Brass round stock... any potential?

[Musketeer]

Some specs for a few types of brass I ran across: BRASS :thumbsup:

 

If you are going to use bronze, I would recommend Bearing Bronze (C932), a/k/a SAE 660. Its closest to Gun Metal Btronze. Aluminium, Zinc and Phosphorus bronze / brass are brittle and crystaline in structure. Good material for a pipe bomb, not cannons.

CP

 

[mike alexandre]

Heres 270 kilos of bearing bronze.

Heres 270 kilos of bearing bronze

 

[TheDoubleD]

Use the link to the right under IMG Code

 

[GunneyG]

Girl and Dolphin

 

[Musketeer]

Claypipe, what would ye say to silicon bronze (C655)? Specs at bottom of THIS page. :hmm:

 

The harder a metal is, the more brittle it is, making it more fragile in gun barrel application.

A barrel must be able to "breathe", as it were. If you are ever able to view a time lapse film of a rifle barrel being fired, it is much like a snake swallowing its prey. A bulge travels the length of the barrel, until the projectile is expelled. A brittle metal barrel would fail over an unknown period of time due to repeated stress of repeated firings. Like when a metal strap or wire breaks from repeated bending.

When it fails, there would be no warning, such as cracking or bulging you would find in a barrel manufactured from the proper materials. A brittle barrel would most likely fracture into splinters and fragments and become lethal sharpnel. As has been the case when people have attempted to utilize common water pipe as gun barrels.

Having seen silicon and aluminium bronze breaks, I cannot support the use of either in barrel applications. The fractures appear crystaline in nature. And the crystaline nature of the metals, therefore, make them poor candidates for barrel applications.

Yes, I know I repeated myself, but I am trying to be perfectly clear when I say silcon and aluminium bronze are not a choice for making a gun barrel.

CP

 

[gotgcoalman]

Is there any way you could bore the brass
and then insert a tube of a more suitable
metal?
Looks nice on the outside and wont blow up.

You mentioned acess to a lathe so a perfect fit
shuldn't be a problem.

Fixing using threaded holes and grub screws
or brazed using fluxed rods.

brass brazing with gas torch/arc welder/tig welder. :thumbsup:
All you need now is a suitable sleeve/insert.

 

[mazo kid]

I realize this is pure conjecture, but do you think the afore mentioned large valve stems could be be 360 brass, due to the fact that they are machined...turned, threaded, etc?

 

[mike alexandre]

The cannon in my post above is machined from bearing stock - its been proofed in Birmingham and doesnt need a liner.

 

[gotgcoalman]

:hatsoff: Do you own shares in Brasso?

Nice lookin piece of hardware :bow:

 

[mike alexandre]

Thanks, it surprisingly doesnt take a lot to get it shiney. I bought a special brass polish after struggling with autosolve for several years, this new stuff has a chemical in it that does most of the cutting through the grime and polishes off well when its dry. Also I have a powder monkey who earns pocket money on the job.!!!!

 

You want to be careful with what you use to clean and polish brass and bronze. Ammonia will adversely affect the strength of brass and bronze, weakening it.

CP

 

[mike alexandre]

Thanks Claypipe, I'll check on that. JM

 

[Titus]

Thats a beautiful piece of ordnance. :shocked2: :hatsoff:

 

[mike alexandre]

Thank you. It was the culmination of 3 years pestering the cannon maker to go bigger. It involved finding a machine shop that a/ had the stock and b/ the machinery to do it. She takes 7 onz of powder for a blank load and the flame is 20 feet long. She is proofed by Birmingham for 4 onz powder and 4 onz of lead but I've not had a chance to fire live yet. I'll try and get a pic of the flame.

 

[mike alexandre]

5 pics of the beast going bang and one of the little cannon which proceded the big barrel.