building blank cannon from scraps

[seez52]

I've read through a number of threads here about making a cannon, but wanted to get some opinions on a project. Some months ago I bought a bunch of scrap from a local machine shop that was going out of business. They did really big jobs with some huge equipment. Wish I had the space at the time as most of it went for dirt. Anyway I did buy some stuff to play around with. I hadn't planned on making a cannon at the time, but after going through some of the stuff, I may have enough pieces. I guess my question is cobbling this together worth it, or if I'm really serious should I just buy the proper pieces for assembly.

Here's what I've got that could be fashioned into something. First off, I'm really just wanting a noise maker. I've got a small brass cannon I've had for decades and it's pretty loud, but thought something a little bigger might be fun.

My parts include a tube, 2.25 ID, 3.25 OD, 36" long, there is some writing on the side, but I can't make it out so I don't know what kind of steel it is. If I plug one end decreasing the powder chamber to 1.5 inches, then add a 4.5 dia. sleeve around the outside around the powder chamber area would this prove to be a safe setup? I don't know if plugging and adding a sleeve is an approved method of assembly or not. I've got raw materials for each of the items. Both the sleeve and the plug would need to be lathe turned. The piece I have for making the 4.5" sleeve is only about 4.25" long, don't know if that's long enough coverage of the tube or not? I"m not sure how deep the powder chamber should be.

From what I gather here, both the sleeve and plug would need to be an interference fit, plus welded.

I certainly don't want to end up with an accident waiting to happen. A friend some years ago was permanently injured during a CW reenactment when a homemade cannon of some sort blew up near him.

I appreciate the knowledge here.

[Double D]

If there is any way to find out what kind of steel you need to do that.  Different steel have different strengths and require different method for joining a fastening not all are compatible with cannon making. 

If it is possible to contact anyone from the shop where you got the material and get some idea of what they made and or what the steel might be you should do it. You need to know what steel you are working with.

Welded seam tube can be used as a cannon but extruded steel tubing is safer.  Welded seam tubes have had a reputation of failure after long tern use.  Some steel used in extruded tubes doesn't weld well but may be joined by threading and shrinking.

Do some research and find out what you have.

Do you have any Idea what pattern cannon you want to build

[Cat Whisperer]

Seez52 -

WELCOME to the board!

Touch a grinder to the edge of each piece of steel -  note carefully the color, length and form of the sparks.  That will give you a rough idea of whether it is mild steel or an alloy.  Mild steels are good.

[seez52]

I'll try the grinder method. I'm pretty sure it's seamless. All the material they had was meant for machining. I bought all this stuff at the auction when they went out, a lot of it had been there a while and there's no way to track anyone down about it. The smallest lathes they had were about 6 or 7 ft. and sold for cheap. They had one lathe that was probably larger than 15', they were hardly able to get $250 for it, it was massive. I stood around just amazed at what stuff was selling for. They had a really nice horizontal mill that was about 20' tall I think it went for around $6000 and included all the attachments. I guess big equipment doesn't resell for much.

Here's a photo if anyone can make out the numbers/letters on it. I"m not familiar with pipe markings so I can even guess at what it might be. I sprayed a little water on it, but I still can't make any of it out. It's the brown tube (w/ plastic bag on the left end), not the black one just below (that's a piece of thin wall pipe)

Also picked up some real nice stainless and carbon rods of various sizes along with a number of steel disks of varying diameters. Those are what I bought the lot for in the first place. I planned on making some steel pistol targets and rifle gongs.

As far as style, I'm not set on anything. I would like for it to look like something when done (as opposed to a pipe with a fuse hanging out), though with these scraps I may be pretty limited. I did like the looks of the one on this thread:
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,208275.0.html
Wasn't sure on this one if the sleeve was for added strength or just a place for mounting the trunnions? Looks like the vent hole is farther back.

I'm looking for a noise maker, so I guess some barrel length is best for that, rather than a mortar?

[dominick]

The best method to find out what you have is to cut a sample and send to a metallurgical lab for analysis.  What you need is the "numerical designation by composition"  which will determine the 4 digit AISI number.  Spark testing will tell you the carbon content, but not if it's resulfurized steel.  Machine shops use a lot of 1100 and 1200 series resulfurized steel, better known as free machining metal.  This stuff is great to machine but not weldable and not the best choice for a barrel even if welding is not required.  Some of these steels also contain lead to aid in the machining process.  The lab cost is about 50 -60 dollars per sample.  The ideal material to use if you're fabricating a barrel that involves welding would be low carbon mild steel 1018 to 1026.

[Double D]

Without physically examining the material can't say for sure what you got.  Within my limited experience, I have never seen extrude Seamless  tubing marked like that.  I have seen welded seam pipe with markings like that.  Doesn't mean the stuff is useless, it just means it' probably not suitable for cannon use.

Cut a strip of paper about  1" x 6" long.  Hold the strip with your index finger and rotate around the inside circumference of the pipe.  You will be able to feel the interior seam of the weld.  Shine a flash light in the tube and you will see the line of the weld.

If you are sure there is no seam then the next steep is to have it test like Dom suggests.

Why don't you go through the links in our references stick and find a cannon to build.  Tombstone built a typical no machining all welded first cannon.  His cannon looks a darn sight better and is miles safer than my first cannon.  Minimal welding is better. Some things have to be welded, but its better eliminate as much welding as possible.

Everyone is looking for a noise maker but sooner or later we all have to stuff something in the bore and shoot it.  We also like to say around here, don't build the gun for how you will shoot it, build it for how the next guy will shoot it.

New cannons seldom fail.  A common theme among the "cannon" accidents we see reported is the cannon was made from improper material and it was years before it failed.  

[RocklockI]

Seez52 welcome !

You'll love it here .

Just one little hint .....dont ever use the word "pipe" and if it is "Pipe" dont use it .
Tube is the term . Pipe just generaly leads to BOMB  

Hang in there these guys wont steer you wrong .
Gary

[Cat Whisperer]

The best method to find out what you have is to cut a sample and send to a metallurgical lab for analysis.  What you need is the "numerical designation by composition"  which will determine the 4 digit AISI number.  Spark testing will tell you the carbon content, but not if it's resulfurized steel.  Machine shops use a lot of 1100 and 1200 series resulfurized steel, better known as free machining metal.  This stuff is great to machine but not weldable and not the best choice for a barrel even if welding is not required.  Some of these steels also contain lead to aid in the machining process.  The lab cost is about 50 -60 dollars per sample.  The ideal material to use if you're fabricating a barrel that involves welding would be low carbon mild steel 1018 to 1026.

VERY good points.  The addition of lead or sulpher makes it machine well - the chips breakup rather than being long and dangerous.  That same quality is the danger in acannon - reducing the materials ability to withstand cracking!