.

MF RED in MT · Jun 23, 2022

3 drops of unleaded fuel in the flash hole,
generous length of proper fuse,
flash hole sealed to keep fuel gases in,
pointed in a safe direction like next to a cliff wall,
very large area free from potential damage from this event,
wearing safety glass and hearing protection,
light fuse,
turn away and bury your head in the ground,
and kiss your asp goodby!!

Good luck and be safe,

KC

F.Y.I. this advice may work or not work, and can cause joy, sorrow, injury, or even death...

3Ts · Jun 23, 2022

Slowpoke Slim said:
Do not use modern powder, or any other FAST PROPELLANT (either, gas, starting fluid) in that cannon.

The pressure vessel that is the combustion chamber area of that cannon was not designed or made out of materials that will withstand that higher pressure.

You are going to burst the back half of that cannon.

Putting the can of either back on the shelf was an act of God, telling you not to be stupid.

Sorry for putting it bluntly, but you are going to screw around and blow that thing up. Then you're sitting there dealing with the aftermath of a very large shrapnel grenade.

I don't know how else to get through to you. DO NOT think of this "cannon" as anything close to a modern arm, made with modern methods and material. It is not. Folks are going to get hurt and that cannon is going to get destroyed. The guy "selling powder" probably has little to no experience with black powder guns and cannons. You put modern gunpowder in that, and it's all over but the 911 call.

This is post #160. We're now up to #167 it's worth reading post #160 again!

The Blackpowder and Modern Smokeless powders are NOT the same. Not even close! Even the smokeless powders have a lot of differences between them including a different rate of burn. You mentioned that there are others in the area with cannons, get with them before you try to fire it and get their advice.

plowhog · Jun 23, 2022

3Ts said:
The Blackpowder and Modern Smokeless powders are NOT the same.

So much truth to this. I know someone who inherited his grandfather's prized .45/70 rifle. Those old rifles could only handle the milder loads of .45/70-- which he found out. To shoot the newer/stronger loads you need a modern gun.

No serious injuries-- he was wearing shooting glasses.

JethroB · Jun 23, 2022

This is an interesting and fun thread. Thanks Richard for letting us tag along, keeping it light and humorous.

I can envision your progress. This is a .45 caliber but I’ve never had the guts to fire it.

airbiscuit · Jun 23, 2022

If all else fails, ask a kid with a spud gun for help

TractorTYMe · Jun 23, 2022

I have a spud gun with a 2'' rifled barrel, I had to rebuild the body, it was tired after 20 years and in excess of 3k shots fired through it.

MF RED in MT · Jun 24, 2022

TractorTYMe said:
I have a spud gun with a 2'' rifled barrel, I had to rebuild the body, it was tired after 20 years and in excess of 3k shots fired through it.

Oh my, that's a lot of "mash potatoes".

KC

Fladogman · Jun 24, 2022

I'm a little late getting into this conversation but have you thought about this?
Ospho OSPHOG; Ospho Metal Treatment Gallon Made by Ospho

I've had good luck removing rust with it.

Richard · Jun 25, 2022

Short update: Got right/angle drill chuck screwed back on. Attached to extension which was holding the buried bit... pulled trigger and viola, ball came right out.

Now I see the bit is buried in the ball and of course, won't back out. So got my Sawzall out and realized not the right tool. Put it back, got my air chisel out and 3-5 minutes later, buried bit is free. I'll have some pictures, wife & I are preparing to go to town to review/buy some floor tile.

Anyway, so in my excitement, I put flashlight down barrel.... I see something odd.

Put flashlight on spotlight instead of flood. WTH????

Babies?

Thank you to MossyToad for giving someone the idea.... there is a SECOND ball, behind the first....Thank God they didn't put what now appears to be ELEVEN. I thought I only had ten balls (now nine balls and a pile of diced up lead)

The saga continues, more later when I can.

Oh, part II: Yesterday, spoke to the City Cop who's "into this stuff". He's got five cannons. Some of them are what I'd call Civil war type where the wheels are maybe four feet diameter, possibly 5. Pulled behind a horse in those old days.

