Is this cannonball most likely safe now

[petroguy3666]

I am almost sure this cannonball is safe, but I was just seeing what you guys think. The hole on the bottom of this 12 pounder and was obviously done to empty the powder. It is a little smaller than the 1/2 that I normally see on disarmed cannonballs. I can insert a wooden pick in and up to the fuse, but I really can't be sure since I am not the one who disarmed it. I value your guys opinion and just was looking for your thought. Thanx

 

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[Tony in SC]

If you knew the volume of the cavity inside you could fill it with a liquid to see how much it will hold.

 

[petroguy3666]

I thought of that and I don't think it's a case shot only cause the weight of it is a little under 9 pounds, I would have to imagine whatever powder is left would be a very small amount. Still, I would feel better knowing that it was fully safe.

 

[Anduril]

Take it out in the woods somewhere, dig a deep-enough hole, and light a small fire under it.
Stand back (possibly way back), wait, and see what happens?

Disclaimer: Not all of my ideas are worth doing.

 

[petroguy3666]

if you dont have anything to say, then dont, stupid comments

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, for a case shot, the stuff in there is probably pretty contaminated. It should NOT go off like it's nitro glycerin, however, apply heat and it could, I would also not whack it with a hammer or anything like that. Or go bowling with it. You might see if you can have an expert examine it. There are guys at the Civil War shows who would know for sure.

I had one of the big 13" French mortar balls, it had been found in mud. Years after it was emptied, if I put more water in it and rinsed, black power residue would still come out.

 

[sprailroad]

if you dont have anything to say, then dont, stupid comments

Take it easy there petroguy, it was a bit of light humor, not an attack. Humor happens sometimes on T-Net, in fact I've been guilty of it myself.

 

[Tpmetal]

if you dont have anything to say, then dont, stupid comments

you sounds like a fun guy.....

 

[smokeythecat]

Some years ago a guy was outside using a grinder to clean a CW hollow shell he thought was inert. It was not. Sparks from grinding the shell ignited it and it exploded. His name was Sam White and that was 2008. He was killed and the report said pieces were found 400 feet away. It was a big naval shell. (I had to look it up.)

 

[Spats]

if you dont have anything to say, then dont, stupid comments

This is gibberish.

 

[lockster99]

Still lighting a fire under it doesn't seem like the way to go here.

 

[gsxraddict]

Some years ago a guy was outside using a grinder to clean a CW hollow shell he thought was inert. It was not. Sparks from grinding the shell ignited it and it exploded. His name was Sam White and that was 2008. He was killed and the report said pieces were found 400 feet away. It was a big naval shell. (I had to look it up.)

That's because it's a navy shell, those are far more dangerous than the inland shells we find today. The fuses on those navy shells were made to last and made to stay dry.

 

[gsxraddict]

Yes your shell is safe, it's already been defused.

 

[Anduril]

Still lighting a fire under it doesn't seem like the way to go here.

That said, bomb squads and ordnance disposal teams routinely blow stuff up as a safe means of defusing things.

Doesn't matter, though, as PetroGuy seems like a real ass, who I can simply ignore from now on.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Here are my professional qualifications for answering your question "Is this cannonball most likely safe now?"
I am recognized by the US Government (National Park Service) and various EOD units and Police bomb-squads as an expert on the subjects of civil war artillery projectiles, and how to make them safe/inert. I've "inerted" (a.k.a. deactivated) more than 1,000 civil war artillery shells during the past 40 years, including several for the National Park Service when park rangers found them at civil war battlefield parks.

Your cannonball is a civil war yankee-made 12-Pounder (4.62-inch) caliber Common-Shell utilizing a Bormann timefuze. Your report of its weight being "just under 9 pounds" tells me it contained only gunpowder (a Common-Shell), not a Case-Shot shell, which contained antipersonnel balls. From your description, the inerting drillhole is about 3/8-inch in diameter, which is the typical size for inerting civil war shells, and is sufficient for removing the gunpowder bursting-charge inside the shell. Because you say you can "insert a wooden pick in [the hole, all the way] up to the fuse", I am sure that your shell has been sufficiently emptied. People who drill civil war shells do not put a hole in the shell's body without flushing out the powder-cavity with water. The water dissolves the key ingredient (saltpeter/potassium-nitrate) in black gunpowder which makes it explosive. You might be able to insert a curved wire into the drillhole and scrape out a few remaining bits of the SPOILED powder... but without the saltpeter ingredient it will not "flash." However, if you are still worried, I suggest you fill the shell with water, let it soak overnight, and pour it out, so you can feel satisfied that any remaining saltpeter is gone.

I can also state with authority that unlike 1880s-to-present artillery shells, excavated civil war shells will NOT explode from being dropped... or even being hit with a hammer. The proof is that we civil war relic hunters have dug up about 100,000 civil war shells, and there is no record of even ONE exploding during the digging-up process. We almost always hit the shell with the shovel during the digging. The only people in the past 100 years who have been killed (two) or injured (three) by a civil war shell exploding were using a power-tool on the shell. So if you don't do that, or heat the shell to 572-degrees Fahrenheit (the ignition temperature of black gunpowder), you need not worry about owning a civil war artillery shell.

 

[s2ndjetli]

Neat Item Petro and I applaud you for going that extra step to be safe.. Misidentification in ordinance REGARDLESS of age HAS killed people INCLUDING those trained in the business.. This I can attest to being former Govt. TheCannon has a good idea on soaking it I would say especially if you want to display it which leads me to my comment. If your TRULY wanting solid info contact a Civil War museum and ask there techniques on clearing there ordinance such as yours to be displayed for PUBLIC use.. THEY MUST be safe for display and with the internet im sure it would be easy as heck and hey you may even find out some more great info. The cannonballguy im not disputing you in any way just offering some extra options...