Seacoast Artillery to Re-Create Krupp Seacoast Gun

[armorer77]

I get 3 shots per crayon .

[Ex 49'er]

Krayolas in a Krupp. The kidees at school won't miss a few crayons. When I sweep 'em up I'll just have to save a few instead of giving them back to the teacher.

[RocklockI]

As always science is formost in my mind  , and so I want to see splatter and dispertion patterns . Like in a super collider . Except against a wooden ....... thing as the target . Maybe metal , real science like NASA and the JPL ..... 

 Gary

[seacoastartillery]

     Better late than never!  Here are the carriage pics we promised.  There certainly were some drawings disposed of, discarded, changed a lot and  changed again to make this carriage, not just support, but also function with that chunky Krupp Howitzer.  It is deceptively simple! Well, it's very late.  For once, let's just show the pics and if there are some questions, we will be happy to answer them tomorrow.  It still needs two parts which are the front transom plate which is held in place by the line of bolts in the forward row in the 8 bolt pattern and the elevation screw which we are designing tomorrow.

     You may have noticed that there are no Capsquares on this cannon.   Almost all seacoast guns relied on the tremendous weight of their tubes to holds things in place during recoil.  The Krupp cannon in the original pictures we posted do have them.  Perhaps it was traditional or some other reason, we don't know why they do.  The firecracker cannons we will be producing will not have these trunnion holding devices for one very important reason.  They get in the way of reloading according to our firecracker cannon expert, Rocklock1.  He has fired over 500 of these noisemakers in the last two years and he says it's much handier to grab the tube off the carriage and turn it to whatever angle is more convenient for loading your firecracker or crayon projectile.  We agree, that this is logical and we can see the correctness of Gary's assertion which matches the observations we made during our very limited, actual, cracker firing experiences.

    For those who may have missed it, the price for the Krupp breechloading firecracker or crayon howitzer is $249.00 plus $14.00 S&H.

Any questions?  Ask away!

Tracy and Mike








Here we are trying to get an idea how much elevation and depression we can get out of the Krupp.  Looks like about 25 to 30 degrees elev. and about 5 degrees depression.  




The base-plate fasteners will be replaced or modified to be more 'period'.  The front transom, not in place yet, will be held by the front row of bolts.  Large, front, lower corner, bolts will be lathe-turned and will simulate the fasteners used by Krupp in 1866 to hold the various steel plates of the torsion-box, fabricated, cheeks together.




Look at the graceful curves that Krupp used on this carriage to support his 115,000 pound, brute of a seacoast howitzer.  




The production guns will have rimbases that are one-half that long and the trunnions will only protrude out side the cheeks for about .030", not .125".

[Spuddy]

Great job guys!  I love how the tube looks like one of those drinking cups that pops up for drinking and then is flattened to pack. 

[dominick]

Very nice job!  Alfred Krupp would be proud.  Put me down on your schedule for one please.  No hurry on the build time.

[little seacoast]

Absolutely gorgeous and well worth the wait. Looking forward to meeting one in person!

[Ex 49'er]

I've already got a place in mind to display this beauty. Just have to clear some trench art out of the way. I'll be proud to tell folks, "It's a limited edition from Seacoast Artillery".

Great work, guys!!!!

[Div Arty]

I knew if I waited long enough I'd be able to afford one of your classics.  I'll be proud to display one.  Checks in the mail.     

                     Ron

[seacoastartillery]

Division Artillery wrote:  "I knew if I waited long enough I'd be able to afford one of your classics.  I'll be proud to display one.  Checks in the mail."
                       Ron


     Thanks for your interest, Ron, but please everyone hold those checks until we call or email you that delivery is 2-3 weeks away.  We would rather not sit on checks or M.O. for 3 months.  Although it could happen sooner, right now Krupp delivery is planned for Dec. 2010-Jan. 2011 time frame.  WE MUST finish and deliver 3 Brooke seacoast rifles first.  If we don't have your contact info and you do want to get one of these, please send your GBO handle, full real name, shipping address and phone # to our regular email which is:  seacoastartillery@gmail.com

Thank you.  Mike and Tracy

     Ex 49'er,   I have a decorated French '75 shell casing and a German '77 and a British 25 Pdr., all WWI casings.  That's it.  Ha!  Kind of a small collection, but I like them, that's what counts.  You should snap a few pics of yours if you get a chance.  Artillery related stuff is O.K. and quite a few of these items are pre-99.  Thanks for your kind words.
     It would be an honor to build one for you, Dom.  Thanks for your confidence in us.
     LS, we have your info already.  Thank you.
     Spuddy, did you fellows ever make any candy from that pure Maine sweetness you bottle?  Had some once on the Burlington, VT ferry going across Lake Champlain to Port Kent, New York.  It made every filling in my mouth shiver, it was sooooooo sweet!!  Your gun is S/N 1, Tim.  Thank you.

