Mortar accidents

[gunsonwheels]

This thread sat for a few days without any response and now has had as much (if not more) good safety info in it as any I've seen.  Anyone getting into mortars would benefit from it.  Thanks to all...   
 
Now I have to go and design/fab a few blast shields...     Nice to have a few good ideas for starting on a design... Thanks again!

[flagman1776]

delete

[Double D]

It is apparent that serious thought has gone into this topic.  A great resource of useful ideas.
 
One question.  How strong pressure wise is the touch hole blast?  Must the shield be "securely bolted into place" or would "a couple of dowels tapped into the earth & a big can with matching holes" withstand the pressure.
Russ
 
PS This would make a great addition to the stickies!

A thing pieces sheet metal nailed to a wooden block works just fine for a the 24  PDRS.




Ore get fancy witha piece of Aluminum angle.



Here is a couple of  N-SSA guys cleaning the bore.



Here is another N-SSA guy cleaning the bore and you can see the vent shield.  Don't think it needs to be that tall.



8 inch and  24 PDR with vent shields on a block,

[Artilleryman]

I use 3/8 inch plywood fastened to a 4x4 for my 24 pdr mortar, and 3/8 inch plywood with a bracket that fits over the fulcrum on my 8 inch mortar. 

[Double D]

I use 3/8 inch plywood fastened to a 4x4 for my 24 pdr mortar, and 3/8 inch plywood with a bracket that fits over the fulcrum on my 8 inch mortar.

Do you have any close up pictures Norm?

[Artilleryman]

Here's one of the 8 inch siege mortar vent shield.

[Ex 49'er]

Here are another couple of different ways to make vent shields:

[gunsonwheels]

Artilleryman:
 
I think your pic looks suspiciously like OSB instead of ply'...     I guess it doesn't take anything pretty or sophisticated to do the job...  Guess I'll start simple and go to pretty later...

[Artilleryman]

Pretty hard for a piece of wood to look pretty after twenty or so years of rough use. 

[gunsonwheels]

AMan:
 
 

Pretty hard for a piece of wood to look pretty after twenty or so years of rough use. 

   better the wood (or wood product) than and arm...  or leg... or whatever... 

[flagman1776]

a lot of great ideas. 

[Artilleryman]

This is a vent shield that I friend of mine uses.  I still haven't found a digital photo of the vent shield that I use on my 24 pdr mortar.

[Double D]

Pretty hard for a piece of wood to look pretty after twenty or so years of rough use.

Ya, there is something to be said for that, why just this morning when I looked in the mirror....

[Cannoneer]

Here's one of the 8 inch siege mortar vent shield.

I use 3/8 inch plywood fastened to a 4x4 for my 24 pdr mortar, and 3/8 inch plywood with a bracket that fits over the fulcrum on my 8 inch mortar. 

Pretty hard for a piece of wood to look pretty after twenty or so years of rough use. 

Thanks for the photo and info, Norm. Thinking of that 3/8" plywood board absorbing the punishment delivered by such an intense degree of energy, not to mention the abrasion caused by all the ejected friction primer tubes hitting it at near point blank range, and for a period of 20 yrs., no less; and mind you, we're not talking about a reduced scale model here, we are now dicussing the blowback coming from the vent of an 8-inch siege mortar (the real thing, BTW).
Well, what can I say other than: I've evidently really been underestimating the strength of plywood for a good many years; or have I? 

[Cannoneer]

The dowels are actually stainless bolts that have nuts attached between the braces on the bottom of the sled and act as levelers on uneven ground. There is a level attached on the top left of the sled and I've got a bubble level that can be set wherever on the sled to level it all out.

I mistook them for wood dowels that went through the bed to stake it to the ground, which doesn't make a lot of sense for more than a few reasons, but now I understand the bolts intended purpose. You put a lot of thought (and work) into your mortar and bed design, and it's admirable.

I think that I recall seeing pics of your mortar before, but I must not have been paying close attention to the bed. I very much like the way it looks, but I don't think I've ever seen another exactly like it. If you've got any other photos handy, would you mind posting them?

[Artilleryman]

It would appear from the previous posts that cleaning and inspecting the bore before loading and using a vent shield are the two main safety concerns in safely loading and firing a mortar.  I have another question concerning mortars that I will address in another thread.  Thanks to all that participated in this thread.

[Cannoneer]

Norm,

Don't turn the lights out and get ready to lock the door just yet, I think I see someone sitting at a shadowed table in the corner still sipping his drink from the last call.

[Artilleryman]

That's fine with me.

[Ex 49'er]

Took some pics of the deflector for my gb mortar today: