A medieval hand cannon ... sturdy as can be

[fernando]

I have a dozen of these things in my collection; but never one so thich and heavy as this one.
With 29 cms length, this is not only the longest one i found but, with its rather thick walls (32 m/m muzzle with 9,5 cms diameter and 9 cms. tickness at bottom), it has a 'modest' 15 Kgs. weight.
With an octogonal section, we may place it as XIV century gothic style ... an assertion subject to correction.
Its forging is quite a crude one, with a rather irregular bottom; can't even stand upright.
I don't know what to say about that peripherical welding cord around the touchole. It may have been a way to prevent the ignition powder charge from spreading all over, assuming a very worn touchole area but, when this addition took place, i don't know. Maybe you guys have a knowledge on the welding (soldering) area an wish to comment about it.

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[Marcus den toom]

Hi Nando,

In Michl's thread on the position of the touch hole (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18049 ) he states that the octagonal hand cannon barrels with broad and narrow flats are of the earliest type. Also the touch hole is quit small and has almost no bowl to it, so you gun could be even older, ranging from 1380s to 1400s.

Only that welding near the touch hole has to be a later adition... it looks to me like a modern (20th century) weld which has been corroded

A very nice piece, could you take a picture from the inside of the bore? And how far is the touch hole from the back of the barrel and how large is the touch hole?

edit: ps in this thread which was linked to the position of the touch hole thread is the mention of the alternating broad and narrow flats http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...nd+cannon+1400 srry for that

[fernando]

Hi Marcus,
The distance between the touchole and the rear is practicaly the same as that from the bore bottom to such rear (9 cms.); only a couple milimeters difference.
Further down from the 'conical' entrance to the touchole and its 'eliptical' worn vent, there is a very regular 4,5 m/m orifice.
Always a problem to take pictures of a barrel bore ... at least for me

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[Marcus den toom]

Hi Nando,

With these kinds of bores i always try to get a lightsource (sun/lamp) to shine directly into the bore and take a picture from some distance by zooming in.. the quality would however not be great but still well enough to see if the bore is smooth or irregular

I also want to add to my previous dating that i have no clue if the lenght would affect the age period.
In my recent findings from manuscripts i find that even 14th century barrels can be quit long, but this is a rather difficult thesis because of the lack of drawing things to actual scale in those times

[fernando]

The pictures above were taken (two) with a flash and (one) with a bore inspection lamp.
Concerning the welding cord, it is easy to judge that it was made in the 20th century ... easier than understanding why still in 20th century such 'modifications' needed to take place.



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[Ken Maddock]

Hi all
I was researching welding for another project and was surprised by the following which I saved from a history of welding site,
The below patent is from 1886 so electric welding is older than you may think
Puts a few more years on to the repair, at least you are back to 19 th century
Regards
Ken

N. Benardos obtained Russian Patent (No. 11982) electric arc welding with carbon electrode called ""Elecktrogefest" or "Electrohephaestus". The methods of cutting and welding metals by the arc was termed "Electrohefest" in memory(sic) of Hephaestus, the ancient Greek god of Fire and Blacksmith work. (The Romans renamed Hephaestus to Vulcan and which is shown on the title page, giving instruction to the craftsmen forging metal.)
Benardos receives permission from the Russian Government to organize production in 1885 for "The production of this plant is based on welding and brazing by electricity and also producing devices for electrical illumination"

[fernando]

Thank you for your input, Ken.
I have also made a brief research on electric welding; in fact the more recent development took place in 1907, that one using coated electrodes, a system so much ( the most ?) popularized.
However, if you allow me, the (my) point is not the intervention in this cannon having being made in either end 19th or beginning 20th century, but some five centuries after this example was born, realizing that still someone had all that work to shoot this relic with such required efficiency... just the 'other day'.

[fernando]

Looks like this is usually included in the hand cannon typology.
But with its 15 Kilos (over 33 pounds) it would need a Goliath to hold it bare hands for the shot.
So i thought i would better classify it as a portable cannon ... newly made accessories accordingly .

[M ELEY]

Wow! Fernando, you did an exceptional job in creating an accurate housing for your portable cannon! Did you do all the work yourself, or did you have help-

[Marcus den toom]

I especially like the door knocker as a handle, are you going to make the wood darker Nando?

[fernando]

Alright ...
The design is mine ... but no copyright applies .
The massive parts (square cut and barrel cavity) were made at the carpenter; i wouldn't have the means an the hands (read my profile ) to do it. I only used the chisel to adjust the cavity and a little wood plane to 'rusticize' the wood a bit.
The raw material was part of a pine wood beam that once came ashore in my homeland coast.
The black iron bands were cut in strips at the smith's machine and i 'only' had to cut them in smaller parts and bent them to fit the barrel.
For the fixing i used cut off parts of old hand made nails, salvaged from 19th century ceiling beams.
The door knocker is also old stuff, most probably from the 19th century as well, having once being bought in a street fair. Due to the barrel heavy weight, i had to introduce it (and glue it) well deep into the wood, in a diagonal line, to prevent it to hit the barrel.
The wood colour is already slightly darkened with diluted grain filler. I have previously tried some wallnut wax/tint in the base to check the aspect and i didn't like it. The way it is now looks more patina like ... more in real than in pictures. But maybe i will give it another hand.

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[M ELEY]

"Nando, just in case my previous post came off as sarcastic, I meant no offense! Your framework is exceptional and exacting in many elements to the original such portable cages. We definitely want to see the finished (stained and such) product! If I ever get to purchase a nice lantaka, I had plans of building the original housing for it, including aged iron fixtures and whatnot, as it would have looked on the side of a ship's gunwale...

[fernando]

C'mon Cap'n ... Can't we make a joke any more ? no stress at all

I have given it another coat of pore (grain) filler. The result wasn't much, but i will leave as it is. I won't venture irreversible alternatives.

Yeah, a lantaka or even a breech loading berço mounted on a piece of wood resembling a ship's gunwhale; who wouldn't want to have one ?

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[Ken Maddock]

Hi Fernando
If I am ageing wood I use potassium permaganate, this is a very strong oxidiser which mimics the years of exposure of wood to weathering
It is used in fungus removal so can be purchased in chemists in Ireland. It might not be available in Portugal but give it a try, some times farm suppliers can stock it as well.
I you do get the compound let me know and I can give further instruction
Regards and nice to see how you piece would have looked

Ken

[fernando]

Thanks a lot Ken; i will look into it.