HarborMaster

I dont mind the snow now that I am retired ., I just dont like it at 10:00 p.m. when I havent started my back-hoe for 3 months. I try to be a good neighbor tho any way ., and yes ., they know I am a freak. Later after I changed out of my Jammers (sweat-pants) me an the wife went for a city wide cruise on the back-hoe ., and we go on the prowl now at night with it. Why not the Cops cant catch me

Your blade looks amazing . Anyway to see more pics of your work in process. Not asking you to reveal tricks of your trade ., I just enjoyed one of your sword thread of process shots. Great Work Sir ., Kudo's ! Beautiful.

If recruited how would I do it? that requires more than I know., I dont have enough info on the complete area logistics and my tools. I am thinking that sub thing sounds fun like a video game ! Some of these things are deeper than whats been portayed here. Violence stopped Hitler and his followers . Violence stopped Hirahito and his followers. Will getting a job for a Muslim Extremist stop him from a lifelong brainwashing to hate the Infidel. Hating me because i am not a muslim? I just cant believe hooking him up with a new Hyundai and a house in the suburbs will definitely take away a lifelong upbringing that if you are not a muslim you need to be killed? the fact is 1/2 of our planet is now muslim ., I'll bet a couple of them have jobs ., houses and cars. They are still plotting against us. I think this stuff has deeper roots. The war on terror is a 1000 years old already ., its just now we are back in the game. The USS Constitution was built to combat it. Does anyone remember history with Muslim Pirates selling white folks as slaves in Libya? the Marines ? From the shores of Tripoli ? There is a global expansion of a religeon trying to take over property. Most wars I find are about three things. 1. Someone wants someone elses property (Land) 2. Someone wants someone elses money (Russia just took Georgia-this is money ---Oil--- ) 3. Here it comes ...., the big one ., the Heavy ., the long time problem ....., Religeon . Yes I am proud to be an infidel ., yes I support killing bad people who want to take over someone elses property. Yes I believe in stopping killers by giving them death. I believe we arent thorough enough. Islam started in Mecca ., it now is 1/2 the globe ., isnt that agressive? Speaking of muslims ., didnt Clinton send troops to Kosovo to stop the killing of Muslims? shoot we are STILL there. We just dont here about it ., But NATO is still there ., I believe we pay for that and man it . How come the Extremists didnt thank us? Funny old world aint it? Here we save France after De Gaul laid down ., and we killed people to free France ., and then they HATE us? I am trying to remember when it was france won a major engagement ., but I cant ., I guess it was Napoleons day By the way Nagasaki and Hiroshima was done to save lives ., and infact they estimate millions of American and Japanese lives ., yes even Japanese lives were spared by ending WWII the way we did. WWII in the Pacific would have went on . The Japanese mentality was to die for the emporer .., The were not giving up ., period. Hiroshima got hammered and they still did not give up so.., Nagasaki. The mentality and programming of some in the world is not like ours ., most are not free societies ..., when was the last time one of our jet pilots went Kamakazi ? If we sit idley by and let threats grow without keeping them in check ., will people stop trying to kill us? No. Dictators like Hugo Chavez find freedom a threat to his power. Have we really wronged him? He is preaching hatred to us ., and he is not muslim ., Our Freedom and Democracy theatens Power to dictators thugs and bullies ...., there are groups plotting against us for all sorts of reasons ., Yes we have brought upon us problems also ..., its just a very complicated issue. We helped Israel after WWII so we are VeRY hated for that ., religeon again ., yes? I like Nuclear Aircraft carriers ., and FA 18 Super-Hornets ., I think unmanned drones and Raptors are Bitchín' I like my tax money going to keep us safe. If they wanna write in a $17,000.00 dollar toilet seat ., to hide a part for a secret project ., to keep us ahead of the game ., I am happy ., I love paying 62,000 for a box of screws knowing they are funding projects at the Kwajalein Atoll ., so that one day we might be able to stop a missle ., then retaliate on the sender hard enough they wont be sending another anytime soon. I paid more in taxes last year than my wife made at her fulltime job. Now I am disabled and dont make a dime ., yep it hurts ., Do I wish I had all of that tax money back ( I could surely use it ., funny how life goes up and DOWN) Hell no I am proud for every dime spent . Hoorah! We have much to be grateful for. Yea ., violence has stopped a few idiots. I supported Clinton , I support Bush ., and I will support Obama ., We should support our president. Funny how after the election promises the presidents fail to keep the promises because the reality of whats really happening comes more into view when the daily security reports come in. We live in a scarey world ..., I am really really grateful to be an American. And I have been to several countries that are pro-American ., and they are Grateful there is an America in this world. The worlds problems are never going to be solved by not killing .,killers. Something to think about as well.

