The Best Pourable Metal For Cannon?

[Mulebrain]

What is the best material to pour cannon?

I was thinking either ductile iron, or a mixed bronze?

My step brother owns and runs a casting company. They mostly do pump housings, but he told me I can get cannons made as well!

MB

 

[robinghewitt]

Gunmetal is a bronze with added zinc IIRC. Bronze statues are cast with aluminium bronze these days, maybe not so good for cannon, I think I'd avoid that.

Maleable cast iron should be good and a lot cheaper. I think they add magnesium, or similar, which causes the slag to separate into small round blebs which don't weaken it anywhere in particular which is how you can cast an engine crankshaft and get away with it.

 

[davy]

I am curious .. can steel be poured and formed for cannon barrels like this? It may be a foolish question .. but I thought I would ask! :hmm:

Davy

 

[robinghewitt]

Steel can be poured, but as you move from cast iron towards pure iron the melting point goes up and up so you need fancy equipment to melt it.
You can melt small amounts for casting flintlocks parts in a workshop, but cannon sized amounts would be more like heavy industry :thumbsup:

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Ruger casts their steel parts. there are cast steel crankshafts that do well, I have one in a VW engine. (of course it's well heat-treated after casting)
cannon-makeing I know little about but have seen them made out of heavy schedule steel seamless pipe. they had a sort of reinforceing band made to fit over the 'powder chamber' area for extra strength. the bands were heated and the barrel chilled and then pressed together.

 

[TheDoubleD]

Oh were it that simple. There is a fine art to casting cannons, especially to modern safety standards. I suggest you get your hands on a copy of Switliks The More Complete Cannoneer and do a bit of reading before jumping into cannon casting. It isn't as much a how to book, but a how not to book on cannon casting.

 

[Mulebrain]

Oh were it that simple. There is a fine art to casting cannons, especially to modern safety standards. I suggest you get your hands on a copy of Switliks The More Complete Cannoneer and do a bit of reading before jumping into cannon casting. It isn't as much a how to book, but a how not to book on cannon casting.

I will grab a copy!

 

[bajabuc]

At one of the Sheridan Wyoming shoots a guy brought a cannon he'd made from a 75mm tank cannon barrel hunk he picked up at the scrap yard. Worked great and much safer than trying to pour your own.

 

[HSstriker]

At one of the Sheridan Wyoming shoots a guy brought a cannon he'd made from a 75mm tank cannon barrel hunk he picked up at the scrap yard. Worked great and much safer than trying to pour your own.

WTH are there any vids of that?

 

[Mulebrain]

Oh I understand all that, but that will not replicate a Civil War cannon. Anything I put together will be sleaved anyway!

 

[bajabuc]

At one of the Sheridan Wyoming shoots a guy brought a cannon he'd made from a 75mm tank cannon barrel hunk he picked up at the scrap yard. Worked great and much safer than trying to pour your own.

WTH are there any vids of that?

Ya know...there just might be. The local TV station was shooting the whole thing and a ton of tourists were there too. I didn't ... I'm more HC than to bring a camera. I watched him shoot...was amazing...he won...of course.
Later the Wyoming clubs got together and banned the gun because of the steel.
He mentioned he'd gone deer hunting with it...I didn't see it but he said he'd got his deer.