Cannon fuse ideas - electric matches allowed?

fat tony

fat tony

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I just went over to the closet where my little golf-ball howitzer is stored for the time being, if I ever get a carriage made and the touch hole drilled, I was just thinking if I would be better off using electric matches to touch it off rather than lengths of hobby fuse stuck in there and lit with a frigging barbecue lighter, with an approximate time to go off sort of like I see on the youtube etc; videos. It would not be very expensive to make up some electric matches, much safer I think too, with a much better element of control as to when your cannon goes off. One aspect I am unsure of though is the legality of it, would they consider that the same as percussion? Does anyone have any expertise in this regard that would care to reply? :confused:
 
I'm not sure on this one, so don't take my answer too seriously.
If there is nothing attached to the cannon and it is a barrel with a touchhole only (no attached firing device) you should be fine.
If you attached a coil and spark plug to the cannon, then it is no longer a matchlock, IMHO.
A call to CFC may turn up a better answer, but it may also be the first time they have been asked.
 
Most touch holes are pretty small (for obvious reasons ) , making electric matches to push down into the charge could be a challenge. The small wires and the mixture would be pretty delicate ?
If chems were easy to get , I'd go with a friction igniter instead. I made a few dozen some years back , not difficult , but I think getting the chems needed will be a challenge today.

Google " BP quills " , an alternative to fuse......
 
I wonder is you could use Estes model rocket igniters to do the job, but I have a feeling the firing button would now become a "trigger" which would make your cannon a registrable firearm .... Probably one of those "grey areas" which depends on whom you speak to at the CFC/RCMP ....
 
cannon fuse

Tony

For our 3" naval deck gun, we use 'quills', a splayed drinking straw glued between two card discs.
You pull a pipe cleaner coated with white glue through the straw, smear some glue on the top of the disc and sprinkle some fine powder on the disc, shaking it down into the tube as well.

Touching a portfire anywhere on the disc causes instantaneous ignition, the end of the 'quill' being cut at an angle and inserted into the foil cartridge.

It might work for your gun, if you can find a tube small enough to fit the touch hole. Can't hurt to try .....
 
Well thanks for the replies guys, you see I specified the cannon be turned out of 4140, I think that's what he made it out of for me, so it's not likely to blow up if I am relatively careful about it, but you never really know for 100% certain, this is why I would prefer electric matches, you can put some distance between it and you and have good control over the firing sequence.
 
fat tony said:
really know for 100% certain, this is why I would prefer electric matches, you can put some distance between it and you and have good control over the firing sequence.
Click to expand...

I think it is more a question of loading the gun to reasonable limits and basing those limits on the experience of cautious people with similar guns. As I recall your gun was going to be fairly heavy for its bore so you should have relatively little to worry about as long as you don't try putting say 1 pound of powder in a 1" bore.

cheers mooncoon
 
I used to have a cannon I built myself that had a 4' , 1 3/4" bore.
At first I would load it with loose powder & a cannon fuse.
I didn't like that for safety reasons.
I researched it more & found drawing of a lanyard pulled hammer on 1860's cannons.
I welded 2 ears on the cannon, made a "S" shaped hammer & bolted it to the ears. Then I drilled out the flash hole to fit a Power Hammer blank (.22 blank).
For loading the powder I then had a dowel that I would wrap aluminum foil around to make a sealed "cigar" powder charge.
Once loaded the blank would blast through the foil & ignite the powder with me being 3' away.
 
Wouldn't that make it a percussion gun, and subject to registration?
Touchole guns - flintlock, wheel lock, matchlock, etc, all have triggers. Can't see that a switch for an electric match, whether an Estes or homemade, would be any different, legally. For proof testing ml gunbarrels, I use a 9v battery, some twin lead flex, and a twist of fine steel wool across the business end of the wires. Gives essentially instant ignition of the priming.
Personally, I'm less than comfortable with a fuse burning away, waiting for the cannon to fire. I would much rather have control over the moment of ignition.
Original cannon used flint cannon locks. That would be an alternative to electricity.
 
jeepingpw said:
I used to have a cannon I built myself that had a 4' , 1 3/4" bore.
At first I would load it with loose powder & a cannon fuse.
I didn't like that for safety reasons.
I researched it more & found drawing of a lanyard pulled hammer on 1860's cannons.
I welded 2 ears on the cannon, made a "S" shaped hammer & bolted it to the ears. Then I drilled out the flash hole to fit a Power Hammer blank (.22 blank).
For loading the powder I then had a dowel that I would wrap aluminum foil around to make a sealed "cigar" powder charge.
Once loaded the blank would blast through the foil & ignite the powder with me being 3' away.
Click to expand...


Yep, you just made a registerable firearm, by today's laws.
 
I think cannons are a grey area and for the moment are regarded as signaling devices and therefore exempt from registration under cc84 3. That is my story and I am sticking to it :>) :>)

cheers mooncoon
 
I used Thermalite fuze to fire my cannon for years and never had a problem. I used a wooden mandrel and tin foil to make charge bags. The fuze was wired wrapped so it was easy to pierce the foil bags. The cannon was always fired when in a controlled situation so the short delay from lighting the fuze to ignition was never an issue. Thermalite is still around if you ask the right people...hint, hint.
 
fat tony said:
Well thanks for the replies guys, you see I specified the cannon be turned out of 4140, I think that's what he made it out of for me, so it's not likely to blow up if I am relatively careful about it, but you never really know for 100% certain, this is why I would prefer electric matches, you can put some distance between it and you and have good control over the firing sequence.
Click to expand...

if your nervous about firing it because of distance ? put a barrier between you and the cannon. Fuse is as safe an ignition source as any other .
like any firearm of the BP type you can have a fail to fire , and the usual precautions would be taken.
All this talk about legality of hammers and caps making it a registerable piece makes me laff. seriously. get out and enjoy yourself , stop worrying about stupid what if's etc.......life is too short.;)
 
I built a golf ball cannon out of 4" cold rolled shaft, 3 feet long with 1-11/16" bore. I usually put 700 grains of powder in it, but have put 1400 in it. Any one have any idea how far a golf ball would fly out of something like this? My neighbor has found golf balls in his field which is over half mile away. Any one chronographed a golf ball? Tonyg is right. Have fun - life is short.
 
Swift, I have the same golf ball rig as you do. It is amazing how fast the golf balls go, though I have not chronographed it, I have also not yet been able to see bright coloured balls fired from it. Obviously they need to be slowed down a bit.
I have always used fuse to light it and have never had an issue. Use the appropriate caution and have fun. It's something to see fired coming on dusk!
 
mooncoon said:
I think it is more a question of loading the gun to reasonable limits and basing those limits on the experience of cautious people with similar guns. As I recall your gun was going to be fairly heavy for its bore so you should have relatively little to worry about as long as you don't try putting say 1 pound of powder in a 1" bore.

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

Rats, you mean I can't cram 1# of flash powder down there as a propellant? :( Now I am really depressed *jokes. :p

I was thinking of a match where you have a length of maybe 1/2" pvc pipe with the leads and pyrogen going into some blackpowder, the other end has a bushing for a 'spit tube' that fits snugly into the touch hole, just tape it in place, roll out the line touch the battery across sort of thing. -would not be too expensive or difficult to make a bunch imo.
 
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