Cannonball? Need CBGuy help!

[mangum]

I found this a while back at one of my colonial sites. The guy who owned the plantation was a general in the revolution & had continental troops encamped on his property. This weighs about 60 lbs (although filled with dirt or something). It is roughly 17.25" in diameter. There is a hole in the top but it doesn't look like any fuse hole I've ever seen. This has been bugging me for years. So, is it a cannonball? A gate weight or what? I dont have calipers to get an exact measurement. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

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[grasshopper]

With the pictures and the ballpark measurements, you will likely get an idea as to whether or not it's a cannonball. If you want to know for sure (and how old it is/where it came from), CBG will tell you that you need precise caliber measurements and an accurate weight in order to specifically determine what it is. I know this much after seeing lots of other people ask about their cannonballs.

Cool find!

 

[mangum]

With the pictures and the ballpark measurements, you will likely get an idea as to whether or not it's a cannonball. If you want to know for sure (and how old it is/where it came from), CBG will tell you that you need precise caliber measurements and an accurate weight in order to specifically determine what it is. I know this much after seeing lots of other people ask about their cannonballs.

Cool find!

I won't be able to get my hands on any calipers for a while but I would be thrilled to just know whether its a cannonball or not

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Mangum wrote:
> This weighs about 60 lbs (although filled with dirt or something). It is roughly 17.25" in diameter.

Mangum, wrapping a measuring tape around a ball tells it circumference, not its diameter. But you can calculate the diameter by dividing the circumference by Pi (3.1416) -- which in your ball's case equals diameter of approximately 5.50-inches. That seems to more-or-less match up with what we see in your photo of the ball with the measuring tape under it.

But, you are measuring the ball with the tape on top of the rust encrustation, which makes the ball bigger than its "clean" iron surface would measure. You'll need to remove enough of the rust-crust to get an accurate size-measurement.

The 1861 US Ordnance Manual's "Shot Tables" charts at
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm
say a 5.68"-diameter solid iron ball weighs 24.3 pounds. You say your uncleaned 5.50"-diameter ball (which will be a smaller measurement after cleaning) weighs 60 pounds. That is 150% more than it should weigh, and is impossible unless the ball is made of solid Uranium or solid gold. Those metals are about 150% heavier than iron. Lead is about 60% heavier than iron. About.com: http://www.reade.com/Particle_Briefings/spec_gra.html

So, please weigh that ball on a precision Postal Shipping scale (which tells the weight in pounds and ounces and fractions-of-an-ounce), and report the result. That will also tell us whether the ball is solid, or is hollow-bodied and has a rust-&-dirt-clogged fuzehole.)

The only cannonball which is even "near" the same diameter as yours is a Colonial-era French 16-pounder.

 

[mangum]

Mangum wrote:
> This weighs about 60 lbs (although filled with dirt or something). It is roughly 17.25" in diameter.

Mangum, wrapping a measuring tape around a ball tells it circumference, not its diameter. But you can calculate the diameter by dividing the circumference by Pi (3.1416) -- which in your ball's case equals diameter of approximately 5.50-inches. That seems to more-or-less match up with what we see in your photo of the ball with the measuring tape under it.

But, you are measuring the ball with the tape on top of the rust encrustation, which makes the ball bigger than its "clean" iron surface would measure. You'll need to remove enough of the rust-crust to get an accurate size-measurement.

The 1861 US Ordnance Manual's "Shot Tables" charts at
www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm
say a 5.68"-diameter solid iron ball weighs 24.3 pounds. You say your uncleaned 5.50"-diameter ball (which will be a smaller measurement after cleaning) weighs 60 pounds. That is 150% more than it should weigh, and is impossible unless the ball is made of solid Uranium or solid gold. Those metals are about 150% heavier than iron. Lead is about 60% heavier than iron. About.com: http://www.reade.com/Particle_Briefings/spec_gra.html

So, please weigh that ball on a precision Postal Shipping scale (which tells the weight in pounds and ounces and fractions-of-an-ounce), and report the result. That will also tell us whether the ball is solid, or is hollow-bodied and has a rust-&-dirt-clogged fuzehole.)

The only cannonball which is even "near" the same diameter as yours is a Colonial-era French 16-pounder.

Thanks Pete. This piece is at my Moms house & I will not be back there for a month or so. I will be in touch when I can get more accurate weight & size. I didnt weigh it recently) Can you PM me your email address so I can send that info to you? Thanks again!