Little Cannon

[Molly]

Had this little jewel for decades.  Always enjoyed it just sitting around in the corner.  Most who see it feel it is a "salute cannon".  I had one person who claims it was actually a defensive piece intended to be used to defend a access area.  I kind of doubt that and lean toward the salute cannot myself.  It weighs about 50 pounds not counting the cart.  Cascabel to muzzle is about 15.5 inches.  Cast as one piece, incl the trunnions.  Vent is open but small in diameter.  Could not get modern "cannon fuse" down it.  Has a small dimple for a small quantity of BP.  Diameter at the muzzle is just under 4 inches with a bore diameter of about 1.5 inches.  Absolutely no markings on it anywhere.  No cracks that are visible.  Anyone feel they know what it may be?  And secondly and most importantly might it be charged up and fired safely?

Bore is corroded inside so I would never try to fire a projectile but would maybe be nice to make some noise, smoke and go booooom!

I figure put some cannon grade in a cloth (maybe cheese cloth). Maybe cut a cardboard "wade" and put over the charge.  Pour the vent full of 4F.  Get a really long match and see what happens?

[P.W.Berkuta]

Is it cast bronze or cast iron? I don't know "Jack Poopy" about canons so I will not give any advise or suggestions except to leave sleeping dogs lie - that thing could make a LOT of shrapnel .

[JTR]

As far as I know, with no ball or any other obstruction in the bore, there is no way it can blow up, because with basically a 1.5 inch diameter vent, it can't produce any appreciable pressure.
Should and could make a nice big bang though!

I test it with a long fuse so you're well out of the way in case of an unseen crack.

John

[Molly]

It's cast iron.  I'm thinkin like you, John.  Put maybe 100 grains at first.  Get the powder tightly "bagged".  Place it down the bore.  Set a paper wad on top.  Poke down the vent to break the bag and light it up!

An associate said chain it to a tree stump and cover it with strips of conveyor belt (which we use as target back stops) and see what happens. 

But on the other hand I have been offered as much as $800 for it.  Not that I would sell it but it would be awful to blow up $800 in the process!

[Smoketown]

Drive a golf tee into the vent and brush "whiting" on the exterior then prop it muzzle up and fill it with diesel fuel.

The red off road diesel would be best.

Any through cracks will show up on the outside as red stains.

That's what we do to field check welds on tanks. (Not exactly 'code' but it works!)

Because it's a small item, I suppose you could also go to a welding supply store and just get a can of developer for dye penetrant testing instead of the whiting.

Or, get all three cans, cleaner, penetrant and developer, follow the instructions and have a ball with the test kit!

A sympathetic ear at the weld shop may also yield someone with a mag yoke or x-ray capabilities.   

Cheers,
Smoketown

[Mike R]

Find local artillery reenactors [like Civil War] and find out who inspects their canons or check with a canon maker [Bill Farmer of Arkansas comes to mind].  Canon charges are usually measured in ounces or pounds not grains--100 grs is piddling and I doubt would hurt anything and may be hard to ignite...try a soda straw 'fuse'/primer--you will likely use more powder filling the vent hole than your 100 gr charge--in fact the priming charge may spill into the chamber entirely [and I would not use 4f, use 3f] without a main charge 'cartridge' in place.  Canons are loaded with the main charge in 'bags' [originally linen, now alum foil], which are pierced with a vent pick prior to priming the vent. If you put 100gr in the bore loose, it will not fill the chamber and it may not even bagged because the amount is too little, and your primimg charge will spill into the chamber--even with foil cartridges we have had loose priming powder feed into the chamber in large amounts in a naval gun.  The soda straw fuses are preloaded with 3fg and have clear tape with powder coating at the top--you light that with a linstock and slow match fuse--do not try with regular match-- alot of fire comes out of a vent hole when set off!  In our Parrot rifle canon we use 8 oz main charge and the vent hole discharge is enough the blow a hole through an 1" thick pork chop and cook it! [the chop also flies 20 yds into the air]  Keep your hands and face/body away from  the vent and bore!

P.S.  I am not sure what a 1.5" bore takes, maybe an ounce?

[Mike R]

Another thought, try cleaning the corrosion out of the bore [scrub it with steel wool soaked in solvent/rust remover] and check with flashlight...  clean and inspect outer surface of the barrel.  Canons are expensive these days and you may get over the $800 offered for it if it is in shootable condition. 

[Hungry Horse]

Molly, I see no trunion straps on this carriage. I would not fire this piece without the barrel being secured to the carriage.

   Hungry Horse

[Mike R]

Molly, I see no trunion straps on this carriage. I would not fire this piece without the barrel being secured to the carriage.

   Hungry Horse

Good point if loaded with ball, but a light blank load will not recoil enough to bother with--still, you are right, it needs to be secured.

[Daryl]

We used approx. 2 ounces in the 1.5" bore cannon which had a removable cascabel. After that system was changed, I think the charge was upped to 4 ounces.

[Hungry Horse]

 I wouldn't shoot this thing without trunion straps, no matter how light it was charged. JMO.
 The Old Court House Museum in Lakeport California has a salute cannon very similar to the one pictured.

               Hungry Horse

[Belleville]

An iron barrel cannon will blow up it is a matter of when. Modern cannon safety regs all call for iron barrels to be lined with a hi-pressure seamless steel tubing with a threaded breech plug. Perhaps South Bend would line it for you. May involve boring to clean up the old bore. Do not shoot it as is.

Doc S.

[smylee grouch]

So I went to this rondezvue and they woke us up with about half a styrofoam cup of black in this canon, it went back so violently that the end of the caraige  stuck in the ground and it sumersaulted  (sp) several times before it pierced a t-pee cover. It did indeed wake every one up.

[Hungry Horse]

 Forty years of buckskinning, has taught me a lot about artillery enthusiasts, and artillery. I have witnessed errant cannon balls shorting out high tension  power lines, inadvertently winding up on U.S. air Force bases, and skipping off the ground and overshooting the cannon range backer, and going off into the wild blue yonder (mine). Now when I see some proud owner rolling his sewer pipe, and manure spreader, re-purposed parts cannon off the back of his truck, I run like my hair is on fire.

                Hungry Horse

[Molly]

Have not shot it and probably won't.  I still feel it could be done with a small amount of powder and just a paper "wad" over it.  Hard to imagine the pressure would be such as to cause damage.  Naturally, it would need to be secured but the desire to shoot it is no where near as great as the desire to preserve it.

[whitebear]

Spike the vent by drive a slightly over sized nail down the touch hole, polish the old girl up and enjoy looking at it.