How would a fellow go about forging a worm for an artillery piece? The worm is a socketed, two-pronged corkscrew-like device with the two prongs spiraling around each other for about two full turns, with ends sharpened. The worm fits on the end of a wooden staff or tiller, and the diameter of the spirals is just smaller than the bore of the cannon. The worm is used to scrape out bits of unburned powder bag left after firing a muzzleloading cannon.
I know how to make a socket, but the prongs would obviously be split just above the socket, rounded and tapered and then somehow wound around a mandrel?

ive made a few worms theyre not too tough .. the easyest is the two part method where the socket is seperate from the worm . to make this style i use 1/4 round a piece about 18 inches long point both ends .fold in half then bend both sides about four inches up to form a T (this will be the part that goes into handle ) now bend into a spiral bending to the right(try to think about twisting into the barrel )at this point it helps to have the cannon barrel handy or sumthing the same diameter to fit it to. make sure the worm fights relatively tight especially the ends as they are what you ate useing to get the bits out with ...now make a sheet metal socket fit it to the wood (leave a hole in the end to put the worm thru) glue or rivit the worm in your set!

y'all might answer a lil question i got about cannoneers "What are the lil wires they sport as trophys on their hats " from shoots i hear their primer wires he save and show off OK how does a wire primer work on a lanyard?

They are friction primers. The primer has a wire with a loop on it that is hooked to a lanyard. When they pull the lanyard it ignites the primer. The little loop is sometimes still attached to the lanyard. Some guys collect them. If you can find "The Hammerman of Williamsburg"(movie)he makes a worm. I hope this is helpfull. Jerry P.

Blacksmith: I like your fabrication approach better than mine. I was looking at a cannon site and saw that one guy just forges the two tines and welds them to a socket, but I'm not a welder. Heck I'm not even a blacksmith -- I just squish hot metal on an anvil from time to time.