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#1 |
Lead Moderator European Armoury
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,694
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A six pound cannon ball converted into an eight pound weight. The ball must be from the beg. XIX century and so is the conversion; showed up in an antiques shop, together with very rustic weights for weighing raw flax, dated beg. XIX century and double stamped with the Royal inspection and re-inspection mark.
Fernando . |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NC, U.S.A.
Posts: 2,086
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Sigh...this was not an uncommon practice when it came to old ordenance. I have seen cannon balls also converted into gate weights and even one for a clock weight. I had a four pounder with a link welded to it that I thought might be half of a chain-shot, but the weld was definitely more modern. Makes me mad when artifacts are treated this way-
![]() That being said, yours at least hasn't been blow-torched, cut in half or fiddled with too badly. The binding iron straps don't take away from the piece,in my opinion. |
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#3 | |
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: PR, USA
Posts: 679
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I see locally many examples of 18th C. Cannon Balls and Royal Grenades simply dumped and lying around as garden decos on Government building grounds, rusting away.
Which is worse..? Yep, makes me mad too. M Quote:
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Kent
Posts: 2,653
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Hi Fernando,
I could easily see the cannon ball 'conversion' being used as a 'ball and chain'. Smaller 'balls' were used whereby the prisoner (POW) could be used for 'labour' with armed guards 'overseeing' the work. Coupled to a short chain (so the prisoner couldn't pick it up and run) , it would be difficult to escape. Onboard a 'prisoner ship' the prospect of trying to swim to 'freedom' with 8lbs+ dangling from one leg..... well I think you get the idea ![]() All the best David |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 214
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Fernando, I think thats pretty neat! The quality of the ironwork is quite good at the forge weld. The smithing to make the cradle for it is interesting in its own right. It must have been a bit of a pain to make as it had to be made to a certain extent with the ball in place. There would have been a fair amount of movement of the parts for the second half of the forging as the cradle couldn't lap past half the height of the ball and still get the ball inside so it must have been in the frame for that second half of the making of it. I would think three men would have been involved in making it for that part of it.
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#6 |
Lead Moderator European Armoury
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,694
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Thanks all guys for your input.
I can see the point of those getting mad at seing cannon balls being damaged for bizarre purposes, which i fully subscribe; but for what matters this very one was not afected ... just changed its certainly abandoned status to a usefull (and eventually peaceful) one. So in a way its life has not ceased and its presence, although inserted in a different context, can still be considered that of a cannon ball ... and so a (one more) collectors item. Thank you A Snefelder, for your enthusiastic considerations on the degree of difficulty in the making of this device; it is always a pleasure to be enlightened on the technical view of things. Fernando . |
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