[TheForge] In a pickle now!

Tue Jul 22 22:19:00 2003

With all this talk about cannons, I have to relate the following. Last year
a friend who took part in lots of reenactments of the Revolutionary war
period and the war of 1812, passed away. One of his last wishes was that his
ashes would be shot out of a cannon over the St Lawrence River.  This was
done last week.  Is that cool or what.

Harry
Rusty Dog Forge
http://pages.infinit.net/rustydog/home.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Ed F
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 7:59 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TheForge] In a pickle now!

By the way, a stubby old machinist near me in Litchfield, MN built a scale
Civil War mortar cannon replica with 8" bore.  Machined the casting
patterns, the whole Chicago from the original prints.  Pretty impressive.

I was there the first time he shot it in public (after one trial in a gravel
pit).  It was a competition (with smaller cannons) to lob the ball into a
20' diameter fence ring about 300 yards or so away.  He hit the center post.
Wow.  He & his sons did a good job adjusting for the progressive sink of the
cannon platform into the ground after each shot.

He let me fire it off and, of course, I forgot my earplugs.  I couldn't pass
it up!  At least I could plug one ear (wrong one) with the free hand.

There were other cannons there, originals from the days of the Native
American battles in New Ulm.  I found it a little creepy but interesting.

If you take a leaf spring and curl the end a bit like a shovel, it helps get
the ball out of the deep hole in the soil.  I made sure he got a nice one!

Ed

----- Original Message -----
From: "WinnonaD" <[email protected]>
To: "Blacksmith's I-Forge" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 10:23 AM
Subject: [TheForge] In a pickle now!

> Well, the cannon project has run into a snag.
>
> The barrel is a 660 bronze tube (4" OD 2" ID 24" long)
> The barrel is to be sleeved with a steel tube (1018 2"
> OD 22" long).
>
> A machinist friend (used-to-be-friend?) told me to use
> "0.001 per inch" for a press fit, (but I don't think
> he considered the depth - it has to go in 22")
>
> The steel sleeve measures 2.000", so I reamed the
> bronze to 1.998" with an adjustable hand reamer (a
> considerable job!)
>
> I started running the sleeve into the bore this
> morning with my 6 ton jack and a chain. The sleeve has
> a very slight taper for about the first 1/2" to get it
> aligned and it pressed in fairly easy for the first
> couple of inches and slowly stared to tighten up. I
> drove it a couple of more inches with the sledge
> (first mistake!) before my stubbornness subsided and I
> said to myself "This is too tight!"
>
> Then I tried ta get the sleeve back out by driving it
> with a bar from the other end. It went a ways and kept
> getting tighter. Even heatin the bronze tube with the
> torch wouldn't get it free. (I may have mushroomed the
> end of the sleeve a bit driving it with the bar -
> second mistake!)
>
> In any event, I'm in a pickle now with the sleeve 6"
> into the bronze 'n' tight as he!!
>
> I left a message fer my friend who has a 50 ton shop
> press. When I get a hold of him, I'll see if we can't
> press the sleeve out.
>
> Got a real nice memento now to - a big triangular burn
> on me forearm from the hot bronze (third mistake).
>
> Somehow my enthusiasm fer cannon-buildin's at a low
> ebb right now - $400 worth of material (and a couple
> of weeks work) what ain't together the way it otta be!
>
> So, instead of getting stubborn again, I'll wait and
> see if the press will do the trick - that means
> staying away from temptation by staying out of the
> shop!
>
> Lawrdy I hate MONDAYS!
>
> Calamity (bordering on calamity) Jane
>
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