What is this ??? A cannon ball ?????

[DPBOB]

I found these 2 things
The small one I believe is a musket ball ..It's about 1/2 inch in diameter with a seam and a small flat top.
Is it a musket ball

The Large ball is pitted steel..It weighs 9.4 oz and is approx. 1 5/8 " in diameter...

Is this what they call a 1 pounder

 

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[Chagy]

Maybe from a swivel gun....

Best,

Chagy......

 

[DPBOB]

What is a swivel gun...
I'm an idiot when it comes to this type of stuff

 

[Chagy]

small cannon


Chagy.....

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

DPB,

swivel gun
http://images.google.com/images?q=swivel+gun&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

Did you find it in Illinois.

3 were found in the S/W subs of Chicago years ago.

Have a good un..............

 

[Chagy]

here you go....


Chagy.....

 

[DPBOB]

THE MUSKET BALL WAS FOUND 5-6 INCHES DEEP IN DES PLAINES IL ....LAST WEEK

THE CANNON BALL WAS FOUND IN A OLD TOOL BOX IN THE TRASH ( last week ) THE GUY THAT THREW IT OUT IS LIKE 85 TO 90 YEARS OLD
Thanks guys ........for the info

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Looks like what they call grape shot, they fired several of these instead of a larger cannon ball. HH, Mike

 

[Michelle]

DPB,

swivel gun
http://images.google.com/images?q=swivel+gun&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

Did you find it in Illinois.

3 were found in the S/W subs of Chicago years ago.

Have a good un..............

 

[DigEmAll]

I have to go with grape shot on this one too.

(Grape shot = shotgun in a cannon size)

 

[Michelle]

I have to go with grape shot on this one too.

(Grape shot = shotgun in a cannon size)

Is the one on the left a grapeshot? the pic in the other post shows the bigger ones being swivel shot

 

[hollowpointred]

when was steel first manufactured? i always thought that steel came along much later than the cannon.

 

[trk5capt]

From The Size & Weight I Would Say A Piece Of Grape Shot. trk5capt...

 

[DigEmAll]

Hmmm... that's strange.  All the grape I have found have all been iron...

BEFORE we get into this, let me clear something up...

GRAPE shot was typically iron balls that varied in size depending on the round, stacked on plates of wood or iron, and held together with a rod through the center.  This was then usually wrapped with canvas which made it look like a bag of "Grapes" to the soldiers.  The balls ranged from about 1 1/2 inches to larger than 2 inches.

CANISTER shot was typically lead musket balls stuffed into a "can" somewhat like todays coffee can.  The can was a piece of tin rolled into a tube the correct size and then a wooden plug was tacked into the bottom to create a base.  The can was filled with lead musket balls and buffered with sawdust and another plug sealed off the top.

IMPROVISED CANISTER shot was anything that could be shoved down the barrel on top of remaining powder and blasted at the enemy during the heat of a battle.  This was everything from nails, nuts, and bolts, to river rocks, lumps of coal, and gravel.  Anything that was handy that would fit.



During the civil war, canister shot was far more common, however since they were made from musket balls, it is hard to tell that the ball covered with white patina has not been fired... or it was ruled a "drop" where a soldier wanted to double up the powder charge.  Grape WAS used, but was not nearly as common.  Think of it this way... shoot 27 grape at the rapidly advancing three thousand troops or shoot five hundred .69 caliber balls at that same group.  Plus, grape was just too much work to produce, and was much more typical on the water to punch holes through a boat to disable it.  Keep in mind... naval warfare was not about rapidly sinking the other boat, it was always about being able to PLUNDER the other boat.  Hard to recover their valuables if they are under a hundred feet of water! 

Just ask Wreckdiver!

 

[DPBOB]

It could be cast...I don't know

 

[blurr]

Steel, iron. Whatever, it is a cool find.

 

[blurr]

By the way doc, Ive only played boccie ball a couple of times, but I don't remember them being made out of solid steel, iron or lead. Am I wrong??

 

[Dave N Japan]

What kind of tool box? some people in metal work will use something like this to curve or bend sheet metal, or a tool for something else, but looks like a cannon ball to me, but I am no expert on that.

 

[DigEmAll]

Ok... look.... can't make this any easier... 

I can tell you one this with 100% sureity. 

THAT IS NOT A BALL BEARING.
1.  A ball bearing this size would be from a race 10 inches in diameter, at the least.
2.  Because of the large voids between load bearing balls (at least 1 5/8 inches) , a bearing this size is VERY ineffecient and would not carry the weight you would think.
3.  This item does not have a bearing finish. 
4.  A bearing is hardened steel and would not pit like this. (take your Eswing hammer and bury it for a couple decades, dig it up and see what it looks like.)

If you want to debate the dynamics of Bearing Technology... start a post.



It looks like a grape shot to me. (not canister)

The surface looks 100% identical to the FIVE CANNONBALLS that I have.

Cast iron, ductile steel, iron, steel, silver, gold.... who cares... it's metal. 

Anyone know what the muffler spindel bearing on a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E is made from?  (<----  there is a joke there if you look for it)  

You can "cast" iron and steel... and any other metal that can be melted.
A cannon ball doesn't need anything more than MASS.  Whatever was cheap and had weight, but you had to accomplish a couple things which would dictate the metal used. 

SOFT metals such as lead would make poor cannonballs- lack of penetration on HARD targets such as a stone fort, or iron clad boat, and soft metals do not make good shrapnal becasue of their burst strength.  Doesn't mean you can't make a cannon ball from lead, but hard, semi-brittle cast iron would make a far superior ball.

SO... once again.... GRAPE SHOT...  or DECK GUN ROUND.

Below are pics of GRAPE and CANISTER rounds.... there are NO ball bearings large enough to have a ball this size that I could find or I would have posted a pic.

 

[Dave N Japan]

Agree with doc about not using steel for a cannon ball.. Just cast iron, The cheapest thing that would work!