Brass Bohemian Haquebut 1440

[Marcus den toom]

I should research this barrel beter before posting, but i am just to proud to resist.
This brass haquebut is of Bohemian type, about 1440s.

In the Park Museum in Varna Bulgaria there are two iron barrels of a very similar make.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...emian+haquebut

and: (post6)
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20840

The length of my haquebut is 62,3cm with a 65mm hook and a 17mm bore and a 35mm socket hole diameter.
It was found in Croatia which was at that time a union Kindom with the Hungarian empire. The barrel could have been used in the Crusade of Varna in the year 1443-44.

Interesting thing is... IT MIGHT BE LOADED!!! I tried to feel the dept of the bore and came 18cm short to the touch hole. There seems to be lead inside the bore, but i won't know for sure until my borescoop arrives.

At this time the Hungarian King had died and his son soon followed. It was decided that king Władysław III of Poland was to rule the Hungarian kingdom. Władysław took up arms against Murad II of the Ottoman empire and marched to war. The crusader army was defeated at the Battle of Zlatitsa, but managaed to capture the son in law of the Sultan when in retreat. Murad did not want to pursue the war and was pressured into negotiating a treaty to secure the release of his son in law. Murad retired and appointed his own son, of 12 years old, to be his successor. Shortly after all the short-term requirements of the treaty were fulfilled, the Hungarians and their allies resumed the crusade. Murad was called back to lead the Ottoman army. On 10 November 1444 the two armies clashed at the Battle of Varna (near the Black Sea fortress of Varna, Bulgaria). The Ottomans won a decisive victory despite heavy losses, while the crusaders lost their King and over 15,000 men.

[Andi]

Hello Marcus
Merry Christmas and congratulations to your new barrel

If you have a possibility to X-ray the barrel, the lead ball should clearly be visible. There you can also determine the volume of the powder load.

[fernando]

Hi Marcus,
I see that your beautiful brass barrel doesn't match with the others of your collection.
In case you regret having acquired it, let it come over Portugal and i will take care of its unloading .



,

[Marcus den toom]

Originally Posted by Andi

Hello Marcus
Merry Christmas and congratulations to your new barrel

If you have a possibility to X-ray the barrel, the lead ball should clearly be visible. There you can also determine the volume of the powder load.

Thank you and a happy new year to you That is a great idea, will need to search for someone who could do that for me, maybe the dentist.. though it would be strange to carry this to him.

[QOUTE=Fernando]Hi Marcus,
I see that your beautiful brass barrel doesn't match with the others of your collection.
In case you regret having acquired it, let it come over Portugal and i will take care of its unloading . [/QOUTE]

I know you would surely pay the price for the Brass, but i don't want to burden you with this "corroded" piece.. it would need to be cleaned to bare metal before it would be worth anything, i am sure :P

[Andi]

Hello Marcus
I fear that dental X-ray machines are not powerful enough for X-raying metal objects. Probably it may work with a powerful medical X-ray machine on a high output capacity and a long exposure time - bus this will need a lot of experience matching the right settings. Definitively it should work with an unit for Non Destructive Testing.

[Marcus den toom]

Hi Andi,

Do you know anyone who is capable of this? In the Netherlands these machines are only found in hospitals and i can't bring myself to go there with a antique gun...

[Andi]

Maybe in a technical universities, a steel processing company building high pressure pipes or equipment e.g. for gass pipelines or nuclear power plants, or companies providing Non Destructive Testing services....

Why not bringing it self to the hospital just strap it around your leg with palster bandages and tell the doctors your leg might be broken

[fernando]

[Marcus den toom]

Well there is an idea

Something else though, i just watched the surface under a microscope to identify the blackish surface and the red/orange dots. At first i though the later was some sort of paint because it looks like some sort of banded patern at the socket area, but both the black as the orange might be some type of oxidation.
Would this be possible for any brass composite? Lead, or any other added metals inside the brass?

Edit: it might be a coating of red lead/ minium.

[Marcus den toom]

Very similar brass haquebuts guns in the Stockholm museum. No measurements given, but the smallest one seems of almost equal design as my bohemian cannon.

Found at this website:
http://www.tforum.info/forum/index.php?showtopic=25135

[fernando]

Interesting website ... translatable and all .
Sorry my ignorance, Marcus; is that an antitheft system ?


.

[Marcus den toom]

Your guess is as good as mine Nando, though i have a hard time seeing anyone pick pocketing them without suspicion

[fernando]

Well, you pick these things but you don't pocket them ... you bag them .