Found a Bormann Fuse!

[bocephus99]

Stepped out this morning for quick hunt on a spot that I pick up a few three ringers and round balls from time to time. I never expected this to pop out of the ground! This is a first for me. I can make out a 4 on the fuse and maybe a 1? I think there's a difference between Confederate and Union but any info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

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[Hendo0601]

I'm sure CBG will chime in here in a bit...but if I'm not mistaken the difference is the line BEFORE the 1...the confederate fuse has a mark before the 1 to indicate 3/4 of a second whereas the union fuse starts only at the 1.

 

[bootybandit]

Nice piece of history! Congrats!

 

[parsonwalker]

Great example of a nice fuse. Usually they're all blown apart. Nice one!

 

[CSA2K]

Nice!

 

[treblehunter]

Sweet find, good work!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Bocephus99, your civil war artillery Bormann timefuze is definitely a Confederate-made one.

Hendo0601 was on the right track about the primary difference between US-made and CS-made ones... but he got it just a little incorrect. US-made have only one line to the left (counterclockwise) from the number 1, and there are two lines to left of the 1 on CS-made Bormann timefuzes. In other words, the US-made ones "start" with a line representing 3/4, and CS-made "starts" with a line representing 1/2-second, then 3/4-second.

I should mention, the "burning-time" lines in that area of Bocephus99's Bormann fuze are almost obliterated, but by using T-Net's supermagnification option I can see enough of them (and other clues) to be 100% certain it is indeed a Confederate-made one.

 

[bocephus99]

Awesome! Great info!

Thanks everyone for the comments and information!!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

In case anybody here had trouble visualizing the "burning-time" lines on the Bormann timefuze's face, here are some photos which show what I was talking about.

In the closeup of an extremely well-preserved Confederate-made Bormann fuze's face, you can see the small raised lines which designate seconds and fractions-of-a-second of fuze's burning time. You can also see that the CS-made fuze has TWO lines "to the left" of the number 1 on the fuze's face. The US-made variety has only ONE raised line "to the left" of the number 1.

In the photo showing six Bormann fuzes, the three in the top row are US-made (having only one raised line "to the left" of the number 1), and the three in the lower row are CS-made. (The specimen at the right of the lower row shows the clearest view of the CS-made burning-time markings.)

In the photo showing nine different varieites of Bormann fuzes, only the one in the center is CS-made.

Remember to click on the photo once to enlarge it, then click on the "new" photo to super-enlarge it.

 

[Turbo21]

And if anyone is as curious as me. And wants to know how exactly a Bormann fuse works

Here is a good link explaining it

Very cool find!!!

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/fuzes/bormannfuze.htm

 

[I-DIG-IT]

Nice digs.

 

[bocephus99]

I would assume the Confederate Bormann would be in 6 - 12 pounders? Also, in the location of the fuze, there should be cannonball frags as well as iron or lead shot that was in the cannonball? Seems obvious but thought I would inquire.....tks!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Since you asked:
The 12-Pounder (4.62"-caliber) roundshell was by far the most common size which used a Bormann fuze. The 6-Pounder (3.67"-caliber) roundshell was the next-most-common. But CS-made Bormann fuzes were also used in 24-Pounder and 32-Pounder roundshells. If you are curious to figure out what size of shell yours was in, check on the calibers of Smoothbore cannons which were present at the battlesite where you found your fuze.

You guess is mostly correct... where fired Bormann fuzes are found, there should also be some iron shell fagments and lead Case-Shot balls in the nearby vicinity. But only three Bormann-fuzed shells which contained IRON Case-shot balls are known to have been discovered thus far.

 

[Lifes A Garden...Dig IT]

Cool find indeed!

 

[bocephus99]

Update....9-20-14

Went back out for about an hour at the site where I found the Bormann Fuse and decided to go all metal. Below is what I picked up. Couple of questions...I know CBG was indicating it would be rare to find iron case shot balls in an exploding cannonball. All was found in very close proximity of the location of the fuse. Any ideas on the iron balls I found? Also, could those couple of other pieces be cannonball frags or random iron pieces? Any ID on the other piece with a notch on one end?

May just be all random iron pieces...Thanks so much in advance.