Full Scale Cannon Re-build - Project Completed

[flatsguide]

Dave, your cannon is looking great and I’m looking forward to seeing it in its finished shape…bet you are too. I had to laugh about your hearing aid comment. I and I’m sure many others do too. We grew up in a different world and did not realize that the ringing in the ears after a shooting session was destroying our hearing. Of course it has its upsides like selective hearing and real silence.
Cheers Richard

[davec2]

Richard.....my wife accuses me of "selective hearing" all the time.  I usually just smile sheepishly and explain "I think I just had a battery casualty...."  She never buys the explanation, but it's always worth a try.   

Further progress.....refurbished the axel wheel skeins.  Removed the old grease and repainted the exposed surfaces...



The 175 year old oak wheels are tight and sound but need to be repainted.  Trying to decide how far I need to go with a refurb on them......

[davec2]

Brass work nearly all done......










Axel strap and under strap welding done (except for two built in washers on the axel strap.  Grinding on both under straps done.....need to grind the welds on the axel strap......

[davec2]

I decided to fill a few cracks on the wooden hubs prior to repainting.  There were so few and they were so narrow that I decided they didn't need much more than a quick application of super glue.  (These wheels were made in the 1850s....hard to believe they are in such amazing condition.  Spokes, fellows, and hub all appear to be hickory.  The fellows on each wheel are made of only two pieces bent 180 degrees !!  I have no idea how that was done.)  Applied the super glue to the surface cracks.  After a little sanding here and there, prepared for painting by wiping the wheels down with lacquer thinner.  Here they are ready for a repaint.  Will use yellow again.  Not historically correct but the way I did it 54 years ago.....and i still like it ...





First coat of new oil base paint.......

[JTR]

Dave, I don't know if you noticed it, but this great thread just ticked over 10,000 views!
I'll bet that's the record for this site.
Keep going,
John

[davec2]

John,

No....I had not noticed how many views this thread had.  I am a little shocked .....I know it isn't a "long rifle".....but is is a muzzle loader and I thought people might be interested in the difference in scale between working on a pistol or rifle as compared to dealing with a muzzle loaded where the barrel alone weighs some 700 pounds.

PS....I just went back to an old post of mine about building a copy of a Jim Chambers rifle I did back in 2015.  (I'm thinking about duplicating that same patchbox on a new .36 rifle.)  I was astounded to see that that thread has been read 44,909 times !!!  Unbelievable....

[JTR]

WOW, that's amazing! Maybe the 44,909 is the record?
You're certainly a popular guy with your in-depth threads!
John

[davec2]

Iron work and blacksmithing are done. Paint is dry. Wood finish is dry.  Wheels are refurbished and painted.  All new square headed bolts are here from Blacksmith Bolt & Rivet.....no reason to hold back any longer on the re-assembly......

Iron work on underside of the trail....





Except for some touch up painting on the bolts and nuts, the lunette is assembled.....




The lunette top plate is supposed to be riveted to the bottom part of the lunette.  I tried using bolts but it didn't look right....so I machined big bolts with heads that look like the rivets are suppose to look and then drilled some shallow holes in the perimeter so I could install the bolts with a small spanner wrench.






Flipped the trail back over, installed the wheels, and got the top side irons installed........




Lifted the barrel out of its transport crate so I could paint the underside.  Will paint the rest after the gun is mounted.....

[Adrie luke]

Hello

Just a cup of coffee in Monnikedam.

[davec2]

 Adrie,

What a beautiful place to have coffee !!!  A seaport complete with cannons.....my kind of place    When I was appointed to the US Naval Academy in 1972 the first things that I fell in love with were the beauty of the sea port town of Annapolis and the fact that the Academy grounds were covered with historical cannons.....



Of course, here in the States, we have only been at this stuff for a couple of hundred years.....your history in Europe goes back thousands !!  Thanks for the pictures  !!!

[Craig Wilcox]

Was christened and baptized in the Academy chapel; and used to visit frequently when Dad's last duty station was in D.C.  Several relatives encrypted there.  Always a great place to visit; kinda hung out at the sailboat docks during summer.

Dave, I am still wondering about transporting your beautiful cannon.  Traditionally, these artillery pieces were drawn by teams of horses.

Cannot envision you mounting a trailer hitch on that creation - can you educate use on how you get it to the range and back?

WOW!  Sudden summer storm has my oak and maple trees really whipping!

Best to ya!

[davec2]

Craig,

In 1970 I built a trailer for the cannon out of odds and ends we found in a junk yard and a lot of scrap iron.  It had home made fiberglass fenders and everything !  You can see it partially in the foreground of this 1970 photo....



I eventually put a plywood deck and some low sides on the trailer and used it for years to haul construction materials.  This time around I will buy a commercial trailer and make some better quality modifications to accommodate the gun....

Here are the latest photos.  I still have a few incidental things to finish up but the rebuild is basically done.  It only took me 54 years....

[Steeltrap]

Just WOW!!

[Craig Wilcox]

Would be proud to be on your crew should you ever come east.

What does your fine State have to say about you having a real cannon?  Or is it a "Don't ask/don't tell" thing?

[flatsguide]

A thing of beauty Dave. I think I would keep it in the living room as a piece of furniture.
Cheers Richard

[Adrie luke]

Dave

That is very nicely done.

https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/320316/verwaarloosde-kanonnen-weer-piekfijn-in-orde-voor-viering-slag-op-de-zuiderzee

[Terry Reynolds]

Beautiful!

[Daryl]

That is pretty special, Dave.

[ScottH]

About time to burn some Powder!! 

[davec2]

Thank you....

Adrie....great video.  Thanks

ScottH......yes....almost time....and a half pound (3,500 grains) at a time as well !!   

[Bob Gerard]

Beyond belief. I’ve never seen a project like yours so carefully and perfectly executed. 54 years. Holy cow.
Dave, I won’t hesitate to say that you have earned a rather notable and honorable place in history.
Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment 🇺🇸

[davec2]

Bob,

Thanks for the kind note.  This took a while (as you can tell from the dates on the posts) but at least I didn't have to work on it for 54 years....   I've had it since 1970 but didn't get around to this rebuild / refurb until the last two years.  For the other 52 I used it, and enjoyed it, just as I built it, although there were a lot of things I had always wanted to correct.   I'm not sure where this cannon will end up when eight bells calls me out, but whoever ends up with it won't have to do another refurb for a long while....unless they leave it out in the weather as a yard ornament.      I will be shooting it in my front yard on the Fourth of July.  I'll post some pictures...

[Daryl]

COOL! Looking forward to that. Might be at the lake but, I will see it anyway.

[J. Talbert]

Dave you never cease to amaze…
Your attention to detail and unwillingness to settle for “good enough” are quite  admirable.

What an amazing piece!

Jeff

[Bob Gerard]

Dave- a little suggestion if I may;
When you fire that piece off on your front yard, perhaps having a full orchestra playing The 1812 Overture would be fitting to accompany it 😁