The bronze cannon I made,with pics of making it

[Tony Shea]

Can you imagine someone being smart enough to use modern smokeless powder in place of black powder. Boy if only I had brains like that. Some people never cease to amaze me. Think of the hundreds of different burning charactoristics of each brand and make of smokeless powder, let alone to think you could just switch it out with black powder.

On the contrary, something about black powder does scare me a bit. I'm a reloader and deal with smokeless every day. But I stay right aways from black powder. I feel like I have less control with it for some reason.

[ray hampton]

I've reload my own ammo. with smokeless powder and I also use black powder in my muzzle loaders
two different powders and very different in the way that they expand their heat

[george wilson]

Nothing to be afraid of using black powder in any cartridge gun. You do need to be careful to not store it in glass bottles as it can go off from static electricity. But,you couldn't get enough black powder into a CARTRIDGE case for a modern gun to blow it up. Powders like Bullseye smokeless are dangerous,and need to be carefully measured or weighed. Since it takes so little of it to load a shell,it is(or was) popular from an economic standpoint. That very thing is what makes it dangerous. You don't to accidentally double load a cartridge with it. It is easy to not see that a cartridge is already loaded with it inside a dark shell.

[ray hampton]

George, is Bulleye a pistol powder, I seems to recall it being similar to Unique powder , I never reload pistol ammo. but think that some reloaders use corn meal as a filler when the case were not full of powder, keeping the powder next to the primer are important

[george wilson]

Yes,it is a pistol powder. Easy to mis use,though,because you may not see the small amount in a blackened cartridge,and can double charge. I know some reloaders top off 45-70 with cornmeal.

This good gunsmith friend I had said that a guy came into his shop with his face all messed up. He wanted to sue the gun manufacturer. He had been reloading his rifle cartridges with an UNKNOWN powder,and filling them ALL the way to the top!!!! He said he had to take his shoe off and beat the bolt open!! He had been making pressures so great in his rifle that the primers were being extruded out of the cartridges and onto the face of the bolt,where there is NO room,and jamming the bolt. The idiot. Finally,his gun blew up in his face,and he thought he had the right to sue. What a nut. Just goes to show how dangerous ignorance can be with explosives.

Let's stop talking about reloading. It is way off topic,and may somehow be offensive to some.

[ray hampton]

Yes,it is a pistol powder. Easy to mis use,though,because you may not see the small amount in a blackened cartridge,and can double charge. I know some reloaders top off 45-70 with cornmeal.

This good gunsmith friend I had said that a guy came into his shop with his face all messed up. He wanted to sue the gun manufacturer. He had been reloading his rifle cartridges with an UNKNOWN powder,and filling them ALL the way to the top!!!! He said he had to take his shoe off and beat the bolt open!! He had been making pressures so great in his rifle that the primers were being extruded out of the cartridges and onto the face of the bolt,where there is NO room,and jamming the bolt. The idiot. Finally,his gun blew up in his face,and he thought he had the right to sue. What a nut. Just goes to show how dangerous ignorance can be with explosives.

Let's stop talking about reloading. It is way off topic,and may somehow be offensive to some.

EXCUSE me but this post are about a cannon and cannon gets reload

[george wilson]

I intended it to be more about the craft and design of making a period piece,a cannon,yes,but which has many of the same design elements as fine wooden period furniture. Diverging into a discussion of modern reloading is not a direction I meant to take. It is not a forum for discussing such,either. Therefore,I do not wish to discuss the topic here. If you wish to do so,go to the gunsmithing section of the Practical Machinist forum,and we can take it up there.

[Don Orr]

Beautiful work as always George.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Gorgeous!I really enjoy your artistry and attention to detail/historical accuracy. Can you tell us something about the engraving on the breech ring?

[george wilson]

The cannon was a retirement gift to the director,so has a dedication engraved on the breech.

[maximillian arango]

I told my self I would only bump one of your threads but I am sorry this must not be passed up. To be honest with you every compliment I could think off is from left field so please forgive me but this is the best I could think of as a 22 year old who has never seen work this great. If I had a poster on my wall it would say, "What would George Wilson do?" and it would have a picture of Chuck Norris or someone who has a silly following who is as bad a man as you sir. I am glad that I have looked into some of the work you have done I just wished I could follow your lead and copy you but my skills need a lot of time before I can even attempt some of the more tamed stuff you do. I will try not to keep spamming you with bumps because I know how annoying that can be.

~max

[george wilson]

Maximillian,I am delighted that a 22 year old would be interested in anyone's fine work. Most young people are playing video games. I encourage you to develop yourself into a fine craftsman,which I think you have the potential to do. The first thing anyone has to have,in order to become a good craftsman,is the sheer ability to recognize good work when they see it. Most people of any age,do not have this ability. If they don't,they will never get any where. The second thing a person needs is the energy and dedication to get to work making things. This will most likely have to be something you will have to do as a hobby. I was lucky enough to be offered a job in Williamsburg,where I could devote my whole day to the work.

[David Weaver]

George, did you and Jon ever proof this one?

[george wilson]

No,it was given to our retiring director,and after many years,he has never fired it. He developed a rare muscle disease where his muscles continue to atrophy. He is a skeleton and cannot do much. His wrist is bigger than his arm. No one understands the illness.

[James Tibbetts]

Beautiful piece George. What finish is on the bolts etc.?