WB
Goodness! Sparks fly everywhere with BP
Thursday, June 07, 2018, 10:18

My 3' 2.5" bore will shoot fire 15' straight up from the 1/4" touch hole. I watch it on video. The Mortar is what is dangerous, so I made an oak "blast fence" to help some at the 75 deg. angle you fire it.

For a "powder cartridge" firing a small cannon today you measure by volume into a plastic sandwich baggie. Fold it up like a small charcoal briquette. Then wrap it in a layer of tin foil. That becomes the cartridge. You typically sore them in segmented wooden chests to cut down on static electricity. To fire, after you insert it, then the projectile, you pierce the layers of plastic baggie and foil to insert a fuse end via touch hole. The tool is called a "prick", I use a piece of clothes hangar suitably bent to shape with the end sharpened. Also take care to have enough fuse to light well to the side of the touch hole so sparks or wind do not set the main charge off like that fellow had going on. You always pretend it could go off at any second, no sweeping body parts with muzzle or the touch hole.

Like I said it blows fire 10-15' straight up like a flame thrower not to mention the 3# ball running 800-1000 fps and 20'+ plume of flame from it.

I like my powder to stay in the paddock area, I carry one ctg. at at time. 700-1000 grs. Fg is bad enough to mess with anyway.

*Information summary; "The Complete Cannoner" Vol.1.