Author Topic: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!  (Read 695 times)

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Offline MikeS0000

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ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« on: April 06, 2013, 10:15:46 AM »
OK Folks -
 
 Here's an old smoker. Shown next to a 3PDR (~2-3/4" diameter) Cannon Ball for scale this was found in the Upstate New York Lake Champlain Region. Any thoughts? Bore is ~.50" possibly a bit more allowing for corrosion. There was a lot of action and goings on in that area from early colonial times.
 
 Thanks for looking!
 - Mike

Offline cannonmn

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2013, 01:52:10 PM »
Can you post a closeup macro image of the small hole near the bottom of it?

Offline MikeS0000

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2013, 03:21:27 PM »
Will get a better shot tomorrow, but here's an enlargement. It is hollowed out at the base, like the pan on a flintlock lock. Actually goes all the way through and is clear, though pretty raggedy all down the barrel.

Offline Cannon Cocker

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2013, 05:23:54 PM »
My guess would be that the "thunder Mug" is a chimney cleaner used to clean out large industrial chimney flues, or maybe a dock signal gun used at ports.   

Offline KABAR2

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2013, 11:28:59 AM »
Reminds me of some of the early Gonnes that were mounted in a crude stock and strapped with iron bands..... does it look cast or made up by a blacksmith?
Mr president I do not cling to either my gun or my Bible.... my gun is holstered on my side so I may carry my Bible and quote from it!

Sed tamen sal petrae LURO VOPO CAN UTRIET sulphuris; et sic facies tonituum et coruscationem si scias artficium

Offline MikeS0000

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2013, 11:40:46 AM »
Not an expert, and the corrosion makes it hard to tell but I'm 90% sure it is a blacksmith made piece. Will post a couple more pics, but the tube has a bottom piece set into it.

Offline RaiderANV

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2013, 10:21:27 PM »



 Thinking you'll get a quicker and more accurate answer on the N-SSA site.


http://www.n-ssa.org/vbforum/forumdisplay.php/8-Civil-War-Small-Arms
Pat "PJ" Kelly #5795
6th Virginny Cav.
North-South Skirmish Assoc. (N-SSA)
Yes,,,,,we use real bullets. They jus' don't let us shoot yankees anymore =(

MAYNARDS RULE!!!!!
starr's DROOL Hence the rust =Þ

Offline steelcharge

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Re: ID this old Smoke Pole...., or whatever!
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2013, 07:26:41 AM »
Looks chinese to me. This kind of wrought iron "tube" shaped guns ranging in size from pistol/musket calibers to 3-4" bores, were very common weapons/noisemakers from the times of the Ming-dynasty (1368-1644) to the early 1800s. Still in 1860 when the French and British captured the Taku forts near Tientsin (now Tianjin), simple, crude wrought iron guns were found in them. Those guns were very similar, but larger, wrought iron tubes with many reinforcing bands, mounted on simple blocks of wood by iron straps.

The "rounded" shape of the middle band and the shape of the breech and muzzle bands scream "chinese" to me.  There are dozens of photos of items like the one you posted on the internet. I'm 99.9% sure it's chinese, but how old is impossible to say, since guns like that were made probably from the late 1300s up to this day. There are also dozens of fake ones everywhere, but they're usually very obvious and yours looks in my opinion old and genuine. But what it exactly is, I'm not sure but I guess the term "thunder mug" would be closest since these seem to be just noisemakers.

Photo of one of the larger "cannon-types" on the Great Wall of China:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mutianyu_cannon.JPG