MORTAR loading appliance??

[Blaster]

About seven or eight years ago, I bought a nice little soda/beer can siege mortar.  This one:


As I was walking away carrying it, the seller shouted that I should come right back as there was another piece of equipment that goes with the mortar.  He wasn't sure how it worked but the fellow that he bought if from said that it is used in the loading process.  Here's the gadget shown inserted into the bore:



Here's what it looks like by itself:



And here what it looks like disassembled (only three pieces, each is aluminum)



Last picture:



I posted a picture of this appliance a few years ago here on the BP cannon mortar board and never did get an understandable explanation on how it works but I was told that I definitely shouldn't use it as it could be "dangerous"??
We now have a bunch of new folks on this site and I'm hopeful someone will come up with a good explanation on just how this thing works or at least is supposed to work and that would be an explanation that even this poor OLD guy can even understand..... Thanks to anyone who has interest in helping to solve this puzzle.  Tracy and Mike, heads up - you guys should surely know about this thing.
Blaster (Bob in So. CO)

[seacoastartillery]

     Blaster,   Glad to help out when we can.  What you have there is not only a powder cartridge loading tool, so you don't have to put your fingesr down the barrel to align the aluminum foil cartridge with the chamber, but also it is a tool which will form the cartridge "cup", itself, then, after a twist of the aluminum foil tail, you use it again for forming the muzzle end of the cartridge.  We have a set of these tools that we machined from brass and they look very, very similar to yours.  As long as you don't go and WHACK the loading plunger with a mallet to seat the charge, we can't see any more danger than placing it there with your fingers.  Finger tip pressure should load a perfectly aligned charge  into the chamber without any difficulty.

Good looking mortar too!

Tracy and Mike

[Cat Whisperer]

I don't know how it works, but I think it's a good idea.  I remember you posting it before and was surprized at the responses - in retrospect I should have said something.

I think with the foil wrapped package, the technique of using a tool to insert it into a powder chamber without putting your arm down the bore is a great idea.  I've poured enough powder down pvc pipe or copper tubing.

It would be a good set of pictures to go through step by step the loading techniques.

There is a concern of steel against steel; but is not this made from aluminum?  Or was that another one from a similar discussion?

[dan610324]

this seem to be an smart loading device , I used almost the same idea on my sauer percussion rifle , but that was just an stainless tube with teflon bushings to dont damage the rifling and get all powder to the bottom of the barrel .
what I really dont understand with this is why its 3 pieces .
I dont understand what to do with the shorter larger diameter rod .

[Blaster]

Thanks guys.  Starting to really make sense now.  All three parts are 100% aluminum.  The thing that I still can't comprehend is the long slender rod is actually just a little larger than the subchamber and only fits on the very top of the subchamber.  So, if the aluminum rod is utilized to wrap the sheet of aluminum foil around it, to form the "cartridge/CUP", the cup will then be too large in diameter for inserting into the subchamber.  Where am I going wrong here??

[Double D]

Bob,

I think the rod is only to seat the cartridge.

[waynef]

Blaster,

I have not been at this for very long but what I have learned is for live firing the powder is poured (loose) into the powder chamber via an offset funnel. Then the shell is placed into the tube.

For salutes at most reenactments they frown on loose powder and require the charge to be in a foil cartridge (safety) an inserted into the chamber. This tool looks like it will accomplish that quite nicely.

Wayne

[Blaster]

I guess I neglected to indicate that the long slender rod and the short fat little rod are both machined so close to the diameter of the larger hole in the main piece that they just barely slide down easily.  In fact if the long slender rod is inserted in the top of the big appliance, and my hand is covering the bottom of the hole, the rod will slide down ever so slowly as it's difficult for the air to escape to allow easy movement.  In other words, the two smaller pieces are machined within extremely close tolerances.  And as indicated earlier, if I were to use the long  rod to form an aluminum cap/cartridge, then the completed, powder filled cartridge would be too fat to slide down the main appliance and into the sub-chamber.
Also, wonder why the need for the second and narrower knurled band on the section that fits down into the bore, close to the sub-chamber?  I can't imagine any purpose for that second narrower band.
If anyone has any questions about this or needs any more pictures in their effort to help me understand the function of this contraption, please don't hesitate to let me know.  Thanks again.
Blaster (Bob in So. CO)