Patinas

[Double D]

Anyone who has followed this board for any period of time know that I don't care for barewood finish and polished brass on cannons.  It just doesn't look right and that stuff is for  lawn ornaments and desk lighters.

Now that I have offended about half the board... Half who I have offended in the past and half of the rest of you...I found this website for to you to get right with me.  Patina Formulas forBrass, Bronze and Copper. 

For the rest of you who just think you have to polish brass cliick HERE  Worked for me.  

[Santa Dave]

Santa JUST finished polishing his brass! (Big belt buckle and two smaller ones on his boots)
And the best brass polish? The stuff they market to clean up flat top stove burners! I only have to do it once a year unless something nasty get on on the brass. now if I could just figure out how to keep the little---darlings from stepping on my spit-shined boots!


Question:
Has anyone here been present at the firing of an anvil? I came across an old paper which said they are louder than cannon. (of course the weight of the upper anvil would mean a "better" compression.

Merry Christmas to all! (To each in his own way, howzat fer PC?)

Santa Dave

And don't forget--"The Reason for the Season"

[Double D]

For a most unique and loud 4th of July and  New Years Eve sound, fire anvils!

You need two large anvils with the square hole in the top.  Fill the hole in one anvil with black powder. Lay a fuse from the powder to the edge of the anvil.  Place a playing card over the powder.  Then place the  second anvil hole down over the bottom anvil hole and powder and on the playing card at a 90 degree angle to the bottom anvil. light fuse and get back.

Upon firing, the top anvil will jump up in the air a foot or so, make a loud throaty boom and ring the top anvil. A very unique sound.

In Weaverville California they ring the Anvil in the town park starting at sunup on the 4th of July and every 1/2 hour after until sundown

[Rickk]

not sure where that came from DoubleD. A buddy of mine is a blacksmith and has seen it done, so i looked into it. I found a slightly different version of the technique...

Moist anvils have a hollow base. They put one upside down, exposing the hollow base. They put the second one on top of it standing up, so they are "base to base". The lower base hole holds the powder charge. Sometimes they use a fuse. The more traditionalists (AKA crazier ones) use a piece of angle iron V-side up to hold a train of black powder, and they light that powder train with a torch.

The practice has been banned at regulation blacksmith events, as the trajectory is so uncertain. I have yet to hear of an accident, but there have been some close calls.

but...to each his own

[civilcannon]

Its called blowing the anvil ,or ringing the anvil I have done this in the past with 2 anvils one upside down with the slight depression facing up (mostly found on the old antique  forged wrought iron anvils)  and the other of simmiler size sitting upright  base to base I placed a layer of plastic clay around the edge to act as a gasket or sealer. fill with about 1/3 lb of BP. then light a piece of "cannon fuse"and run like hell.

The top anvil went up about 10 feet but it was about 200 pounds.

 By the way do you know how to tell the weight of one of the old antique wrought iron anvils with a welded steel face?( the only kind to have) by the way 

Many of the old anvils are marked with a series of numbers such as    1 - 2  - 14 The first number ( I) is measured in English Hunderedweight  which is 112 pounds,  the second number (2) represents one quarters of English Hunderedweight or in this case 56 pounds, this middle number can only be 1,2 or 3 quarters of Hundredweight. The final number(14) is in straight pounds so to answer the question how much does it weigh? we add 112+ 56+14 = 182 pounds.

I know its strange but the art of the blacksmith has long traditions reaching back thousands of years . I have a small shop and make most of my own cannon  hardware but only up to about 1/2 scale. Paulson Bros. does a fair job on the full scale  hardware thats where I shop for the large cast iron fittings.