Still working on the elevation mechanism.  Not much room under that breech; it's going to have to be a tricky design to allow it to fit.

Tracy and Mike

[Double D]

Didn't Southpaw say he wanted one? 

[EL Caz 66]

Wow! Kool aid smile from ear to ear...  Have cash in hand... Nice! Real nice...

[seacoastartillery]

     Double D,   Yes, he did.  Maybe he didn't see the PM I sent him a week ago asking for his contact info?  Thank you El Cazador 66 for your order. I have received your contact info.  We are glad you like the carriage.  Working on the elevation gear today.  Not enough money in the budget for a rack and pinion style elevator on the Krupp, however on the next one, a 10" Rodman Gun with a fancy 1880s Upper Carriage shown back on page 2, Reply #50, we will have a rack and pinion mechanism for which Mike has already said he wants to make a fancy ship's wheel just like the one in the photo.  We can't do ALL the details in that pic, but there will be a bunch!

Tracy and Mike

[intoodeep]

Mike & Tracy,

 Great Job!!! I've sent an e-mail.

[Double D]

    Double D,   Yes, he did.  Maybe he didn't see the PM I sent him a week ago asking for his contact info?  Thank you El Cazador 66 for your order. I have received your contact info.  We are glad you like the carriage.  Working on the elevation gear today.  Not enough money in the budget for a rack and pinion style elevator on the Krupp, however on the next one, a 10" Rodman Gun with a fancy 1880s Upper Carriage shown back on page 2, Reply #50, we will have a rack and pinion mechanism for which Mike has already said he wants to make a fancy ship's wheel just like the one in the photo.  We can't do ALL the details in that pic, but there will be a bunch!

Tracy and Mike

I'm not sure Southpaw knows where to find PM's, I'll let him know.

[KABAR2]

Email being sent 

[Spuddy]

"Spuddy, did you fellows ever make any candy from that pure Maine sweetness you bottle?  Had some once on the Burlington, VT ferry going across Lake Champlain to Port Kent, New York.  It made every filling in my mouth shiver, it was sooooooo sweet!! "

M&T
We have not converted the liquid into a solid yet, but I have a good friend who has and will check to see if he has any left.  (Thanks for #1)

[1Southpaw]

One will have to have a postal coloring contest .  Piece of white poster board  with your best 64 color super sized box of Crayola's splattered .
Rules will have to be written as per maxi mun charge and distance .

Seacoast inspired crayola art contest held annually before school starts .  Winner gets a pass on art class 101  :>)

[Double D]

Southpaw and I were talking about this firecracker cannon this morning.

Visualize Ebay 2110 listing:

Up for bid, one Firecracker cannon made in the Krupp howitzer pattern.  Marked Seacoast Artillery and serial numbered.  These guns were made about 100 years in a limited edition of 20 guns. Only one other copy is known to survive and it is in the Smithsonian.  Opening bid $5000, buy it now price only $35,000.  Buyer pays for armed escort delivery.

Of course by 2110 a Snickers candy bar will probably cost $1500.

So Southpaw is now passing my name around to all the farmers so they will take me on for the harvest.

[little seacoast]

DD, On the upside you've got awhile to save your pennies instead of having to scrounge for the whole nickel now. Have they set a definate upper limit on production yet?

[Double D]

DD, On the upside you've got awhile to save your pennies instead of having to scrounge for the whole nickel now. Have they set a definate upper limit on production yet?

I don't know...they should!

[1Southpaw]

Perhaps one should be restricted to the 3 primary colors plus one tint and one shade (white,Black)
If one crayola will make 3 rounds , then 15 shots would be allowable .
Using the primary colors plus the tint and shade would allow for all the colors of the 64 box size if properly hit .
Standard school size white poster board backed by 3/4" plywood  to make good the splat factor .
Crayola's no warmer than 100 degrees F @ firing . All shots to be fired in a specific time frame . 
Have I missed something ?   

[seacoastartillery]

  First, we want to thank Ex 49'er, Div Arty, Intoodeep, El Cazador 66, KABAR2, RocklockI and 1Southpaw for their Krupp Seacoast Howitzer orders as well as others already mentioned.  You guys are helping us keep our business afloat through this lean period and we really appreciate it!

     Next, we want to single Double D out for a special Thank You for helping us keep this cannon's price so low.  His suggestion of using White Vinegar on the 1/4" Hot rolled steel we bought to remove that hard, nasty, surface crust called 'furnace finish' saved us $150 per 25 units, or $6 per unit.  That's how much it would have cost to buy more expensive 'cold rolled' steel.  We use baking soda to neutralize the mild acid after a 12 hour de-scaling soak, then rinse with water.  Thanks, DD!!

    1Southpaw has detailed a nice 'Coloring Contest', projected Crayola style!  Thanks Ernie, that should be fun and I'm sure my grandson won't mind losing a few broken pieces as long as he can see them in use!

