Wiley Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 (edited) Hey all, I had a few questions about the 2" bore thundermug available from Pyrocreations. Anybody own one of these, or maybe heard one fired? Looks to be a quality piece, the reviews speak highly of it, and the shipping is free. How loud are these compared to a 2" commercial salute? If you own one, how much and what granulation of BP did you use, and what type of packing material? I already have a thundermug with a 1” bore diameter, and it’s pretty loud with 200 grains of 4Fg, but I’m looking for something bigger. I also would like to know if the coarser powders, such as 2Fg, will burn just as fast as the 4Fg in this situation. I ask because 4Fg is difficult to handle due to its fineness, and it tries to escape through the fuse hole when the wadding is being rammed. Thanks! Edited April 3, 2013 by Wiley
psyco_1322 Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 Hey all, I had a few questions about the 2" bore thundermug available from Pyrocreations. Anybody own one of these, or maybe heard one fired? Looks to be a quality piece, the reviews speak highly of it, and the shipping is free. How loud are these compared to a 2" commercial salute? If you own one, how much and what granulation of BP did you use, and what type of packing material? I already have a thundermug with a 1” bore diameter, and it’s pretty loud with 200 grains of 4Fg, but I’m looking for something bigger. I also would like to know if the coarser powders, such as 2Fg, will burn just as fast as the 4Fg in this situation. I ask because 4Fg is difficult to handle due to its fineness, and it tries to escape through the fuse hole when the wadding is being rammed. Thanks! Maybe you should put a piece of fuse in the hole them!?
Wiley Posted April 3, 2013 Author Posted April 3, 2013 The reality is that my 2mm fuse does not fit the fuse hole, and even if it did, the bore-tight patches I'm using would not let it stay in.
flying fish Posted April 4, 2013 Posted April 4, 2013 What about wrapping part of the fuse in tape? This might not be all that helpful with regards to your questions on the 2" thundermug, but I thought I'd share what I have found with my cannon. I have the medium thundermug from pyrocreations (1-1/4" ID) and think it is decently loud with 2FG, but not as loud as a 2" salute. The performance goes down when I switch to 2FA or homemade coarse grains, but it still bangs. I haven't tried anything very fine like your 4FG. My method of creating counter pressure is to press paper towels in using a dowel and my body weight.
psyco_1322 Posted April 4, 2013 Posted April 4, 2013 I've heard from a guy that made cannons that it's common to pound in a bore tight wood plug. Obviously this shoots the plug out as a projectile, and might not be suited for all occasions.
Wiley Posted April 4, 2013 Author Posted April 4, 2013 When we lived out in the middle of nowhere, I used punched out pieces of rubber belting (about 3/4" thick), and that worked super, but now that I'm in a neighborhood, that is a definite no-no. I've experimented with punched cardboard patches, but the boom is nothing compared to the rubber. I made some plugs out of stacks of cardboard disks wrapped in a layer of duct tape. These required a rammer and mallet to set in the bore, and I have high confidence that they will work well. They'll blow apart when the cannon is fired, so there will be no fallout of hard/heavy objects.
TritonPyro Posted April 7, 2013 Posted April 7, 2013 (edited) I saw a cannon freak using a couple of pieces of fresh white bread, wadded up and rammed down. Very loud, cheap, find it anywhere and it does not stay around forever. In the London museum, a report mug ( cannon ) used on sailing ships to announce their arrival had a lip that was filled with finer powder next to the touchhole . All iron and made in one piece circa 1780. It weighed 150 pounds. The curator said that it was filled with coarse cannon powder and wadded with teased apart hemp used for caulking. Edited April 7, 2013 by TritonPyro
pyrojig Posted April 7, 2013 Posted April 7, 2013 cardboard disks and newspaper work great for my cannon. They pack well. I alternate from chip disks to paper wadding.
AirCowPeacock Posted April 8, 2013 Posted April 8, 2013 I saw Mythbusters use (wet?) sand once, doesn't seem like a bad idea at all.
Wiley Posted April 8, 2013 Author Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) Took the 1" salute cannon out to the shooting area today and fired it with the duct tape/cardboard plugs and 200 grains of 3fg. Nice boom, and a cute little smoke ring. Loaded it again, but used newspaper for wadding, rammed with a rubber mallet and 1" rammer. Filled the bore with rammed paper (took two 21.5"X11.5" sheets of newsprint), and touched it off. Made a boom at least as good as the much duct tape/cardboard deal. Loaded it for the last time with 300 grains of 3fg, and rammed newspaper, but I could only fit one and a half of those sheets. The noise wasn't as much as I had expected, not much louder than the 200 grain load. Sure made more smoke though! All the reports were really low pitched BOOM!s, not at all like the BANG! made by the .45 Colt pistol we brought along. Edited April 8, 2013 by Wiley
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