A bronze cannon by me.

[george wilson]

Let's please not turn this thread into a long discussion of gun rights,everyone. It is against the rules to post political discussions. I stated the Va. laws,and that's all I am concerned about,since I live here,and do not plan to move. I know civil war reinactors who shoot full size cannon,and this cannon has never been fired,anyway.

[Clay Thigpen]

The bronze was cold rolled,and as tough as stainless steel,it seemed. the most challenging part was how to do the trunnions. They had to be below the centerline. I bored a hole through the blank bar of bronze,below center,and threaded it clear through. Then,the hole was bored larger near the outside,to receive the full diameter of the trunnions. The trunnions were turned with an interference fit thread. They had to hit the bottom of the counterbored holes,and meet each other tightly in the center of the gun.

George, it has always puzzled me as to how the trunnions would be made I knew that some of the guns were cast and not turned but in Rome,GA there is a Cannon lathe (or most of one) from the Civil War era and it always puzzled me as to how it would be truned.

[george wilson]

They were turned by mounting the cannon barrel vertically with the trunnions mounted between centers in a very large swing lathe.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Sorry folks about the confusion from the question about the licensing. I know a number of years ago when they wanted to fire one of the guns from the 6" battery on the USS Massachusetts which is in Fall River Mass, my friend Henry was hired to supervise. He had no real knowledge of the guns, but his federal licenses made him necessary because of the size of the guns.

My previous post was one of curiosity, not an attack on George who I highly respect.

[David Keller NC]

"Let's please not turn this thread into a long discussion of gun rights,everyone."

I agree, George. I posted my comment more from the aspect that if someone sees this thread and wants to reproduce one of these, that they be aware that laws on making and using these vary quite a bit from State to State, and I wouldn't want someone to get into trouble with the authorities for what would otherwise be thought of as just an ordinary exercise of the craft.

[george wilson]

If they do not drill the touch hole,I think the cannon would be legal in any state.

I just had an idea!!You do not drill the touch hole,so the cannon is legal. Then,when you want to fire it,you put in the powder,and a REAL LONG cannon fuse. You shove a loosely fitting ball down the barrel,over the long fuse.Then,you light the fuse from the muzzle. Once in a while you look down the barrel to see if the fuse is still burning.