He's a cop, machinest, some form of engineering degree and is the 'Armorer' (sp?) for the City. He's the one that does all their gun maintainance and fix it up stuff. From what he told me he owns dozens and dozens and dozens of guns, rifles, has built a bunker on his (200 acre) property so he can shoot, store blah blah blah.... He's not into this stuff, he's seriously, into this stuff. Said he'd be happy to come out and look things over before I kill myself! Oh, said he woke up one day, said "I'd like to build myself a cannon" and did so.

Was an interesting conversation.

gstrom99 · Jun 25, 2022

Richard said:
Oh, part II: Yesterday, spoke to the City Cop who's "into this stuff". He's got five cannons. Some of them are what I'd call Civil war type where the wheels are maybe four feet diameter, possibly 5. Pulled behind a horse in those old days.

He's a cop, machinest, some form of engineering degree and is the 'Armorer' (sp?) for the City. He's the one that does all their gun maintainance and fix it up stuff. From what he told me he owns dozens and dozens and dozens of guns, rifles, has built a bunker on his (200 acre) property so he can shoot, store blah blah blah.... He's not into this stuff, he's seriously, into this stuff. Said he'd be happy to come out and look things over before I kill myself! Oh, said he woke up one day, said "I'd like to build myself a cannon" and did so.

Was an interesting conversation.

Good guy to know.

dodge man · Jun 25, 2022

What better place to store cannon balls but in a cannon?

LS Tractor Owner · Jun 25, 2022

Going to try the same process to getthe second one out?

Slowpoke Slim · Jun 25, 2022

Ah, that's too bad about the second projectile Richard. Back when those were actually used in warfare, it was not unheard of for crews to do exactly that, under stress of combat, load a second ball by accident. Same also for muskets. Many were found on battlefields after a major skirmish with multiple musket balls loaded in the guns.

It's a good thing you never tried to fire that. With a second ball loaded in the barrel, it would have effectively doubled the amount of chamber pressure when fired. Due to the doubling of the mass and resistance to movement when fired.

When Thompson Center Arms made muzzle loading guns, they would "proof test" their new, modern barrels by placing a double charge of powder underneath 3 patched round balls. This was their "proof charge" and if the barrel would withstand that severe of an overloaded barrel, it was safe to produce and ship to buyers. These were all newly manufactured gun barrels, made like a modern fire arm barrel though. An original black powder gun would have burst from the overpressure.

Richard · Jun 25, 2022

Here's the ball that came out. The flat side that's on the right side is what I referred to earlier. No idea how/why it's there. No idea if that was part of a deformation issue.

When the drill bit "bit", it ended up spinning the ball. You can see the smooth sides on the ball where it spun in the bore.

Bit was buried SOLID. Rather than try to saw it out, I just got my air chisel and it made short work of it. I didn't want to destroy the ball but I would have been fighting this for a much longer time had I not. Besides, I don't intend to actually fire a cannon ball, just to be cautious AND, since I still have the mass of led, I'm willing to bet I could take it to my newest best cannon friend and he could melt it back into a ball (he sent me some pictures of his ball making tools)

Richard · Jun 25, 2022

One of my issues on honing the bore is/was the hone is too short. I saw what should work but passed while I thought about it. This morning, I went back to get it thinking I could probably buy a drill extension at Home Depot and extend it. (I was wrong)

Just no way the above is long enough... I meandered through the store...debated on just taking the hone back... then it hit me. The right half screws in....so it will unscrew.

I can go measure it and find out it's a (I forget) 3/16th's 16 thread....and move everything over to a threaded rod...

.
and viola, I have my extension for the full bore.

Richard · Jun 25, 2022

Now it's time to take my borescope back down.... this was AFTER a brief running of the hone. To be honest, I don't think I had the hone firm enough but prefer to go slow so I'm ok with that.

Deeper and deeper...I see a shadow....

This is where I started thinking in the back of my head... WHAT the heck is that? Is the back of the bore nice & shiny? Is it a semi circle to help propel the charge forward? I don't know...

and there is the other ball.

I've since cleaned it out some making it easier to see but that was after i took the picture.

Off the cuff, the ball is NOT moving at all. I'm currently letting it soak overnight. I might just drill it out tomorrow if I get fed up with it.

So that's where I currently am. Oh, and I noticed the ball in part because before I put scope down, I put flashlight on flash-hole and did NOT see any light in the cylinder. That perplexed me causing me to go down via scope.