Some salute cannons

[NAC]

Just wanted to share some salute cannons I've made in the past...

 

The smaller "firecracker" cannons use a cap to light and propel the firecracker- 5/16" bore. Shoots a lit cracker a good 30' before it pops.

The larger cannons have between a 15/16" - 1.5" bore and range in size anywhere from 2" - 3" dia x 15" - 18" long.

 

the barrel's are either stainless, naval brass or 1144 high-stess steel.

 

The report is chest thumping & skull shattering!!!!

 

It's always been a favorite hobby of mine- I make my own bp as well- I use the precipitation / press method for bp and it fires pretty well- just a bit messy.

 

I've also made smokless powder by nitrating cotton ( HNO3 / H2SO4 ) which works very well and is very clean

[Potassiumchlorate]

Really nice. I had a really small one of bronze once, that could be loaded with small firecrackers, but it couldn't possibly compare with yours.

[NAC]

Really nice. I had a really small one of bronze once, that could be loaded with small firecrackers, but it couldn't possibly compare with yours.

 

 

thanks

 

I actually just picked up 6' of 3" dia naval brass rod - even with my discount it was $1000. but I'll be able to cut four 16" cannons at $600 each.

 

I also designed & print up a C.O.A. for each cannon, I stamp a unique serial # on the breech of each cannon- and I include ten 3" pieces of visco fuse and a binded booklet on how to care and use the cannon.

 

not too many cannon makers do this for their customers-

 

I'd love to ship them in a nice ash or cherry wood box but some day- as of now- it's in cardboard

 

 

 

I've been really wanting to make a shell that fits into the barrel and fill it with some stars

Edited June 18, 2012 by NAC

[NAC]

Really nice. I had a really small one of bronze once, that could be loaded with small firecrackers, but it couldn't possibly compare with yours.

[NAC]

man- the forum software is not very user friendly... can't figure out how to delete an attachment in a post...

[Potassiumchlorate]

Yes, there are some flaws. You can't search for your own posts, for example, if too long time has passed since you posted them.

 

My bronze cannon wasn't nearly as nice as those either.

[flying fish]

Those are some beautiful cannons!

 

I have a random question... I found a 2" diameter cylinder laying around... and it is labeled "tool steel." I don't know anything else about it, but it doesn't seem overly difficult to drill into. Would that be safe to use as a salute cannon? My bore size would be 3/4" and I plan to drill to a depth of maybe 3 or 4"

Edited June 18, 2012 by flying fish

[NAC]

Those are some beautiful cannons!

 

I have a random question... I found a 2" diameter cylinder laying around... and it is labeled "tool steel." I don't know anything else about it, but it doesn't seem overly difficult to drill into. Would that be safe to use as a salute cannon? My bore size would be 3/4" and I plan to drill to a depth of maybe 3 or 4"

 

 

the traditional (basic) rule of thumb is one caliber over the bore diameter. So, in other words for example, a 1 inch bore = 3 inch diameter cannon breech.

You want to have at least 1" of metal around the high pressure breech then you can taper it down.

 

There are many ratios depending on the type of steel used. Some barrels will be lined with a sleeve or be vented.

 

the term "tool steel" mostly refers to steel used for making tools- I really can't tell what you have for tool steel. Most tool steel is of higher quality though and designed to be hardened & tempered based on what the machinist has in mind for a tool.

is there any letters stamped on it like a "W" or "A#"?

 

To answer your question though-

For liability reasons I can't give you a difinitive answer- but if it were my steel, I'd feel safe with it given the 3/4" bore.

I have 2" dia barrels with a 1" bore using 1144 stress proof steel. Seems everyone has their own opinion on barrel construction and trunnion design- just like asking a pyro what the best formula for BP is

 

The first load should be a hot load- double what you'd normally use for powder. place it in the ground or behind a hill or large tree to shield yourself well- after the hot load has been fired, inspect the barrel for stress cracks-

if there are none- you should be confident the barrel can handle the normal charge.

 

btw, in case you didn't know... NEVER USE FLASH in a cannon! only BP-

[flying fish]

Thanks for all the info! Are there any good resources you'd recommend reading on cannon construction? I don't know if I'll ever really get into it but it sounds like something I'd be interested in at least reading about.

 

As for my little experiment, I did find some more markings on the steel that i have, it says "0-1 DCF" and I suspect it was from a certain metal supply company (Alro). I'll call them to find out. I don't have a lathe or anything so I'm just doing this with a drill press and it won't be tapered. It ended up taking me a while to bore it out to .50", so I'll probably just leave it at that and see what happens.

 

I'm considering making the fuse hole large enough to accept an e-match but I figure I should be careful about the possibility that the e-match could turn into a projectile.

Edited June 20, 2012 by flying fish

[NAC]

Thanks for all the info! Are there any good resources you'd recommend reading on cannon construction? I don't know if I'll ever really get into it but it sounds like something I'd be interested in at least reading about.

 

As for my little experiment, I did find some more markings on the steel that i have, it says "0-1 DCF" and I suspect it was from a certain metal supply company (Alro). I'll call them to find out. I don't have a lathe or anything so I'm just doing this with a drill press and it won't be tapered. It ended up taking me a while to bore it out to .50", so I'll probably just leave it at that and see what happens.

 

I'm considering making the fuse hole large enough to accept an e-match but I figure I should be careful about the possibility that the e-match could turn into a projectile.

