CANNONBALL RUN ..........................NO ......NOT A CAR RACE !!!

[AQUA]

HEY GUYS AND GALS

Out tonight for a run.......... 2.5 hrs as the tides are late stayed til low water.

Decided to try a new spot as just a short run...always good to check out new places.!!!

Targets were very few..Cousin Ed was digging iron and I was digging iron and a few musket balls.

Detector screamed out very load...figured just more iron but knew was a chance of getting a cannonball at this location so dug almost every signal....sure enough cannonball !!!

Made 2 steps and same again....this time was the small one....made 2 more steps and another one !!!!

All were in a 12 foot circle....meantime Cousin ED was off below finding squat......just the luck of the draw. Always seems like one person gets good stuff and the other gets crap.

Will clean these up tomo and maybe mount the bigger one and the little one together beside my bigggest one that is already mounted in my livingroom.




The smallest one could be a grape shot....or small bore cannon...1 7/8 INCH DIAMETER ...........370 GRAMS WEIGHT

Next one is 2 5/8 DIAMETER...........900 GRAMS...2LBS

3RD ONE .....2 3/4 DIAMETER......... 1000+ GRAMS..but is rusty and fair bit of access attached to it.

 

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[Iron Patch]

that was the plan for me...my own room but when the wife was done, i have my large closet and boxes in the garage....good luck with her lol

Again, implement plan D.

 

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[The Rebel]

Awesome finds! I'm assuming those are rev. war ?

 

[AQUA]

Awesome finds! I'm assuming those are rev. war ?

no
....they could be some of the first cannon balls ever fired in Nort America.
From a earlier site.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Aqua sent me a Private Message asking for info about identifying his cannonballs. Here is the info, from one of my previous T-Net posts on that subject. Aqua, since you are digging in Canada, please note that the Ordnance Manual (mentioned below) also covers some of artillery balls sizes used by the British and French in North America.

The number-one test for determining with CERTAINTY whether or not an iron ball is an Artillery ball (cannon ball, Grapeshot ball, or Canister-ammo ball) is to do super-precise measuring of the ball's diameter. I invite any readers who want to learn how to do the super-precise measuring, and learn a lot more about Artillery balls, to read an educational article (with photos) I co-wrote with David Poche, here: SolidShotEssentialsMod

Artillery balls absolutely HAD to be the correct diameter size, in hundredths-of-an-inch (such as 3.58-inches), in order to fit into the cannon's barrel snugly but not TOO snugly, or they would not fire properly (and could even cause the cannon to burst). So, if a ball's diameter isn't within a couple of 1/100th-inch of the correct size, it is definitely not an Artillery ball. Go to the following link to read the super-precise measurements of actual Artillery balls specified in the US (And CSA) Ordnance Manual Of 1861 (which covers the sizes of American AND some of the British and French Artillery balls used in North America from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War): www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

Of course, dirt/rust encrustation on the ball must be removed in order to measure the ball accurately. Here's a link to a selection of excellent Digital Calipers for $9 to $19.99. Very-precise measuring of bullets, buttons, buckles, and coins is often needed for CORRECTLY identifying them. Search results for: 'caliper'

Aqua, because the balls you found are from the very-early Colonial Era (1600s), here are some possibilities from that time:
1-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 1.95" or a tiny bit smaller
2-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 2.46" or a tiny bit smaller
3-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 2.84" or a tiny bit smaller
(By saying a "tiny bit smaller" I mean a few 1/100th-inches smaller, not 1/8-inch smaller.)

If your 1600s iron balls do not match up with those numbers (after removal of dirt/rust-encrustation), they MIGHT be Grapeshot balls. Unfortunately, despite lots of research, I haven't been able to find any Historical documents which tell the diameter of Grapeshot balls from the 1600s-to-early-1700s.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

Keep them in water for now and I will bring you a paper on setting up your own electrolysis bath.
Congrats on scoring some nice CBs by the way.
Dave

 

[AQUA]

Aqua sent me a Private Message asking for info about identifying his cannonballs. Here is the info, from one of my previous T-Net posts on that subject. Aqua, since you are digging in Canada, please note that the Ordnance Manual (mentioned below) also covers some of artillery balls sizes used by the British and French in North America.

The number-one test for determining with CERTAINTY whether or not an iron ball is an Artillery ball (cannon ball, Grapeshot ball, or Canister-ammo ball) is to do super-precise measuring of the ball's diameter. I invite any readers who want to learn how to do the super-precise measuring, and learn a lot more about Artillery balls, to read an educational article (with photos) I co-wrote with David Poche, here: SolidShotEssentialsMod

Artillery balls absolutely HAD to be the correct diameter size, in hundredths-of-an-inch (such as 3.58-inches), in order to fit into the cannon's barrel snugly but not TOO snugly, or they would not fire properly (and could even cause the cannon to burst). So, if a ball's diameter isn't within a couple of 1/100th-inch of the correct size, it is definitely not an Artillery ball. Go to the following link to read the super-precise measurements of actual Artillery balls specified in the US (And CSA) Ordnance Manual Of 1861 (which covers the sizes of American AND some of the British and French Artillery balls used in North America from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War): www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

Of course, dirt/rust encrustation on the ball must be removed in order to measure the ball accurately. Here's a link to a selection of excellent Digital Calipers for $9 to $19.99. Very-precise measuring of bullets, buttons, buckles, and coins is often needed for CORRECTLY identifying them. Search results for: 'caliper'

Aqua, because the balls you found are from the very-early Colonial Era (1600s), here are some possibilities from that time:
1-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 1.95" or a tiny bit smaller
2-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 2.46" or a tiny bit smaller
3-Pounder caliber = ball diameter 2.84" or a tiny bit smaller
(By saying a "tiny bit smaller" I mean a few 1/100th-inches smaller, not 1/8-inch smaller.)

If your 1600s iron balls do not match up with those numbers (after removal of dirt/rust-encrustation), they MIGHT be Grapeshot balls. Unfortunately, despite lots of research, I haven't been able to find any Historical documents which tell the diameter of Grapeshot balls from the 1600s-to-early-1700s.

WOW... now that is information at its finest !!!!

TYVM...muchly appreciated !!!

So...it will be awhile before I can get the proper measurements as they need to be cleaned of encrustation and rust.

Sounds like that will be up to 2 years as they came from saltwater and am currently soaking them.

Once again..tyvm for the excellet information.

 

[AQUA]

Keep them in water for now and I will bring you a paper on setting up your own electrolysis bath.
Congrats on scoring some nice CBs by the way.
Dave

TY ZDD

And that information would be awesome to have....look forward to getting it !

They are currently soaking.

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Damn!
Carl

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Damn! Carl

 

[AQUA]

that was the plan for me...my own room but when the wife was done, i have my large closet and boxes in the garage....good luck with her lol

LOL....HAPPY WIFE ..............HAPPY LIFE !!!