February 12, 200818 yr Nice! Looks like a ship's antipersonnel swivel gun. Amazing workmanship there. I too wonder if it is shootable. If they were replicating the original, with correct dimensions and wrought iron, I'd say yes, though I'm not sure if 15th century proofing was quite the same as 21st century Danish... ;)
February 12, 200818 yr Thank You for thinking of the rest of us. Nice to see how other blacksmiths approach the process. Be safe! Old rusty Ted
February 12, 200818 yr That's one heck of a hardy tool! Amazing video. I'd like to see what they do for the chamber, if they made one at all.
February 12, 200818 yr Author Are those fellows good or what? And the shop is spotless too. I don't think the cannon would comply with the NSSA's guidlines for safe cannons today, but I'll bet they do fire it. Seems like alot of work for a decoration. I saw that on a cannon builders/shooters message board, I just had to spread it over here. I'm glad you folks enjoyed it. There is just something about red-hot iron, and the people who appreciate it. Enjoy, MIKE FatherofFrogPondForge
February 12, 200818 yr If it's only used with a blank load (no shot), I suspect it wouldn't need proofing; there is little pressure generated. Mind you, I don't know whether Danish law requires it be treated as a firearm. (It probably would in Britain. But then, a $3 can of pepper spray is a Section 5 prohibited firearm, legally speaking... )
February 12, 200818 yr I checked out griffen.eu and lo and behold there's this picture.Picasa Webalbum - Griffen - Koggmuseet Ma... - DSC05210.JPG Frosty
February 12, 200818 yr I would be suprised if it did not fire as the medieval museum in Denmark do a lot of experimental archaeology - medieval deep sea diving kit with the air pumped in by pretty much blacksmiths bellows? they have done it...
February 12, 200818 yr PS, I have been to several events in France and Belgium where cannon have been used at reenactment events, ask them about proofing and you will just get a shrug of the shoulders - the size of the charge was dependent on how big a bang they wanted.
February 13, 200818 yr That was by far one of the coolest build I have ever seen in my life. Thanks for sharing.
February 13, 200818 yr Author There are some basic rules of thumb for cannon building. They mostly follow the NSSA (North-South Skirmish Association) rules. They only apply to tubes used in Civil War events and live fires, but are pretty well accepted. Other eras dont have to comply. The most popular Rev War tube is probably the light 3pdr, if built to scale they don't fit the "minimum wall thickness at the chamber of one caliber" rule, but I have seen many with the original bore size (2.913 bore and about 7 3/4" OD...=~2.4" wall, some are lined to 2.25" to comply). So, the 15th C. guys can do what they want too. But the seam in the tube (visible in a few shots) etc. would be a no-no in most circles. The NSSA's rules are here: NSSA rules , see section 10. (liners explained) To each his own. RE; Brig Niagra. Be sure to see this video: Brig Niagra Live Fire , there are the 32pdr Carronades at work. (Makes the Myth Busters episode regarding the same thing look kind of silly). I too am in awe of the work those guys did, I'd stand by while they shot it, but I might not bring the kids. Glad you folks liked it, really cool forging (at the least). Enjoy, MIKE
February 13, 200818 yr ... I knew I had heard of these before... Here's a link to a Vietnamese Wooden, Iron-Bound Cannon. Same principal, but the barrel is wood. I guess there's a big difference between what is saftey approved in peace time and what it takes to get the job done in a more unsettled time. Don
February 13, 200818 yr I checked out griffen.eu and lo and behold there's this picture.Picasa Webalbum - Griffen - Koggmuseet Ma... - DSC05210.JPG Frosty It's to bad they didn't make a breech block for it. I'd love to see it in action.
February 14, 200818 yr Wonderful vid. I especially like that "slide hammer" tool the were using to seat the rings and to open them up over the cone. I might have to make myself a set of those for using on my little cone (someday) -Aaron @ the SCF
February 14, 200818 yr It's to bad they didn't make a breech block for it. I'd love to see it in action. There are pics and videos of live fires of similar cannon on the same site. I was wondering about the rate of fire till I saw the breech blocks in the pic gallery. I was pleasantly surprised to see they were breech loaders. Frosty
February 15, 200818 yr I just watched the video again, any idea why the central pipe was split in half? It doesn't look like the rings were forge welded to each other, just held together by the flages from the central pipe. Is that right, or am I completely off base?
February 15, 200818 yr Looking again, it seems like the barrel (the pipe thing) was rolled from a piece of plate before the video started. This may be a legal thing; it wouldn't withstand the pressure of a non-blank load (i.e. with a ball), and so therefore it's not a firearm legally. (Just a guess, it seems logical to me.)
February 15, 200818 yr If they are making the barrel correctly as I suspect this particular museum would do, you will find that there are several seams not just one - they are literally making a barrel. The main bore is made up of iron staves all held together by the iron hoops. If you watch the video again at the point they are dressing the ends of the barrel you can see how many staves they have used. This was the standard way of making the early iron cannon, the smith Chris Top built a large scale breech loader by this method for the mary rose trust, check outChris Topp : Practical Archaeology : Mary Rose Cannon
February 15, 200818 yr Good points Wayne, I stand correced. That is a very cool cannon. I too now want to jump on the band(ed barrel) wagon... if only I had any skills as a smith... :D
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