 

 

you pay the shipping to & from my shop and I'll bore it out - drill & tap a fuse hole for visco for you- and maybe dress it up a little

 

my zip is 01516

Edited June 21, 2012 by NAC

[NAC]

in the middle of building a beautiful cannon at the moment- pics coming soon

[viziers]

Those pics comming soon?

 

 

 

 

vizi

[NAC]

this isn't the bigger one I'm currently working on-

 

but, I made this cool little .177 BB mini cannon today. mounted it in a spanish cedar box-

 

barrel turned from naval brass. fun little shooter-

 

video at the bottom.

 

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42912

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42911

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42910

 

 

 

 

video (don't blink, you'll miss it )

 

 

Edited July 13, 2012 by NAC

[NAC]

some pics of the larger barrel I've been cutting- 16" long x 3" dia with a 1" bore

 

turned & threaded the trunnions today.

 

trunnions are 1" OD cut down to 1/2" threads.

 

 

will be making an oak carriage with brass hardware for this barrel... been so busy, I need at least 28 hours in the day

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42913

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42916

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42915

 

http://forums.atvconnection.com/picture.php?albumid=11348&pictureid=42914

[viziers]

That's very nice!! What would the price be on something of that size??

 

 

 

 

 

vizi

[NAC]

That's very nice!! What would the price be on something of that size??

 

 

 

 

 

vizi

 

 

 

which one- the larger 16" or the mini desk top?

[OneEyeCharlie]

Looking nice NAC. Seeings how you're so busy, how about if I swing by and proof fire the big boy for you? No charge. My little gift to you.

[NAC]

Looking nice NAC. Seeings how you're so busy, how about if I swing by and proof fire the big boy for you? No charge. My little gift to you.

 

 

 

 

lol-

 

that's a long drive to hear a report- but I guess I've made long drives for less satisfaction

[Dude]

How much fg powder charge would you use in your 18" stainless cannon , I'm making one same size barrel on a stainless carriage 4 wheels with bearings the barrel is 3" and 1" bore

[Wiley]

Dude, I'm glad somebody else is into cannons! In my world, salute cannons come in two types: thundermugs and what I refer to as just "cannons." Thundermugs generally have a bore length to diameter ratio of under 3:1, and "cannons" are usually over 10:1. So you've got yourself a very nice cannon there with an 18:1 length to bore ratio. The two types of salute cannons can both give great reports, but they load very differently.

 

On my 1" thundermug (the bore is only 3" deep), I use 2 tablespoons of Pyrodex P. Don't let anyone tell you that Pyrodex "won't work" for a salute cannon. I've done side by side comparisons of 3Fg Goex vs. Pyrodex P with identical loads, but different powders, and all of these tests showed that Pyrodex was maybe just a touch louder than BP. Be sure to use Pyrodex P in the green can, not the RS stuff in the yellow can. For the 1" thundermug, I pour in the charge loose, put in a barrier of some sort (cardboard disk or a small scrap of newspaper) and compress it with about 10 light tamps from my rammer. Then I alternate filling and ramming the rest of the bore full of coffee creamer. Turns out that if you hit it enough times, ordinary cheap coffee creamer makes a pretty good plug. I use 30 whacks from a 2.5# deadblow mallet per each increment. Loaded this way, that little sucker booms louder than my buddy's 2" Big Daddy thundermug loaded with a newspaper wad. Are you thinking of using wadding of some sort on top of your charge? If so, be sure to read the next bit.

 

On "cannons" with the longer barrels, you don't need wadding. That's right, none. If you want to go this route, you need to make a blank charge. To do so, take your rammer, and roll a casing on it out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Make sure that it's "heavy duty" not the regular stuff, and make that casing about 6 turns thick. Slip the casing about an inch or so off the end of your rammer, gather it up, and twist it tightly into a "tail." Needlenose pliers can help here, just be sure not to tear the foil. Now clip off the tail about 3/8" long or so, and bang your rammer against a hard surface to smash the tail flat. Carefully remove the casing, fill it with your powder charge, and thump the filled casing gently against a hard surface to help settle the powder a bit. Gather up the open end of the casing and pinch it shut, then proceed to twist it up into another tail. Cut this tail off about the same length as the first, and mash it over to the side (I like to use the same dikes as I use to cut the tails). Now you can carefully "crush" the rounded top of the blank with your thumb to help compress the contents and make the blank more resilient to handling. You should wind up with a nice, reasonably firm, cylindrical blank charge. To load, just push it downbore (bottom end first) with your rammer (should be a snug fit in your bore), and give it about 3-5 good slams by hand with the rammer. It should feel like "part of the gun." Now, take a vent spike the same diameter as your fuse hole, and shove it through your fuse hole into the blank charge as far as it will go. Insert a fuse as far as you can push it, and you're set. You'd be amazed at the noise you can get out of this setup! Loading only takes a few seconds, and making the charge is really easy once you've made a few. You will need some kind of grabber or a more traditional "worm" to remove bits of foil from your barrel after firing.

 

With this method, I've just begun to tap into the possibility of using Pyrodex P instead of expensive BP. In my .50 caliber cannon, Pyrodex bangs, but it sounds a little "soft" compared to BP. However, my big cannon (2" bore 24" long, weighs 80 pounds) was a little different. I used a charge made as described above, containing four 35mm film canisters of Pyrodex P. The boom from that was INTENSE, nothing "soft" about it. It seems that Pyrodex works great in this application once you have enough of it in the first place. Pyrodex P also works beautifully, as I said, whenever you pack some kind of wadding on top of it.

 

Let me know if I can help you in any way with your cannons. Have fun, and be safe!

Edited October 30, 2013 by Wiley