looks like a brass ball

[william333]

It wieghs about 9 pounds and is about 4 inches across and made of bronze .can anyone tell me what it is. Found this while metal detecting near a known indian campsite and indian grave yard.

 

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[vhs07]

If you really want to know what it is, why not go back to the thread you or someone started under the name w.poort on Nov. 10th with the identical photo and stay with it. I had asked a question that was never answered and others might have also. It would be much easier to ID if all replys were under the same thread.

Charles

 

[william333]

because i cant seem to get back in with that password.

 

[TNGUNS]

Why would a member not identify this item for you if they knew for sure what it is.

Removed my earlier comments to give benefit of the doubt.

 

[william333]

its very true i couldnt get back in know matter what i did so i just changed everthing from password to email adress in order to get back on sorry

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your questions about that bronze ball have already been answered in replies to your many previous posts of it. But since you are unsatisfied with those answers, I've give you mine. I do not mean any of the following info as bragging -- my intention is only to give you a "Credibility Rating" for my answer to your questions. My professional credentials for answering:
I've been a nationally-known dealer of historical cannonballs for nearly 40 years
I'm a multi-published Historian author of books and magazine articles about cannonballs
I'm a paid Consultant to various museums (including the US National Park Service) about Historical artillery projectiles.

There are several characteristics which absolutely disqualify a metal ball from being a real cannonball. Some of the disqualifying characterstics are:
1- being an incorrect shape (such as out-of-round, even slightly egg-shaped)
2- being an incorrect metal
3- being an incorrect size (diameter)
4- being an incorrect weight
5- the presence of markings such as letters or numbers
6- the presence of flat-spots or a raised band
7- having too many "fuzeholes" in it.

Your brass/bronze ball is disqualified from being a real cannonball by reasons #1 and #2. Your photo shows it is somewhat egg-shaped. (Even excluding the shadow around that ball's lower left edge.) EVERY real cannonball was very carefully manufactured -- and inspected afterward -- to be perfectly round. (That's known as a "True Sphere.") The reason is that if a cannonball was even a little bit out-of-round, it could jam in the cannon's barrel during loading or firing, thereby causing the cannon itself to explode. That's why an Artillery Ordnance Inspector very carefully checked EVERY cannonball to make certain it was perfectly-round.

Disqualifying reason #2 is that you said (in a previous post) that your bronze ball was found in a Michigan lake. As you've already been told, it is a well-documented Historical fact that no brass, bronze, or copper cannonballs were ever used in North America -- except for a few Mexican-made ones at a US-Mexican War (1847) battlesite in Texas near the border with Mexico.

You asked what your bronze ball actually is. My answer:
Iron is the cheapest of all metals. When a ball is made of a more-expensive metal than iron, the reason is, iron is considered "unsuitable" for the ball's intended purpose. For example, as you know, iron is subject to rapid rusting, and it also can cause sparks. Your ball is made of the more-costly metal bronze (or perhaps brass) in order to avoid corrosion or sparking during its intended use. It was most probably manufactured to be a "Crusher-ball," for pulverizing coal or some other flammable material ...or a material which is corrosive to iron, resulting in contamination of the material during the pulverizing.

There is one other possibility. Your ball may be an inaccurately-weighed Sports Shot Put ball. Some of those are made of bronze/brass ...like the one Vhs07 posted in reply to one of your posts.

 

[william333]

as far as the waters go it was connected to lake michigan as far as egg shape it is perfectly round .and yes i do believe it was shot from a ship landing on the shores of this lake that adjoins lake michigan and it was located where a large known area of indians used to live. as a matter of fact the raod is named indian point road. i have more details which would prove this being a cannon ball wich am not going to dissclose at this time . most of my knowledge has come from the arkeolegy web site in wich there where exact cannon balls just like mine one in wich it was found in the texas area. overlook my writing skills please . and not to put your knowledge to shame i just got differnt opinions from differnt sources. in my a pinion is is a demi culvern cannon ball used by the french durring the frenc and indian war which was so largly scatter that ther are no accerate records of that war . but thanks for your input.

 

[nhbenz]

Whew, glad that's solved.

 

[TNGUNS]

Mark it solved.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

You put a lot of stock in the (un-named) Archeology website's information. Since you are not convinced by the Historical Facts which I've given you, let's deal with your metal ball the way Professional Archeologists do.

I am a college-degreed Professional Archeologist. My college Minor was Archeology of the North American Indian. So, I am well-acquainted with Professional Archeology methods of determining whether or not an excavated object is a Historical artifact ...and if it is, accurately identifying it.

You claim it is a bronze (or brass) cannonball, from the French & Indian Wars (1754-1763), and that it is about 4 inches in diameter and weighs 9 pounds. A Professional Archeologist would examine your claim by requiring you to provide provide very-precise weight and diameter measurements (pounds & ounces, and hundredths-of-an-inch), to prove that it matches the precise Historical size-&-weight specifications for a particular caliber of French cannonballs used in that war ...and in particular, used at the site where your ball was found.

Historical-document records of the French Artillery used in the French & Indian War (and the American Revolution) do exist ...and I am in possession of that historical data. I await your reply telling us the very-precise diameter and weight measurements of your metal ball. To help you obtain that information: SolidShotEssentialsMod

 

[stefen]

Often wonder why people ask for advice then argue with someone of authority.

Hell, it could have come from a porch monkey with a big set...maybe we need to have a biologist put in his 2 cents...

 

[william333]

left out important details

its hard to measure exact but to the best of my knowledge it is 9 pounds and the circoference is 12.5 inches i should leave you a pic of the other side.here it is.

 

[william333]

a little more detail

its about 12.5 in circumference and here is a pic of the other side.