Duncan McGuyver Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 It appears that from the picture that a home made cannon failed, taking it's most of it's crew with it. News Article Captain Duncan McGuyver Crew Of The Vigilant Baltimore Maryland Based 17th & 18th Century Naval Living History Crew Of The Vigilant The Juryrig MDRF Based Social & Renfaire Crew The Juryrig Port Tortuga A Piracy based Pennsic household B09 Block, The Highlands (Up Hill & Left) Port Tortuga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBarbossa Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Sad to hear. ~Lady B Tempt Fate! an' toss 't all t' Hell!" "I'm completely innocent of whatever crime I've committed." The one, the only,... the infamous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silkie McDonough Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Safety. Now I know why we are all so cautious around those things & the powder ...not that I needed a reminder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Brand Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 It only takes one moment of carelessness. I'm guilty myself of enough foolish acts from my childhood on up to count my blessings. I'm sorry to hear that one man was killed and so many others were hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascabel Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Kinda makes me want more info..... Cannons don't "just blow up" for no reason. In the pic, there is nothing left but the wheels. Makes me wonder about the load, construction of the piece, etc........ >>>>> Cascabel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan McGuyver Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Kinda makes me want more info..... Cannons don't "just blow up" for no reason. In the pic, there is nothing left but the wheels. Makes me wonder about the load, construction of the piece, etc........ >>>>> Cascabel Additional Story With a little more detail Unfortunately I doubt we will ever hear the whole story, but from the single picture it looks like (insert assumption) the piece was grossly overloaded and / or had a serious flaw. Edited July 21, 2010 by Duncan McGuyver Captain Duncan McGuyver Crew Of The Vigilant Baltimore Maryland Based 17th & 18th Century Naval Living History Crew Of The Vigilant The Juryrig MDRF Based Social & Renfaire Crew The Juryrig Port Tortuga A Piracy based Pennsic household B09 Block, The Highlands (Up Hill & Left) Port Tortuga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkyns Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Just bloody lovely!! Not enough details to figure out what happened. Both articles said he was loading the cannon, but that may not mean much, considering few reporters know the procedures. If I had to guess, I'd go for the seriously overloaded. Cannons with flaws generally break into a few large pieces. The article indicates this one fractured like a grenade into multiple small pieces. Hawkyns Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl I do what I do for my own reasons. I do not require anyone to follow me. I do not require society's approval for my actions or beliefs. if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascabel Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Just bloody lovely!! Not enough details to figure out what happened. Both articles said he was loading the cannon, but that may not mean much, considering few reporters know the procedures. If I had to guess, I'd go for the seriously overloaded. Cannons with flaws generally break into a few large pieces. The article indicates this one fractured like a grenade into multiple small pieces. Hawkyns I'm thinking also that it may have been made out of a piece of pipe, rather than being a properly made real cannon barrel. >>>> Cascabel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty short thumb Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I will rember this incident. peace be upon those who were lost. is it possible for a homemade cannon to take multiple firings then completely let loose like that? Matthew "Short Thumb" Walker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkyns Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hell yes. Stress builds up after multiple firings. Metal fatigue is a funny thing. It is very hard to track and generally requires destructive testing and microscopes to determine just how far it has progressed. Dad was a QC engineer on turbine blades for Rolls Royce. I heard plenty about metal fatigue testing while growing up. Hawkyns Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl I do what I do for my own reasons. I do not require anyone to follow me. I do not require society's approval for my actions or beliefs. if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callenish gunner Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Aye Hawkyns like so many wannabes; they take a piece of black iron pipe put a pipe cap on one end drill a touch hole and think they've made a cannon. Saw that at the university here when I was a student; they'd fire it when they scored a touchdown at football games until one Saturday afternoon it blew up in the faces of the gun crew (blinded one young man and seriously injured 5 others). They had made the bloody gun from a section of sewer pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty O' Toole Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Unfortunately, several times on Mythbusters on Discovery Channel they have showed the construction of several home made cannon. Undoubtedly, someone in their home will say "oh hey, I can do that" or "that'd be cool to have." Then they run down to their local hardware store and get what they need to make a ticking pipe bomb cannon on wheels. I can almost guarantee there are probably websites on the internet that show how to make your own cannons as well. ~ Yes I am a Pyrate. 290 years too late. ~Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jendobyns Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 It appears that from the picture that a home made cannon failed, taking it's most of it's crew with it. News Article Good Lord, that's just awful! Hopefully we'll eventually find out what type of cannon and why it blew. We just listened to an audiobook with descriptions of how a potato cannon works, and after reading this I'm glad my boys know when the "don't try this at home" caption should go up. Mistress Dobyns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarborMaster Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Kinda makes me want more info.....Cannons don't "just blow up" for no reason. In the pic, there is nothing left but the wheels. Makes me wonder about the load, construction of the piece, etc........ >>>>> Cascabel I have to agree. Most of these annual "Cannon Failures" are not really cannons at all. They are pipes and or the like labled as cannons . When one of these accidents occurs lawmakers do seem to jump more and more to outlaw CANNONS. There are rules to cannon construction. Too bad the backyard mechanic doesnt do his homework , and too bad some people make ornamental cast iron yard trinkets . A true cannon has a wall thickness of one caliber minimum in all directions at the breach and must be made out of approved metals.., with a correctly constructed breech . The research is actually quite easy. Its the cost of doing them right that gets expensive. However a cannon built right ., attended by people who know proper loading and CLEANING procedures isn't very likely to come apart ever. Proper cleaning procedures also include bore and breach inspection and a whole lots less metal corrosion. BP is very corrosive and will ruin anew cannon quickly if not properly maintained. CLEANED and OILED . If you cant afford to do it right ., downscale and be safe. but don't ruin it for others. I am not Lost .,I am Exploring. "If you give a man a fire, he will be warm for a night, if you set a man on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkG Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Unfortunately, several times on Mythbusters on Discovery Channel they have showed the construction of several home made cannon. Undoubtedly, someone in their home will say "oh hey, I can do that" or "that'd be cool to have." Then they run down to their local hardware store and get what they need to make a ticking pipe bomb cannon on wheels. I can almost guarantee there are probably websites on the internet that show how to make your own cannons as well. The cannon that the Mythbusters welded together worries me. I think that they realize that it is questionable. They always run behind a lexan screen when firing it. Years ago a friend made a 16th century "organ gun" out of iron pipes and wondered why I didn't want to be anywhere near it. The article said that the barrel was 2 inches in diameter. That sounds a lot like steel tubing. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascabel Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 The article said that the barrel was 2 inches in diameter. That sounds a lot like steel tubing. Mark .......or iron pipe !! >>>> Cascabel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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