Seacoast Artillery to Re-Create Krupp Seacoast Gun

[seacoastartillery]

   You're right about the materials, Double D.; they would be very little of the cost of this very complex Chassis.  The amount of work necessary to make this very large, front-pintle, seacoast, chassis correctly is stupefying.  The real, full size, Chassis weighed 25 tons!!  That is equal to almost 1/2 the tube weight of 112,000 pounds.  And the Upper Carriage weighed 30,000 pounds, itself.   The steel ingots used to forge the larger of the barrel hoops weighed 30,000 pounds each!  This was in 1865 when we in the U.S. thought the 15" Rodman smoothbore was state-of-the-art.  

      An extremely advanced principle of physics was used to attach the Carriage to the Chassis.  In fact, even today scientists know very few facts about it.  Gravity causes an extremely firm attachment in this application  between the Upper Carriage and The Chassis.  This arrangement also brings a terrific amount of friction into play as a recoil force negator or, in truth, a diminisher.  A more than ample runnout distance of 16 feet is provided for the Upper Carriage.  A pitch of between 3 and 6 degrees is provided for the Chassis top surfaces, depending on the caliber of the ordnance, mostly to assist a mechanical return-to-battery system. Traversing this seacoast Chassis is accomplished via a large crank attached to one small gear within several sets of large and small gears and a huge gear attached to each of the large, rear, Chassis wheels.  The Carriage is moved forward during the return-to-battery cycle by a winch system of gears attached to a steel cable drum shaft actuated by two large handwheels on the left rear and right rear of the Chassis. A large lever protrudes rearward from the deck near the weather cover for the cable drum.  This lever most likely applies a brake mechanism to the cable drum shaft to help with recoil reduction.  Most of the 14" rifle projectiles fired from these seacoast guns weighed between 1,080 and 1,212 pounds and were propelled by 110 to 160 pounds of Black Powder.  

Mike and Tracy

[Cat Whisperer]

  ...
  Most of the 14" rifle projectiles fired from these seacoast guns weighed between 1,080 and 1,212 pounds and were propelled by 110 to 160 pounds of Black Powder.  
Mike and Tracy

WOW.  For MOST of us that's a life-time supply of powder consumed in one fell swoop!   

[Double D]

Heck Tim we fired that much powder the first Day of the  Cut Bank Cannon Convention....purty close anyway!!!

[Ex 49'er]

Your powder budget is larger than mine. It'd take me 3 or 4 lifetimes to go through 160lbs. of BP.

[Double D]

Your powder budget is larger than mine. It'd take me 3 or 4 lifetimes to go through 160lbs. of BP.

No not mine but the total of everybody.     I think Monstre Mortar fired about about half that much or so, a shoot.

[Zulu]

When I was re-enacting, I had two cases (50 lbs.) at a time delivered to my house.  I've probably burned 500 lbs.
Zulu

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

Most weekend shows my crew will go through about 20-25lbs, but 160lb for 1 shot would be awesome!

So the only attachment was gravity/friction?  It's a heavy gun, but that's impressive.  Do you know of any more pictures of the chassis showing other angles that could better depict how it was secured?

[seacoastartillery]

     I guess Mike and I are real pikers compared to some of you.  Both of us shot very little before 1976 when we came to Colorado, maybe 4 or 5 pounds each.  Since then it's been lots of fun to shoot another 25 pounds each, so there you go, 30 pounds each in a lifetime.  Not much!

    

So the only attachment was gravity/friction?  It's a heavy gun, but that's impressive.  Do you know of any more pictures of the chassis showing other angles that could better depict how it was secured?

     Gulfcoast, Mike and I study every seacoast gun or rifle we can find and we have not missed one that has a carriage with it in the United States.  Only on two of these have we found clips designed to hold the Upper Carriage to the Chassis during recoil.  One is a front-pintle carriage, Model 1859 that we found sporting a 100 Pdr. Parrott tube at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Georgia.  The other one is on a similar iron, front-pintle, seacoast carriage in downtown Charleston, South Carolina in White Point Gardens at the tip of the peninsula.  One of two rescued 11" Dahlgrens, secretly removed by Confederate salvors from the Federal Ironclad, Keokuk, sunk near Morris Island in shallow water following the Great Ironclad Attack of May 1862 is resting on this carriage.  This carriage has it's Upper Carriage Retaining clips oriented upside down holding nothing in place.  That's it, only those two in our whole country.  

     The reason for this lack of mechanical holding devices is the same reason that very few of these seacoast guns have capsquares.  The substantial weight of these gun tubes and Upper Carriages  keeps everything in place during recoil.  Unless the gun and carriage is a dual purpose Naval and Seacoast gun, then gravity alone is plenty to hold tubes and carriages on the Chassis.

     Both the Krupp Tube AND Upper Carriage are ten times as heavy as those of the seacoast, 100 Pounder Parrott, mount.  They sure as heck aren't going to be jumping around at all.  I don't have any more pics from different angles.  You guys see all that we have ever found.  The original Krupp Howitzer had 142,000 pounds of Tube and Upper Carriage pressing down on that behemoth Chassis.  From all our reading and studying this type of artillery, we can say with some certainty that neither the Tube or the Carriage will be doing any jumping or wiggling around at all during recoil.  We would say a slow shuffle would describe the 'Big Gun Recoil' with Black Powder as the propellant.

Tracy and Mike



This is our 1/6 scale 100 Pdr. Chassis and Upper Carriage.  The retainer clips that we found in the U.S. have been this exact type we show here.  They are the dog-leg pieces to left and right that are attached to the bottom of the carriage's front transom, go through the Upper Carriage guide flange and under the inside edge of the Chassis I-beams.  






If this works a short movie clip should be here which you can click on and view.  Sort of an update on Krupp Howitzer production.  I have every one of the 825 holes drilled.  Mike has almost finished the tubes and breech blocks.  


Click on this image to see the movie.

Mod note: click on this link if you cant see the movie http://www.fototime.com/C8107C2CB2C9043/conv.wmv

[Ex 49'er]

Sorry, guys. Only got sound; no picture on that clip. Darn!!!   

[Double D]

Okay so I am exaggerating, but I bet the guys who were will agree we 160 lbs of fun!!!

[Zulu]

Only sound for me too.
Zulu

[Double D]

Only sound for me too.
Zulu

how about for the link?

[irishman]

Only sound for me...The sound of 3 phase ramping up is my music.

[Double D]

 Maybe George can explain it....works just fine for me in  Mozilla  Firefox and   locks up in IE.

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

I just played it fine in IE using the clickable picture.

I guess the slight shuffle backward would be insignificant over the life cycle of these large guns.  (I agree there has to be some recoil, and without attaching these, the only type I can figure is the carriage "inching" it's way backward on the chassis.)

[Ex 49'er]

Tried it with the link. Works just fine. Thankyou, DD.

[Cat Whisperer]

... I have every one of the 825 holes drilled.
...

How many drill bits/resharpens?  TiN coated? Lube?  I've always wanted to know.  

[Zulu]

Tried it with the link. Works just fine. Thankyou, DD.

Same with me.  Thanks, DD
Zulu

[seacoastartillery]

     Mike and I will be very busy with finishing these Krupps during the month of Dec. and delivery is now scheduled toward the end of January.  At least they wont get lost in the high volume Christmas package deliveries. 

Only sound for me...The sound of 3 phase ramping up is my music.

      Nice to hear someone recognizes that sound.  You have been spending some time in your shop lately, I bet.  No, a lot of time, I bet!

... I have every one of the 825 holes drilled.
...

How many drill bits/resharpens?  TiN coated? Lube?  I've always wanted to know. 

     Just high speed steel, Tim, no fancy coatings on our #37 drill bits.  Only two failed; both were the split-point style and the third bit I used, a traditional 117 degree point, drilled about 400 holes, more than 16 feet of steel!  We drill all small holes dry in our shop to avoid the mess.  Only after we reach 3/4" dia. bits, do they get some help from traditional, dark, high-sulfur, cutting oil.  We set up a portable fan in the opened back door to suck most of the smoke out.

Tracy and Mike

[nematode]

Just chiming in to see what is the latest on the Krupp replicas. Wanted to make sure my name is still on the list and in good standing and have noted the timeline pushing into new year - thanks for the updates SeaCoastArtillery!

[seacoastartillery]

   I thought it was about time for a Krupp Howitzer update.  We have been working steadily toward a late January completion of all 25 guns.  the pics tell the story about recent machine shop events.

Mike and Tracy


Mike, being honest to a fault, approached our favorite 'lefty' about owning that manufacturing error shown.  Mike told Gary he had one of 25 with a loading port on the left, rather than the right side.  He asked if the Longmont Marine wanted it.  Fortunately he did and now is slated to get one a little more collectible than the others AND he saved our butts by agreeing to the deal.  NO, we don't make left handed, breechloading, firecracker cannon on a custom basis.  




All baseplate machining is complete.  Lefty's is on the left, where else would it be??




I just finished turning the front ends of the elevation screws which fit a spotfaced hole in the slanted, front transoms.  I wire-wheel polished all the dirt, grease and zinc off of those 5/16-18 threaded rods.  They will be supplied in-the-white, for contrast, so some oil will have to be kept on them.




