1" Cannonballs

[nutmik]

Hi Folks,
Recently picked up a 1" bore cannon and am having a hard time finding either pre-made lead or steel balls, or even a mold to cast my own, most of the molds for sale are described by the weight of the ball they cast, not the size/diameter of it.
I did find some steel balls but they're around $10.00 each plus shipping, I'm thinking that there must be a cheaper option.
Does anyone know how much a 1" lead ball weighs ? Or have any ideas on sourcing some cannonballs ?
Thanks everyone

 

[suberman]

Look for large ball bearings

 

[mrclean89]

See if there is a foundry near by and they should have some, if you buy firect in bulk you will save alot of money

 

[antiqueguy]

id cast them out of zinc its light if not see if you cant get a hollow mold this cast two ball half's that need to be filled with sand and epoxied together.other than that look for 1" ball bearings although they would be a bit hard

 

[mooncoon]

Do a google search for Jeff Tanner molds. he makes custom molds at a reasonable price.

cheers mooncoon

 

[pointandshoot]

first thing that comes to my mind is the style of fishing weight i used to use for bouncing the fraser river during the salmon run...just use a pair of side cutters to mod them.

 

[nutmik]

Thanks everyone !
Found 57 - 15/16" chrome steel balls for $42.00, thats cheaper than some of my rifles to shoot !
Appreciate all the help !
Thanks, Mike

 

[Andy]

Hi Folks,
Recently picked up a 1" bore cannon and am having a hard time finding either pre-made lead or steel balls, or even a mold to cast my own, most of the molds for sale are described by the weight of the ball they cast, not the size/diameter of it.
I did find some steel balls but they're around $10.00 each plus shipping, I'm thinking that there must be a cheaper option.
Does anyone know how much a 1" lead ball weighs ? Or have any ideas on sourcing some cannonballs ?
Thanks everyone

A 1" diameter lead round ball would weigh approximately 5.14 oz = 2250 grs
A 1" diameter steel round ball would weight approximately 3.55 oz = 1553 grs
A 15/16" diameter steel round ball would weight approximately 3.12 oz = 1365 grs

 

[Goldenlakepete]

For a "redneck" way to cast 1" slugs you could bore a 1" hole in some hardwood, smooth it out and then pour lead into it. The results would be rough but would work.

 

[DOOK]

Where you find the balls?

 

[Nester]

first thing that comes to my mind is the style of fishing weight i used to use for bouncing the fraser river during the salmon run...just use a pair of side cutters to mod them.

This is what my neighbor uses with his cannon. He also makes some grapeshot out of the smaller weights.

 

[Threemorewishes]

...

This is what I used for mine. The mold made three at a time. A quick clip with side cutters, smooth with a file and done.

 

[Far North]

Where you find the balls?

 

[07blackwater]

Another idea might be steel balls used in ball mills for mining.

 

[nutmik]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/57-1516-Utility-Grade-Chrome-Steel-Balls-7-lbs-/310341660828

JPC pointed me in the right direction, Thanks

 

[Beater]

how close is that to golf ball size? might work for practice and pure fun

 

[Steelplink]

For anything like that just convert inch to centimeter, divide by 2 to get "r" value, calculate ball volume (wiki it) then finally multiply by specific density of lead ( also on wiki.

 

[nutmik]

how close is that to golf ball size? might work for practice and pure fun

My golf ball cannon has a bore of one and three quarter inches, approximately, so a bit too big

 

[Al Flipo]

I cast 1" balls for my cannon, you can have a jar, but, it would be too expensive to post.

 

[nutmik]

Thanks for the offer ! Where did you get your mold ?
That's a very nice cannon ! What are you using for a powder charge ?
Cheers, Mike

I cast 1" balls for my cannon, you can have a jar, but, it would be too expensive to post.