New to cannons, and knows nothing.

[steve4940]

First I'll say hello.
Never owned a cannon before and I figured I'd buy a kit just to start learning, Maybe I'll get hooked.
I see an earlier post that no one here has experience with the .69cal old ironsides kit from traditions. But maybe I can get a start from the experts on what I should be doing. I don't have the kit yet, but will in a few days. Since the carriage is now beech instead of oak, I have decided to paint rather than linseed oil it.
1. Does anyone know the color formula for the authentic old ironside carriages?

The barrel comes in what is called a "white" condition.
2. What do I need to do to make it presentable? I was thinking spraying it a flat black using high temp stove paint. Or should I try cold bluing it (never did that either).

3. What size/type of black powder should I be looking for? How do you make foil packets and is that a good way to do this?

4. wadding material from an old tee shirt or gun cleaning kit should be about what size in diameter?

5. What about functional cleaning tools?

6. Display cleaning tools since this is kinda a model...worm, sponge? other? Where do I get these?

7. What can I fire out of this aside from lead ball and using it as a signal cannon? I heard one fellow say he was firing 5/8" wood dowels.

I know I'm no where qualified to be hanging with this crew but any help is appreciated.

Steve

 

[Treestalker]

Howdy, hope you have fun with your kit. First off, please understand that a cannon acts differently from other BP guns. Please don't shoot any projectiles until you attend a cannon safety school, or at least read Matt Switlik's book 'The More Complete Cannoneer'. Now a small gun like yours is still as deadly as a large BP pistol. Be careful. The plastic bag and aluminum foil cartridge is more useful in larger, crew served guns. Your gun can be loaded like a single shot pistol, loose powder, and wad for a blank. Swab between shots and wait 3 minutes before reloading ( this is standard practice on big guns) The wad can be a piece of brown paper bag. I'd start with 1/2 the diameter of the bore in grains, FFg. That would be about 35 gr. It should make quite a bang. I don't know what color for carriages, its a highly debated subject. Black paint is standard on iron/steel tubes. Read up, learn all you can and good luck! Tree.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Currently, U.S.S. Constitution's gun carriages are a faded matt red. Whether this is original, I have no idea, but it would be consistent with the painting of lower gun decks and walls with red to mute blood form combat. Will keep looking.
http://photos.travellerspoint.com/106532/Day_53_-_U.._Cannon.jpg

Current lower gun deck colors, probably not original.
http://www.lindacollison.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/images.jpg

Scale model version of probable upper deck appearance. http://www.hobbyworldinc.com/040053.jpg

Typical set up for a deck gun aboard sip. Note that in most navies, the ramrods were heavy cable rather than wood like foot or horse artillery. This allowed the gun crew to function in the limited space around the guns, especially on the lower gun decks where space is at a premium. One is actually "horseshoe" shaped to allow starting wads and shot in cramped conditions. Most cannon of that era would have had fitted flintlock fixtures that were fit on when a ship "cleared for action"...linstocks were too slow for naval action when broadsides were timed with the roll of the ship to make hits in the hull or rigging possible.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Found a couple pictures of the clip-on flintlock set ups for naval guns. This one is British. This system allowed faster firing to take advantage of the ship's roll to make hits on the enemy vessels hull or rigging.
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__1.jpg
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__2.jpg
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__7.jpg
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__3.jpg
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__8.jpg
http://7f707af5cce54c2d5f77-e3b87b...39765634cd6ff9e5b085da19619/o/n/on2265__9.jpg


This is a different one, of unknown origin, but shows how they clipped on the cannon breech for faster ignition.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Long_gun_firing_system_mg_7974.jpg

This is a larger swivel gun, but shows the base already installed (though covered with a leather cover)and the flintlock ignition lock would be clipped into this base. Hope some of this helped you understand the naval set-up for deck guns. Good luck with your new baby! :wink:
http://brethrencoast.com/weapon/swivelgun.jpg

 

[Wes/Tex]

Somehow the illustration of the typical naval set up got lost in translation! Here it is with the rammers made from 2" or 3" cable to facilitate loading. You can even see a scale flintlock ignition set-up over the touch hole.
Ooops on me! :wink:
http://www.histomin.com/linever/veracc/veracc054/mpve1523.jpg

 

[Zonie]

It is possible the red paint on the gun carriages is primarily red lead, a paint pigment that goes back to the Roman era.

It's red color would be good at hiding the blood and at the same time would improve the image of the dreary, dark, gun decks aboard men of war.

 

[Billnpatti]

You really need to contact NMLRA and find out about the cannon course that they have as well as any good instructional literature about the care and feeding of cannons.