See ., thats just it ., our government redered the CIA virtually useless ..., this happened a long time ago. I think is was during the Carter Administration . If the CIA and Naval Intelligence had free reign to protect this country in covert operations things might be alot differant.

My father and I out having fun. We dress up a bit when we shoot Single Action Army Ruger Vaqueros and of course the American Derringer from Waco Texas. This isnt for an event (we dont do events) ., we just believe in paying a bit of historical respect when firing our favorite cartridge weapons. Several of my friends are into it as well here is Al dressed up paying homage to some R & R (Yes we shoot safe) the bottle is a prop ......., until the shootins over and the cleanning kits are out ., I cleanem ., (I trust me) ., Yes I drink while I am cleanin

Wes worked on these all weekend. He managed to get the trunnion pockets milled into the barrels and threaded. I need the trunnions to be removable for shipping. Here are the pictures. The mill has a table that is 25" X 60" Here is an action shot. Using a 1/2" carbide endmill to get through that stainless. Here is the finished pocket. We had to move the trunnions so the barrels wouldn't point at the ground all the time. The CNC is kind of like a "Bull in a China store" when it comes to threading. Better to do this by hand.

Ahhhhhhh., At Least 4 Times What a Six-Pack costs Kind Sir !

Apocalyptica Heavy Metal from Finland's masters of hard rock cello.

Thats a Big 10 ! I am with Dutchess on this one ! Weightless ., limbo ., breathing underwater ., 3/4 of the planet is down there., If you like clear water and need to know if diving is good ., I will let the videos speak for themselves. I am not in them much I am usually behind my camera. These pics and videos were captured using a Sea-Life DC800 without a flash. If your still not sure pay attention to the breathing lesson Divemaster Dino gives toward the end of the first video.

BLING! The TREASURE ROOM!!!!! BLING! -------------------- I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm certainly not the dullest!! I am with Rumba on this ! SMILING A GREAT BIG SHINY AND NASTY *Wicked-Gold-Toothed-Grin* :angry:

:angry: I been looking at the topic of this forum for a while now and there isnt much about SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Aparatus) so I thought I would bring it up. I am hoping a few others will post photos videos info on places to go ., spearfishing (Now theres a thrill ) Kind of fun Whoopin Arse on a big fish in its world and dragginém up from the depths fer dinner. Dont believe it ? Type Spearfishing on youtube. I will start with a couple of videos for ya ., they are located on my server if you have broadband its easy ., if you dont ., they are a long download. They are .wmv made with movie maker for windows media player. These are from my September 2008 trip to the Philippine Islands . Having fun at the Nalasuan Sanctuary , Cebu The wooden shipwreck off Mactan, Cebu This is a video of some Stingrays and Pacific Grouper we chased. :angry:

No kidding ., theyve started sellin'it in washington ., and it is dee lisssh ousss!! :angry: I'm enjoyin it ! Only i think I was seei'n the Green Goblin !

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving ? Twas delicious indeed ! Whilst we were all away after eating the roast beast ., Wes was of course burning the midnight oil. I recieved this piece of news in my email over the weekend . Looks like a Merry Christmas will be on the way for Tropico ! I gotta figure 6 more names now !

Why thank you sir ! I love these new cannon and am greatful for Wes to work on them for me. I have heard many a good story from sailors and airmen stationed in the PI ., most loved it ., however the military keeps one pretty busy and it doesnt leave one enough time to really enjoy alot of "Whats out there". I would like to take a moment however and say to you personally ., Thank You for your service L. Silver . Because of the services I am free to do these cannon ! The San Miguel you say ., delicious as always ., however a little warm., sound familiar? I just got a teaser from Wes ..., Muzzels. 2 Bronze and 2 Stainless.

