Cannonballguy, Re. Mill Balls

[pistol-pete]

Thanks so very much for the info on the Mill Balls, very informative. Here are two balls I've had for about 60 years, and have no idea if they are cannon balls or ?? Can you shead any light on them?. The first two pics are the same ball. ]We have talked before about some cartridges and this is where my expertise or lack thereof lies, not in big stuff. Hope you'll be interested in future conversations along these line. Thanks in advance. "want to be friends"?

 

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[creskol]

Hopefully Pete will chime in on these. Sorta got buried, so bumping back to the top.

 

[CC Hunter]

P.C.G. (Professor Cannonball Guy) is a wealth of knowledge regarding 19th century ordinance, and proper identification.

Thoughtful bump Creskol


Here's an old thread from "The Best of TreasureNet", regarding cannonballs and/or milling balls.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/best-treasurenet/30838-679-cannonballs-found-9.html


CC Hunter

 

[oldsalty19]

no help on those but Happy Holidays

 

[tennessee digger]

Can't help but will help keep it at the top. Pete will know something about it. Tennessee digger

 

[aquachigger]

Just looking at the shot tables pretty much rules it out as a cannonball. The diameter and weight must match and be listed there. Here's the link...
Cannon bore, shot, and shell diameters for smoothbore guns

 

[got2dig]

Pete, you may just have the old ball but not the chain?

 

[pistol-pete]

Thanks guys, had them a long time and i't hard to let go of the thought that they were cannon balls. SURE would like to know what they could be

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Pistol-pete wrote:
> Thanks so very much for the info on the Mill Balls, very informative.
> Here are two balls I've had for about 60 years, and have no idea if they are cannon balls or

??
> Can you shead any light on them?.

First... please pardon the delay in replying. I've spent the past several days in trying to get a severe roof-leak remedied.

As I,indicated in the discussion about Mill-Balls, there are literally multi-millions of large metal balls which which were manufactured for "civilian" purposes rather than as artillery projectiles. Some examples:
Mill-Balls
Ornamental-ironwork balls (gatepost and fence tops, etc.)
ball-bearings
Industrial machinery Counterweight balls
gate-counterweight balls
Sports Shot Put balls
Check-Valve balls.

Also, as Aquachigger and I previously mentioned, we cannonball collectors use the USA and CSA Ordnance Manual's super-precise size-measurements (diameter and weight) to tell us with certainty whether an iron ball is an artillery ball or a civilian-useage ball. www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

Your 2.235"-diameter iron ball is within the correct size range (2.22"-to-2.26" diameter) for a civil war era 42-Pounder cannon's Canister ammunition. (Canister is a shotgun-load for cannons.) But, your 2.235" ball's weight is significantly lighter than it should be, for a solid (not hollow) iron ball. The Ordnance Manual's Shot Tables chart says it should weigh 1.5 pounds (1 pound 8 ounces) -- but you say yours weighs 1.14 pounds (a smidge above 1 pound 2 ounces). That is 6 ounces too light. Something doesn't add up. We'll have to figure out the discrepancy.

You say the other ball weighs 5 pounds zero ounces, and is 3.45-inches in diameter. Also, you say it has a hole which is patched with lead, and another hole which was 1/2-inch in diamter and about an inch deep. Like your other iron ball, this one doesn't match up with anything in the Ordnance Manual's Shot Tables. Still, I'm curious about it, because its weight indicates it is not a Solid ball, and it has that "odd" 1/2 wide 1-inch deep "patched" hole. I'll talk to you some more about it in a Private Message.

 

[pistol-pete]

Update on small ball

Cannonballguy......Typo on the small ball... The weight should be 1 Lb. 14 Oz Here is a photo of some of my stuff. Not rare but don't see them much anymore. Fuses