The front transoms with 100,  4-40 threaded holes.  I only broke two drills and one tap, all broken pieces removed without hurting the tap holes or threads.  Remember, we were gunsmiths once, and know how to do this stuff without fooling around.




Baseplate bottom showing the counterbored slots for the elevation screw support block, hold-down, bolts.  This allows some length adjustment in the distance from the block face to the transom face upon which bear the square-faced, threaded ends of the elevation screw, allowing more tolerance for that screw, length feature to facilitate manufacturing.




Going CCW we have brass cocking pieces, elevation screw support blocks, sear parts (the step washers and half washers), and the strikers.  The strikers went through 6 prototypes until finally the last proto met all requirements.




The elevation wedges which I bandsawed, four cuts each, and Mike machined on six surfaces plus produced a 5/16-18 threaded hole and I de-burred on 13 edges and wire wheel surface finished on two surfaces.




The first production carriage is being assembled here to determine the final length of the threaded portion of the elevation screw between block and transom plate and to check the final fit of the other piece-parts in this assembly.




Nema, of course you are on the list; stop stressing.  'Tis the season to be jolly!

[Spuddy]

Thanks for the FIX!

[Double D]

Looking good!!!

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

I've been craving an update!  Thanks for that!  They look like they're coming along nicely!

Gary - you're going to have to load yours upside down! 

[KABAR2]

M&T,

These are coming along nicely! I see in the one photo one of your "helpers"
will you be training him in the machining trades in the future?

[nematode]

pretty cool - thanks Mike and Tracy!

[RocklockI]

Yep I get a southpaw version !
Heck it's already doubbled in value ...

Seacoast will fit the sights accordingly and of course the presentation box will be reversed .

I cant wait !

Gary

[Cat Whisperer]

Yep I get a southpaw version !
Heck it's already doubbled in value ...
Seacoast will fit the sights accordingly and of course the presentation box will be reversed .
I cant wait !
Gary

Might even work down under!

[seacoastartillery]

    We are glad that you liked the update fellas.  Although we still have at least two weeks of parts machining left, we are on track for a late January shipping event.  Oh goodness, I forgot about the stamping operation (numbers & letters).  THAT will be a 3-day adventure to be sure!  Deburring all breech and tube edges will account for another day also.

M&T,

These are coming along nicely! I see in the one photo one of your "helpers"
will you be training him in the machining trades in the future?

    Excellent observation, Allen, on that last photo.  We won't be training him just yet, but at a few days short of 4 years,  my grandson is a little sponge and he soaks up a tremendous amount of information by just being around us almost every day.  He knows very well that the shop is OFF LIMITS to him without permission and supervision.  He makes me look at things differently frequently.  He asks, "What's that big machine?"  I answer, "A Lathe."  Then comes the zinger from the wee one,  "Why do you call it a lathe?"  Blank stares from 3 machinists result.  Comments like, "Ahhhh, well it's, aaaahh, well it is,  aaaaahhhh, any of you guys know?"  And the little terror knows the process is called 'turning'.  I think he threw out the 'Lathe question' only because he knew that he would stump us!

     RocklockI,   Forget those thoughts about presentation boxes and sights, you will be lucky if I don't wrap it in the towel that Nancy's rabbit pees on!  As for the dobbling of value, perhaps if you added a couple more 'b's it would quadruple in value!!     As for waiting, we can't wait either, to be finished with these and on to something new.  But, remember this:  we continue to have far more fun than working people are supposed to have. 

Mike and Tracy

P.S.  You're right, Tim, that very well could be!

[seacoastartillery]

     This is a very small update of Krupp Howitzer production, but it may have some interest to those who are thinking of some day putting some stamped letters or numbers on their cannon.  A bunch of pictures detail a type of easily built fixture to keep everything square and spaced correctly.

     But first, a completely off topic suggestion of a new award that could be given out to deserving members who like to pinch their pennies until Lincoln squeals.  Cat Whisperer, this is your chance to shine, just as Double D. has with his Kewpie Award.  Some people, including me, have long resisted the pushes, shoves, and pleadings to get an artificial Christmas tree.  I finally gave up the long fought battle to keep the sweet smell of a Balsam Fir in the house for 3 weeks a year.  But, the way I did it deserves an award, let's call it the Ebineezer Scrooge Award!  See pic below.

Stamping pics will come a little later, after I round them all up.

Tracy


The last tree Lowes had at 75% OFF, floor display model without a box purchased 3 days ago.  A smaller than usual, for us, five footer.  You can see all the roominess of the smart car!  There's plenty of room for the tree and the driver too, who is holding his sales receipt with the $16 plus tax price on it.
Timothy, what do you think?