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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:45 pm 
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I know that many of you have been losing sleep due to not knowing how to tie a stand of grape shot.
Out of complete boredom, and a wish to keep this forum alive, I have decided to educate
anyone willing to look through this.

You will leave, knowing in your heart that you now have the ability to defend life and liberty in the way that our naval forefathers did.
You will at least sleep better. :D

Grape shot was fired from a cannon. The canvas bag broke open and sent iron balls down range wreaking havoc on the enemy.

In this case we are making shot with fifteen 1" cast iron balls.

We are trying to duplicate the top left hand drawing but with 15 balls.
We will be adding a slot to the wooden sabot to allow a canvas powder bag to be attached.

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Materials needed are Jute rope, sinew thread, 3/4" dowel, and the lathe turned walnut sabots. Note the grove for the powder bag.

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Here we have the dowels glued into the sabots. Also the canvas bags that will hold the shot.

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Cut a small slice in the bottom of the canvas bag.
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Slide the bag over the dowel. Cut 9' of the Jute and two pieces of the sinew thread.
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Put some glue around the base of the rod.
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Slide the bag down on top of the glue and drop 5 balls in around the rod. Tie a short piece of sinew around it to hold everything in place.
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Repeat for the second layer.
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Repeat for the third layer and tie off with the Jute.
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This is where it gets hard to explain. Wrap the Jute down at a diagonal and continue around the dowel.
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Every time you go down, you have to go back up at a diagonal.
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When you have to cross the jute. you have to go under it and over it. I use a large blunt needle and a piece of thread to accomplish this.
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Repeat, repeat, repeat
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When every thing has been crossed, tie the jute off at the top.
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Last edited by Zulu on Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:55 pm 
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Image

Fold the canvas down and put some glue around the dowel.
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Cut 12' of sinew thread and tie end around the top.
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Start wrapping it tightly.
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Tie it off when you run out of thread.
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Cut the canvas off about an inch above the thread.
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Trim the thread and jute and put some glue on the knots and all around the thread. Use glue that will dry clear.
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When the glue dries, cut the top of the dowel off so the stand is 6 3/4" tall. Round over the ends of the dowel.
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Stain the tops where you cut them and you are finished.
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I'm sure you can share this newfound knowledge at the next Christmas party you attend. I'm quite sure everyone will be fascinated :shock:

Any questions?

Zulu

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:47 pm 
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Zulu, this is great. But I'll need to know what size cannon I should look for in the local museum and what powder charge to use in the event of a zombie apocalypse. :wink: :D

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:56 pm 
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Here are some more things to shoot from a cannon.

http://www.zarkonnen.com/airships/types_of_shot

For an apocalyptic zombie attack, I would want SANDIES or 4’s with napalm. :roll: I don’t think direct or indirect fires of any kind would work. A good FAC would also help.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:10 am 
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Location: Sacramento, CA
Quote:
Note the grove for the powder bag.


What's that groove for exactly?
Isn't the powder loaded first then the sabot?
Is the powder bag attached to the sabot at this groove, then both rammed down the muzzle at the same time?

You're work always amazes.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:24 am 
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DMoening wrote:
Quote:
Note the grove for the powder bag.


What's that groove for exactly?
Isn't the powder loaded first then the sabot?
Is the powder bag attached to the sabot at this groove, then both rammed down the muzzle at the same time?

You're work always amazes.



Dan,
Look at these pictures. There is a round ball mounted to a wooden sabot that has a powder bag attached to the groove with sinew thread.
This is now ready for loading. It is rammed down the barrel and then a brass vent pick is used through the vent to puncture the canvas powder bag. The vent is then filled with some small grain gun powder and set off with a linstock that has some burning slow match on it.
This ready made shot with the bag is only one way to load.
Sometimes a powder bag went in first then the ball.
Zulu

Image

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:58 am 
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Thanks, Zulu - I've been wracking my brain on how to go about this! (grin)

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:14 pm 
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Dennis,
I'm sure you were. You probably can't even count the times you have been asked how to tie grape shot and had to answer "I don't know".

Gene,
Zombies?
Just be well prepared.
These are for a 3" bore gun.
Zulu

For the curious of you out there, these can be seen on my website here.

http://jmelledge.com/BlockTackleChainShotWeapons.html


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:46 pm 
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I have to ask, Zulu, what is the purpose of the wood disc that is strapped to the canon balls? Is it to effect something of a seal within the bore of the barrel to prevent the pressure of the powder from leaking around the ball itself?

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:06 pm 
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DennisS wrote:
I have to ask, Zulu, what is the purpose of the wood disc that is strapped to the canon balls? Is it to effect something of a seal within the bore of the barrel to prevent the pressure of the powder from leaking around the ball itself?



Dennis,
The space between the ball and the bore is called "windage".
Proper windage is 1/40th of the bore size.
These were made for a 3" bore.
3 divided by 40 = .075
.075 X 39 = 2.925

2.925" should be the size of the ball and the sabot.

The sabot is there to attach a powder bag to and also keeps the ball from rolling out of the barrel when it is depressed.

Zulu

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