A Grand topic and a down right deserved post. Sloppy Drunk myself here and again ., (Means I dont need as many pain meds for me neck) I feel yer pain or the love as it were Aminjiria ., about the Pub . It be the one place I feel we dont have to explain to non-pirate types why it is we are pirates. Tho most are pirates and they know that we know that they know they are pirates too ., however they dont want to admit to beín one ? Did that come out right? Spinni'n Least wise at least here we can all admit to our lifestyle among friends .., aye. I'll have another Milwaukie ice with a 1/4 cup o clamato and a few jalipenõ slices a teaspoon of the juice and a dash of garlic salt thank you very much ! Luvi'n it ! Gotta catch the froth so's it dont roll over me mug

Harry I purchased a beautiful bronze thundermug from a man in Florida about 3 1/2 years ago. I'll bet it was the same man. Its heavy duty and provides a great signal from a 1"bore.

Cheers to ya Rue !!!

Thanks everyone ., I am just very grateful to see part of my dream coming around . I have alot to be thankful for this year. I believe Wes will be sending me a few muzzle shots soon. Also he made a mention of mill-pockets on the barrel for the trunnions ., sort of an after Thanks-Giving meal weekend ., so i'll be waiting myself with great anticipation. Rich

I would love to be taking pics off the boat ., but not yet . I did post a bronze swivel we made last year ., that will be used for the boat. As far as Carriages ., Its much better for me to build them in the PH as opposed to shipping those $$$ Its spendy shipping barrels but my machining friends live here. Speaking of Wes here are a few more shots I got of him producing the bore .., as you can see there is plenty of wall thickness left on these tubes to pass inspection ! Good to hear from you Eye. Here is an interesting shot. the bit Wes made is working pretty good. You can see the lubricant-coolant draining the chips out of the bore. He is saving the bronze chips for casting my Square-caps (trunnion caps). Here is a practice run of that ..., this is what I call a trunnion-bar ., sound delicious dont it? Like a breakfast food? Trunnion Bars ! just slice off what the width it ..., then face them together and drill out the center for the trunnion diameter.

During this time the company Wes works for offered to let him use the lathe at work. He has been schooling for this particular lathe for the past year. His boss is allowing him to build my cannons for the new lathes break in as well as Wes's initial use on the new lathe. So ., he took my blue print and converted it to the CAD program this new CNC monster uses. Later he was able to convert the CAD back to me in PDF format. Here is a pic I got last week. More to come ......., oderlesseye ..., I didnt forget you ., I think you were the only one interested? Rich

During this time I was working on my plan. These are shots of the barrels in the early stages at Wes home lathe.

Later wes made the bit shaft to do the drilling. This bit has a hole drilled thru it so that Wes can get a collant lubricant thru the bit at the bits tip to keep things cool and help flush out the stainless chips ., this helps to avoid binding as well.

I had a thread about these cannons at one time ., however I have lost the thread and also changed servers myself . This means all pics of any posts I had made with pics .., no longer have pics. Our new server provided by Dreamhost is a 10 year license so these pics will be around for a while I hope. In my earlier thread I explained we had to meet a certain criteria for shipping (Fit into a 24"box) due to costs . Also when buying metals (Round bar) it comes in 13"increments . There for to build a 27 inch long cannon costs the same as building a 39 inch ., when buying material for one. These cannons are not anything period correct or otherwise . These are a collaboration of what I personally like in many differant cannons. I very much liked the back of the breech on an 1841 6 pounder while the flat button cascabel of a Civil War Pack Parrot I liked as well. So ., we combined them both for my breech. I do like the English 18 and 24 pounder re-enforcement rings however I do not like the double re-enforcement in front of the trunnion ., so we settled on 1 . Also we stole (pirated) the muzzles from the USS Constitution. I like those ALOT. We figured with a 1.50"bore we would need 4.5 X 26 per barrel. Since these will be in a salt water enviroment we chose 304 Stainless (Propeller Shaft) for our metal instead of a mild steel. Meanwhile while all of this was happening I let my friend Wes know that I wanted a 1.5" bore. Right away Wes started to build the drill bit for my bore. Instead of buying several bits for drilling 4 cannons from stainless and 2 in bronze Wes decided to buy one bit and make a few copies. I am finding I have to break this post into pieces ., The forum will not allow as many photos at a time. Rich

Here is a quote from the NSS-A ., North South Skirmish - Association This is for a blank ., not a full service charge . When live firing a lead ball the DOM (Drawn Over Mandrel) pipe should be increased to 1/2" . Then threaded then pinned ., then welded. This is essentially your barrel. After this has been done by a competant cannon maker the tube can then be covered by pouring class 30 grey iron over this tube (Hern Foundry) or Bronze . The minimum 1 caliber rule applies to machined cannon tubes for example milled from a known material 4018 ., 660 naval bronze ., some stainless's ... ect., ect. In which case the seemless dom tubing is no longer necessary as the new cannon is machined from a SOLID ROUND BAR. This being the case would be the safest alternative so far as the machined round bar is seemless and far exceeds 1/2" dom. The 1 caliber rule is important at the breech where ignition occurs ., the cannon doesnt need to be a caliber thick thru its length ., trunnions or muzzles . Also the trunnion should match the bore in size for live fire events. There is alot of stress on the trunnion when launching lead instantly with fast expanding gas pressures. This is the reason cannon makers do whats called a mill-pocket with a shouldered trunnion tightly fitted to the cheek and square cap for machined cannons. A good example of a tight fitted mount would be a precision fit swivel yoke against the trunnion . It cant fold. Some of these NSS-A rules may not have been implemented during the building process of your cannon ., that doesnt make it non-firable for blanks. However it does disqualify your gun for sanctioned events (Civil War Re-Enactments) and full service loads for live fire..., without all of these measures the cannon will not pass inspection at an event and therefore would be banned from participation. The reason for seemless DOM or the preferred machined from solid round bar is because of the blast force sudden impact of the expanding black powder residue gases becoming impregnated into your welded seam. As we all know black powder residue is highly corrosive and will eventually rust thru the welded seam first and damage the pipe (Cannon bore) . Some cannon makers use cheap pipe to save money when they cast competitively low priced cannons when this happens .., you own a bomb. Seemless DOM and Machined cannons do not have this inherit problem. Eventually the welded seam will rust out ., more sooner than later ., especially if it is a fired cannon. Many people may never face an inspection or live fire at an event ., this doesnt mean cutting corners is O.K. You may know what you are doing (light loads). However the cannon WILL outlive you and someone else may not know what they are doing. This is why the rules to cannon building are important. We dont want one of our decendants to blow up from Granpas cannon......, its not cool. Be Safe ., Follow NSS-A procedure "Live to fire another day".

L. Silver ., I believe a large majority of cannon carriages were actually built for thier given application. For example you may find several examples of say 9 pounders ., however all the carriages would be differant even tho the cannon are all from England and of the same period. A shipwright whom had been commissioned to build the carriages for a given ship would have to consider deck to ceiling height .., along with gun weight and length . Lower deck guns would be bigger and probably have lower and more buffed carriages. Upper deck guns would be a lighter cannon . But perhaps that lighter cannon would be used as a lower deck gun on a smaller ship ., so a carraige change ., and by a builder who doesnt know what another builder did in another city in another country for another ship. Some were on top of the deck and the carriage needed to protrude out of the gun port without being taller than the ships whaling . some had a cut-away in the lower carriage for loading ., some did not. since not all ships were the same ., not all carriages will be the same. There is no standard for a given cannon. then there are sea-coast artillery. If the carriage for a garrison were built for the same cannon as found on a ship ., it too would be built differant. I dont believe 3 shipwrights in Portsmouth would all build the same carriage for the three differant ships coming out of Portsmouth at the same time. Then what about the same cannon but being built for a ship out of Boston? A ship with differant dimensions ? The Hern Swivel Cannon is patterned after the English 18 and 24 pounders. Notice the 5 re-enforcement rings in front of the breech.., particularly the 2 immeadiately in front of the trunnion ., a dead give-away for an old english Your probably better off making your own pattern . I believe to scale an 18 or 24 pounder your finished cannon would be lower than your projected height of 21-22 inches. I have several cannon and I can tell you 21-22 is much better for working with than a cannon that is lower. (Especially as I get older) . However to get to this height and have it look great ! Youll have to choose your proportions wisely.