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Coytee

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32 minutes ago, Coytee said:

I've got 10 cannon balls, my hope is to end with 10 instead of 9  Cannon has been in family for probably 50 years and I recently brought it home from Dad's (age 92) so in a perfect world, all stays intact....BUT, drilling the ball HAS already crossed my mind so if it's the only/final option, it is what it is!

 

Better to lose a ball than the cannon. 

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Clean all the rust and scale from the barrel bore with a wire brush (like a chimney brush) then pour some muriatic acid (swimming pool supply) down the barrel and let it soak. Next wrap a chain or strap around the tail, lift it up with your backhoe and funnel some muriatic acid in thru the fuse hole. Then later, with the barrel pointing down at some soft dirt away from your house, add a little bit of starting fluid thru the fuse hole and give it a blast.

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I've got some starter fluid....

 


As for raising the cannon, I DO have a backhoe/loader so could strap it to it.....but hanging it....still see that as not easy.  I currently have it on the hand truck so it's mobile.  The barrel CAN be tilted down, just not straight down.  I have the block of wood to set under it which tilts it.  Originally, it had a bronze "wedge" that we kept under the rear of the barrel (which kept it pointed down a bit) BUT, the wedgie was to be used (I think) to wedge a wheel to keep it from rolling back.  I was probably 15 years old last time this was fired, so those memories are vague AND the wedgie is missing.

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12 minutes ago, Khornukopia said:

Then later, with the barrel pointing down at some soft dirt away from your house, add a little bit of starting fluid thru the fuse hole and give it a blast.

 

Starting fluid over taking hair spray....love it!

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8 minutes ago, geoff. said:

I was going to suggest honing the barrel so if/when it does free up it rolls all the way out.

 

Using heat to expand the barrel crossed my mind too. Dry ice on the ball?

Must be great minds.  I already pulled out an old hone....

 

1.  Too short (oops)

2.  Too small diameter (oops)

 

Not sure where to get one the length needed, maybe 30" or so but haven't measured.  Still....  I in general like that idea

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What I attempted to do yesterday....  I had some steel wire, fairly stout.  (but it was old).  I wanted to insert wire into hole in the cannonball and use that to wiggle the ball WHILE at same time, apply air pressure to the ignition hole (I've got a rubber tipped air thing for tight connections, does a great job on this)

 

and while doing all that, point the barrel down with the block of wood in there.

 

Well.....the "stout" wire snapped and is now inside the hole in the cannonball.

 

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22 minutes ago, geoff. said:

Using heat to expand the barrel crossed my mind too. Dry ice on the ball?

Mine too, but I didn't think about the dry ice.

 

It would take loads of heat to expand the barrel (or so I think)  I don't know the expansion rate of whatever it's made of.  Also, there is a liner in the barrel.  Maybe a 1/4" liner that the barrel was poured around.  No idea what liner is made from but a magnet falls off the cannon.

 

 

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9 hours ago, Coytee said:

1.  I've got a cannon, yes, a cannon

2.  Muzzle is roughly 2 1/2" diameter

3.  It has a cannonball stuck roughly 75% down the muzzle

 

 

you need a long /big drill bit  to drill several holes into the cannon ball  until it  falls  apart in pieces .

or cut  a  small chunk of the barrel  on the top  , and hammer  the cannon ball out ,  then  weld/grind smooth   .

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Coytee...

Have you tried mechanical cleansing of the barrel? A wire brush comes to mind. Khornukopia mentioned that

Not that I don't like the idea of blasting it out.

 

We used to play with calcium carbide. We were launching coffee cans....  Was all a matter of timing. Wait too long and you had a nice little carbide lamp.

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Use a concrete anchor.  Drill matching hole in ball and tighten.  Use coupler to attach a threaded rod. 

 

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Lube barrel and ball with motor oil.  Drill hole for threaded rod in steel plate, 3/8" or so.  Place plate over rod and against muzzle while attached to ball.  Add nut and slowly draw threaded rod and ball to muzzle.  You can use wooden blocks under the steel plate to help pull the ball the last few inches. 

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