--Minor page update with deets of my weird solution. Would be eager
to hear of better ways to solve the problem.
http://www.nmpproducts.com/myshop.htm

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Don't order chardonnay
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : at a pizza parlor...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Hmm, what granulation of powder did you use? Not that I've played with
anything less than a .36 black powder rifle, but FFFFg or priming powder
seems to be in order here.


steamer wrote:
--Minor page update with deets of my weird solution. Would be eager
to hear of better ways to solve the problem.
http://www.nmpproducts.com/myshop.htm

On 31 Mar 2008 04:51:23 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, steamer
quickly quoth:

--Minor page update with deets of my weird solution. Would be eager
to hear of better ways to solve the problem.
http://www.nmpproducts.com/myshop.htm

That's a nice chunk of brass in the sighting mechanism. Wouldn't you
be better off making a screw-fed elevation wedge which came in from
the front? I want shots of that baby firing, too, please.

Ah, now I know why they used to call them "hand cannons".

On the nano mortar, how did you close off the back end? Can you use a
faster-burning powder to achieve more velocity?

Not a bad box. You did better than many I've seen.

--
Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other
men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.
--Jesse Lee Bennett

Larry Jaques wrote:
On the nano mortar, how did you close off the back end? Can you use a
faster-burning powder to achieve more velocity?

Or... as a challenge... use a boring tool to make a larger powder
chamber. Them whip up a ramrod of the correct length that will set the
projectile right above that chamber.

For my druthers, let's see a sliding breech, using 209 primers to set
off the charge.

Larry Jaques wrote:
That's a nice chunk of brass in the sighting mechanism. Wouldn't you
be better off making a screw-fed elevation wedge which came in from
the front? I want shots of that baby firing, too, please.
--Possibly; will post videos next week. Here's a link to me firing it last
year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDupzfzxS1Y

On the nano mortar, how did you close off the back end? Can you use a
faster-burning powder to achieve more velocity?
--Machined out of a solid chunk so it was never open.

Not a bad box. You did better than many I've seen.
--Made a pile of jigs in the process; hopefully the next one will go
a bit faster; possibly less mistakes too.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Don't order chardonnay
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : at a pizza parlor...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Louis Ohland wrote:
Or... as a challenge... use a boring tool to make a larger powder
chamber. Them whip up a ramrod of the correct length that will set the
projectile right above that chamber.
--Hmmm interesting idea! Will noodle that one for a bit...

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Don't order chardonnay
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : at a pizza parlor...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Louis Ohland wrote:
Hmm, what granulation of powder did you use? Not that I've played with
anything less than a .36 black powder rifle, but FFFFg or priming powder
seems to be in order here.
--For the mini-mortar and the hand cannon I'm using FFFFg Pyrodex;
for the big brute I use Pyrodex "RS" FFG, which is the coarsest powder
available in these parts. A friend gave me a few pounds of genuine black
powder, which has grains maybe twice as large as the "RS" grade.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Don't order chardonnay
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : at a pizza parlor...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

For my cannons, I picked up a laser pointer at radio shack and made an
adapter to slide in the bore. The laser pointer is fastened into the
adapter with a snug fitting O ring on the laser side and 4 set screws
on the battery end. Spinning the adapter in the lathe, you can adjust
the angle of the paser pointer to get the beam straight.

Using this tool I can reliably hit a 1 ft diameter target at 100ft
using either a golf ball or a cast lead golf ball and about 2 oz of
cannon powder.

It works better at night. The cannon flash is more impressive then
too.

Bob

From my misty memory, I remember Pyrodex really likes a primer to set
it off.

Look for black powder, not a replica.

steamer wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
Hmm, what granulation of powder did you use? Not that I've played with
anything less than a .36 black powder rifle, but FFFFg or priming powder
seems to be in order here.
--For the mini-mortar and the hand cannon I'm using FFFFg Pyrodex;
for the big brute I use Pyrodex "RS" FFG, which is the coarsest powder
available in these parts. A friend gave me a few pounds of genuine black
powder, which has grains maybe twice as large as the "RS" grade.

Think of the case capacity of a .22 short. Not that much. It is not
packed to the max with powder (smokeless) but remember the .22 rimfire
were black powder in the 1800s.

Try Folger's Mountain Blend, er, actual black powder, FFFFg or priming
grade first.

steamer wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
Or... as a challenge... use a boring tool to make a larger powder
chamber. Them whip up a ramrod of the correct length that will set the
projectile right above that chamber.
--Hmmm interesting idea! Will noodle that one for a bit...

On 31 Mar 2008 16:21:45 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, steamer
quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
That's a nice chunk of brass in the sighting mechanism. Wouldn't you
be better off making a screw-fed elevation wedge which came in from
the front? I want shots of that baby firing, too, please.
--Possibly; will post videos next week. Here's a link to me firing it last
year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDupzfzxS1Y

Alright! Noisy sumbiches, ain't they? I love it!


On the nano mortar, how did you close off the back end? Can you use a
faster-burning powder to achieve more velocity?
--Machined out of a solid chunk so it was never open.

OK, what I saw was a counterbored recess for the center, I guess.


Not a bad box. You did better than many I've seen.
--Made a pile of jigs in the process; hopefully the next one will go
a bit faster; possibly less mistakes too.

Yes, the fewer the mistakes the better. Jigs are good.

--
Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other
men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.
--Jesse Lee Bennett

On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:57:34 -0500, Louis Ohland
wrote:

From my misty memory, I remember Pyrodex really likes a primer to set
it off.

Indeed. It likes a HOT primer/cap.

Look for black powder, not a replica.

steamer wrote:
Louis Ohland wrote:
Hmm, what granulation of powder did you use? Not that I've played with
anything less than a .36 black powder rifle, but FFFFg or priming powder
seems to be in order here.
--For the mini-mortar and the hand cannon I'm using FFFFg Pyrodex;
for the big brute I use Pyrodex "RS" FFG, which is the coarsest powder
available in these parts. A friend gave me a few pounds of genuine black
powder, which has grains maybe twice as large as the "RS" grade.




"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner