Requesting TheCannonballGuy help - question about the shell I recently found

[BladeRunner2019]

Or if anyone else would like to weigh in feel free.

TheCannonballGuy had mentioned in my other thread about this shell that based on the weight it was very likely a "common" or "standard" shell that just contained black powder and no case shot.

Using many safety precautions, I drilled through the fuse and have slowly been flushing the black powder. I say slowly, because I don't have a good apparatus to stick down in the shell.

Anyhow, the reason for this post is when I stick something pointy down the opened up fuse hole, it feels like solid material around the area where the black powder was. Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a cheapo endoscope (Less than $7 shipped). The quality isn't great, but it does look like something other than black powder in there. Possibly a matrix? I've looked and don't see any obvious spots that could be the side loaded spot.

I wanted to see what the more knowledgeable people thought. As I mentioned, the quality isn't great on the pics. There is an optical illusion with the hole where the powder would have went, it's actually bigger than the fuse hole but the camera makes it look smaller. The light area around the edges of the pics is the bottom of the fuse.

Thanks for the help!

 

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[smokeythecat]

On a lot of CW shells there was a mix of powder, lead canister balls and tar. I found one like that myself. It gets and stays very hard.

 

[civilman1]

I think Smokey is talking about something like this. This is from Antietam,my buddy has the other half. And yes,the powder gets very hard.

 

[smokeythecat]

That's correct.

 

[BladeRunner2019]

Thanks.

I'm just curious if it does have the iron or lead balls since according to the weight, it shouldn't. We may never know as I'm not going to cut it in half.

 

[smokeythecat]

Just don't sit it next to the fireplace or bake it in the oven.

 

[BladeRunner2019]

Just don't sit it next to the fireplace or bake it in the oven.

So how much flushing to you think is an acceptable amount? Obviously its best to get ALL powder out before proceeding with the de-rusting/preservation stage, but how do you ever really know how much is left? At some point I'd like to do something to make sure all the moisture is out of it and from what I've read, that requires either a hot wax bath or a bake in the oven at a couple hundred degrees.

These are mostly rhetorical questions since I know people have to be careful about providing advice over the internet about matters such as these.

 

[smokeythecat]

That tar/powder mixture won't ever come out. Don't put heat to it unless you let me buy life insurance on you first. And no hot wax. Try spray polyurethane.

 

[civilman1]

Cut it in half

 

[BladeRunner2019]

Cut it in half

I really want to! Maybe after I've had it for a while.