Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A New Cannon

I bought a new cannon at the World Steam Expo (a Steampunk convention). It's around 1.5 times longer than my existing swivel gun and cast iron. The bore is just a bit bigger than the swivel. It is more or less a scaled-down three pounder. Let's call it a half-pounderer. It is about as big a gun as I can handle by myself. I was told that it weighs 150 pounds but I can still lift it easily. Any bigger and it would weigh 250 pounds or more and I would have to have help moving it.

I could have gotten it with a naval carriage. I went for a swivel carriage instead. It was a lot cheaper that way and I can make a naval carriage easier than I can make a swivel mount. I have dimensions figured up for the carriage and it shouldn't take too long to make. I made a carriage for my bronze swivel gun a couple of years ago and it only took a few days. The hardest part will be the iron straps that hold the trunnions down. I may have to fire up the forge for that.

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