KABAR2 I lived in upstate NY, except for 4 years in Vermont, until 1976. I had Lapan's foundry near Glen's Falls, NY cast some balls for my 1797 SBR 4" mortar back then and I was in a Fife and Drum corps for 3 years, so I know a little bit about our "ignored, in the west, period of history", the Revolutionary War. Building a working model of a larger piece is very smart! Keep us apprised of your progress.
rifleshooter2, actually you have a very interesting proposal there. Mike and I need some extra cash flow around here, between occasional commissions, so if we take you up on the adoption, how many of those spectacular bronze grenade mortars can you turn out in a month?
phalanx, yes, the 7" Brooke Rifle is turned, gundrilled, reamed, rifled and milled all out of a single piece of 4150 steel at 30 Rc. We have to include the tube, trunnions and the front sight mass from a single round of 4150 in the extensive turning and milling machine operations on the 100 Pdr. Parrott Rifle. It takes a LONG time to machine around those trunnions and rimbases and then quite a while with special "sharp" cold chisels, files and stones. We hot blue by an industrial process which gives a very deep black finish and is more resistant to scratches as well. Even if you don't live near a seacoast, there still are "targets of opportunity". Here in Colorado it's lots of fun to go icicle-busting. We find them at this time of year near 9 or 10,000 feet hanging from cliffs. They weigh from 50 to about 750 pounds and shatter with a spectacular spray of ice shards when they are hit. Or you can bake your brains out on the prairie like we do every summer, because there is another 1,000 yard range around every corner. We don't need no salt water!! Tropico needs salt water, not us!
Regards,
Tracy and Mike