    Still working on an Elevation Mechanism.  We have now eliminated the vertical screw idea completely, as there just isn't any room under the breech.  Mike is the best person I know for solving mechanical problems with creative mechanisms.  I have my moments, but he is king of the scrap pile.  Behind and around out metal cutting bandsaw (by far the most useful machine tool in the shop), is the cut-off or scrap pile we have gathered over 30 years of making things.  Sometimes, like today, while thinking about several different solutions to the Krupp elevation problem, Mike just stands there staring at the pile visualizing how one of those various pieces could provide the correct diameter, angle or thickness he needs for the raw idea in his mind.  After he cobbles something together and I see what his intent is, I rely on my talent as a concept integration guy and produce a rough assy. drawing, as the new mechanism relates to the rest of the cannon.  Mike is already machining steel based on his mind's view of what the parts should look like.  We try, then re-machine his parts until the mechanism works, then I refine the drawing so we can repeat the machining when making multiples. I also add tolerances to each dimension of each feature on each part within the assembly.  Without careful tolerancing, it would be impossible to create interchangeable parts, the cornerstone of modern manufacturing.

     Oh, my goodness, I almost forgot to mention that Mike has figured out how to employ a 'crank' in his latest elevation gear idea.  This Krupp will have oodles of handles, levers and now cranks for the owner to play with and that's what makes a good big boy toy!  More opportunity to show off your artillery lore as well to family, friends or workplace folks.

      I just thought of another alternative projectile today, for Krupp owners to use in firecracker banned areas.  All three types of projectiles will be displayed in photos Sunday night.

'Till then,

Mike and Tracy

    

[RocklockI]

Hey "concept intergation guy" (CIG) 

You have not mentioned the optional gun version of the Krupp . Thats the model I would like .

The 'over the horizon gun'

[dominick]

The French 270 MM mortar, very similar to the Krupp had an elevation device that was very simple.  It was basically a lever type mounted to the outside of one of the trunnions.

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

Seems like a fine price for such a nice model!  I'm looking forward to seeing the finished prototype!

[Double D]

Just be sure after the acid soak you neutralize and then oil  until you are ready to blue or paint. The metal will be raw and will oxidize fast.

[KABAR2]

T&M,

One day I hope to see a photo of the current  "Krupp factory" with all the barrels lined up and carriages
in various stages of completion..... the  photo should be black & white or Sepia toned.......

when I get mine I will take it up to Williamsburg I have a friend with a 7year old son he will get the honor
of the first shot got to get the next generation interested early....


Allen <><

[GGaskill]

It wouldn't be prototype but you could use a rotary quoin.  That is, a spiral cam under the barrel in the style of a quoin that rotates instead of slides.

[seacoastartillery]

  No pics tonight I guess, but we are closer than before.  Final prototype cheeks were made today with several dimensional changes made for easier access to the loading handles on the breech block which will make reloading possible at all elevations but extreme high angle.  We will finish them Monday and make the elevation mechanism.  We have eliminated milling of cheek edges.  This second prototype will be also a 'Master Pattern' for scribing subsequent cheeks on the production models upon dykemed steel blanks.  I carefully measured our first disk-sanded feature on the first new cheek which was sanded to the scribed line.  The entire top of the cheek was within .003" of the 3.500" +/- .005" machining tolerance.  Not bad.  Angled lines were sanded by hand too on the 12" disk-sander.  They came out within +/- 15 minutes of 1 degree.  The big radius will be smoothed after bandsawing with the rotating and oscillating drum sander, just as it was before on the first prototype cheeks.  All these changes will save enough time to make five simple parts for the elevation gear. 

     I doubt we will make a long tube for the Krupp, Gary, but never say never.  Dom, if KABAR2 ever found out we added a French elevation mechanism to the Krupp gun, he might be tempted to Start the Franco-Prussian War all over again.  I have seen those in the past; they look a little light weight for a 115,000 pound howitzer, but I'm relying on memory, so they might be up to the task after all.

     Gulfcoastblackpowder, it is and we are too!  We won't forget the oil, DD, we have the process done to a sample piece and it works very well in twelve hours.  All scale removed!  Allen, we are going to have to make some extra horizontal surfaces for the rifling machine to hold all the parts and assys.  A photo can be planned.  The new, last year, camera can do black and white,  so we are prepared in that regard. 

     George, what a small world this is; the last idea we gave serious consideration to before we zeroed in on Mike's horizontal, screw-actuated, sliding reinforce support, was my version of your idea which had a helical cam within a tube with a rounded cap which would contact the cannon barrel breech.  The steel pin in the tube engaged the milled helix and was raised or lowered depending on the requirement for elevation or depression.  There just wasn't enough room under the breech for it though, even though the helical cam started out within the howitzer's baseplate.  We even toyed with telescoping tubes, but that was too much high precision machining for the budget on this gun.  Thank you George; it's a fine idea if we just had another half inch of space at 30 degrees.

Mike and Tracy