Canons

df1967 · 16th January 2022, 12:23 PM

It’s correct overall length. The light spot in the gun barrel is from a torch on the touch whole….

Philip · 17th January 2022, 06:26 PM

Are the bores cylindrical, without constrictions or irregularities from casting? For guns that are meant to be shot, this is important. Besides the bores going all way back to the touchhole.

The reason I ask is that a little bird in back of my skull is suggesting that these might be barrels from small saluting cannons. Make to fire blank charges, of course. If they came from a castle in south Germany, it's not an unreasonable suggestion because the landed gentry / upper crust who lived in these places did like to shoot off festive salvos on special occasions.

corrado26 · 18th January 2022, 05:14 PM

As far as I can see this canons are made of cast steel and not of bronce. As this material was not in use in central Europe at the time when this type of canons was in, both should have been made in Scandinavia, perhaps in Sweden.

adrian · 18th January 2022, 08:28 PM

With the description 'cast steel' do you actually mean 'cast iron' ?

corrado26 · 19th January 2022, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adrian

With the description 'cast steel' do you actually mean 'cast iron' ?

i mean cast steel, but perhaps I am wrong. A friend of mine, owner of a very famous artillery-museum and a real specialist told me that this canons are probably made of cast steel The production methods of making cast steel had been invented in the 1740s in England but came into use in central Europe not before the 1840s.

adrian · 19th January 2022, 07:38 PM

The common use of cast iron versus the rare use of cast steel in this period aside the two metals display markedly different corrosion characteristics and these guns have every appearance of being made of cast iron. I would be astounded if they were anything else.
Cast steel was a technology that was neither very practical nor affordable until after the introduction of the Bessemer process in the mid 1850s.

Richard G · 21st January 2022, 02:15 PM

I think it is quite possible that these are signal cannon. They would not be solely for saluting or ceremony but more or less in everyday use when some kind of warning, synchronisation or attention seeking was necessary. Thus cannons were fired by light house keepers as fog warnings in certain situations. Guns were fired at noon or a specified time so that time-keeping or certain activities could be co-ordinated. British admirals and naval bases were known to fire a cannon when they were about to hoist a signal by flag.
Today, the breaking of the ramadan fast is often announced by a signal cannon.
The more one thinks about it the more one can imagine their use in a time before electronic communication and when not everyone had a watch.
Regards
Richard

16th January 2022, 12:23 PM	#1
df1967 Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Germany Posts: 47	It’s correct overall length. The light spot in the gun barrel is from a torch on the touch whole…. Attached Images

17th January 2022, 06:26 PM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	Are the bores cylindrical, without constrictions or irregularities from casting? For guns that are meant to be shot, this is important. Besides the bores going all way back to the touchhole. The reason I ask is that a little bird in back of my skull is suggesting that these might be barrels from small saluting cannons. Make to fire blank charges, of course. If they came from a castle in south Germany, it's not an unreasonable suggestion because the landed gentry / upper crust who lived in these places did like to shoot off festive salvos on special occasions.

18th January 2022, 05:14 PM	#3
corrado26 Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Black Forest, Germany Posts: 1,226	As far as I can see this canons are made of cast steel and not of bronce. As this material was not in use in central Europe at the time when this type of canons was in, both should have been made in Scandinavia, perhaps in Sweden.

18th January 2022, 08:28 PM	#4
adrian Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 130	With the description 'cast steel' do you actually mean 'cast iron' ?

19th January 2022, 07:38 PM	#6
adrian Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 130	The common use of cast iron versus the rare use of cast steel in this period aside the two metals display markedly different corrosion characteristics and these guns have every appearance of being made of cast iron. I would be astounded if they were anything else. Cast steel was a technology that was neither very practical nor affordable until after the introduction of the Bessemer process in the mid 1850s.

21st January 2022, 02:15 PM	#7
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 409	I think it is quite possible that these are signal cannon. They would not be solely for saluting or ceremony but more or less in everyday use when some kind of warning, synchronisation or attention seeking was necessary. Thus cannons were fired by light house keepers as fog warnings in certain situations. Guns were fired at noon or a specified time so that time-keeping or certain activities could be co-ordinated. British admirals and naval bases were known to fire a cannon when they were about to hoist a signal by flag. Today, the breaking of the ramadan fast is often announced by a signal cannon. The more one thinks about it the more one can imagine their use in a time before electronic communication and when not everyone had a watch. Regards Richard