I have a couple cannons that were made by my grandfather, my dad and his friends. Kind of a long story but here goes.
My grandfather used to have a salmon fishing camp up in Stuart Island B.C. and family and friends would fly up in the seaplane almost every weekend all summer. They managed to find a cannon that was cemented to a rock outcropping that overlooked a North-South passage. After much discussion, and realizing they couldn’t transport it, my grandfather convinced my Dad to hike up there and trace a copy of it with a cardboard template. When they returned home, my Dad turned a wooden pattern on a lathe. To the best of my knowledge, because I’ve never seen the original, I believe this is a quarter scale.
One of the group owned Atlas Foundry in Tacoma and Joe took the wood pattern there to make a mold and to have six blanks cast in steel. Later, in my time, I heard that the night crew were making blanks for themselves and I’ve heard the number 28 several times. When the group found out, the mold was destroyed.
The blanks were then taken to Western Right Machine to have the trunions turned, touch hole and bore drilled.
Dave Fogg, who was also the Sargent of Arms at Fort Nisqually, was the mastermind that was in charge of design and function. Dave also made the carriages out of walnut and turned brass wheels for it.
Throughout my life, this cannon was used at every birthday, funeral and holiday throughout the year. I grew up with it and was put in charge of it around the age of 16. They was forty plus years ago.
Now, I only shoot it on Fourth of July. The only reason being a lack of an appropriate location since family sold the lake house after my Grandfather passed.
I usually only load five ounces of Fg and newspaper wadding. More powder doesn’t make it louder is seems to just be harder on the carriage.
I’ll try to load a video.
My grandfather used to have a salmon fishing camp up in Stuart Island B.C. and family and friends would fly up in the seaplane almost every weekend all summer. They managed to find a cannon that was cemented to a rock outcropping that overlooked a North-South passage. After much discussion, and realizing they couldn’t transport it, my grandfather convinced my Dad to hike up there and trace a copy of it with a cardboard template. When they returned home, my Dad turned a wooden pattern on a lathe. To the best of my knowledge, because I’ve never seen the original, I believe this is a quarter scale.
One of the group owned Atlas Foundry in Tacoma and Joe took the wood pattern there to make a mold and to have six blanks cast in steel. Later, in my time, I heard that the night crew were making blanks for themselves and I’ve heard the number 28 several times. When the group found out, the mold was destroyed.
The blanks were then taken to Western Right Machine to have the trunions turned, touch hole and bore drilled.
Dave Fogg, who was also the Sargent of Arms at Fort Nisqually, was the mastermind that was in charge of design and function. Dave also made the carriages out of walnut and turned brass wheels for it.
Throughout my life, this cannon was used at every birthday, funeral and holiday throughout the year. I grew up with it and was put in charge of it around the age of 16. They was forty plus years ago.
Now, I only shoot it on Fourth of July. The only reason being a lack of an appropriate location since family sold the lake house after my Grandfather passed.
I usually only load five ounces of Fg and newspaper wadding. More powder doesn’t make it louder is seems to just be harder on the carriage.
I’ll try to load a video.
