Found cannon shot

[DEDfish]

Hello New to the forum........atleast to post...I have visited this site many times to check out everyones cool finds.
I live in Columbia SC .....I went detecting today along the congaree river close to where Sherman crossed to take the city .
I dug up a cannon shot ....was basically wondering if its safe to clean it up.......or could it possibly still explode?

I dont have a digital camera...so a pic of it would be slow coming......anyway...I was quite happy with my find today....much better than my weekend at an LDMA camp.......got more rain that gold .

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[misplacedrednek]

That's a good area your in, I just left Sumter and boy I sure miss it. Never found any cannonballs though. Good luck and HH.

 

[birdman]

I have hunted up in that area some. Never found a cannon shot just a few 3 ringers. Cool stuff. Congrats,That place is hunted hard.

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Welcome to the forum and nice find! I'm just not sure what cannon shot is. Can you find a picture on the net and post it? HH, Mike

 

[trk5capt]

DED, Welcome To The Forum Neighbor, BE CAREFUL, Check To See If It Is Solid Or Has A Fuse. I Will Post Some Pics Of What To Look For. If It Is Solid It Is Safe, If It Has A Fuse You Need Expert Help To Disarm It. You Could Check At Ft. Jackson To See If Any Of The E. O. D. Personnel Can Help You Out. If There Is Anything On Your Find That Looks Like What I Have Posted Below It Could Be DANGERIOUS. Keep Me Posted, trk5capt...

 

[DEDfish]

I've been able to clean some of the debris off of it....I dont see and kind of fuse well....it is a ball round....not a projectile like in your pic.weighs a good 20+ lbs....although Im sure thats no indication its solid.......any safe way to clean it up a bit more? alot of debris still on it but I can see the surface of it in some spots. I think I'll go and smack it a few times with my rock hammer to make sure lol j/k :P .

Thanks for the info ...I'll keep yas posted.

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

DF,

sounds like you got a good area to hunt.

Stay safe.

have a good un.........

 

[Burdie]

Great find good luck in the future. HH

Burdie

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

Right and whatever you do, don't just stop by with that thing.....

 

[civilman1]

My Brother and I found some "fused" Artillery round's a while back before we were enlightened on the subject....BE CAREFULL and make sure you know what you have before "playing" around with it.....Gotta see your next post..!!

 

[BuckleBoy]

The last casualties of the Civil War were a couple of kids that found one of those things and decided to play with it. Just thought you might like to know. LOL. Be careful.

Buckleboy

 

[romeo-1]

Cool find...how about a pic?

 

[goldencoin]

its unlikely that it will exploded. it sounds like solid shot, and even if it wasn't, the gunpowder in there would be ruined with water. even if it was a tight seal, it would have expired anyways. but still be very careful. there is a way to mathmaticially calculate if it is hollow of not. just use the formula to figure out the volume (4rpie cubed or something like that...not sure) and then compar it to the reletive wieght of steel.

HH
-GC

 

[BuckleBoy]

Some contractors found a piece of Civil War ordinance under a sidewalk within the last year in Southwestern Virginia. (Blacksburg or Roanoke, maybe?). They closed down the streets and took it to the ammunition plant to detonate it.

 

[DEDfish]

Well...Ive managed to carefully chip away most of the corroded shell around the ball....no fuse well.
Are the fuses normally flush...slightly tapped in....or somewhat protruding out of the ball?
From the pics Ive seen so far I really cant tell............and how better can I clean it up?

Me and my MXT have a nice new spot to explore for awhile now

 

[Postalrevnant]

Welcome to the forum DEDfish. Excellent find.

Rev

 

[trk5capt]

Well...Ive managed to carefully chip away most of the corroded shell around the ball....no fuse well.
Are the fuses normally flush...slightly tapped in....or somewhat protruding out of the ball?
From the pics Ive seen so far I really cant tell............and how better can I clean it up?

Me and my MXT have a nice new spot to explore for awhile now

DED, If You Are Sure That It Is Solid, Here Is What I Do, I Heat Them Up Very Hot On An Old Gas Grill, Use A Small Hammer & A Wire Brush To Knock The Rust And Slag Off While They Are Still Hot, Use Thick Leather Gloves And Metal Tongs To Hold And Move The Ball, Let It Cool Completely, Then Seal It With Polyurethane. This Works On Almost All Iron Relics. Best Of Luck, trk5capt...

 

[roswellborn]

When I lived in Sumter, we learned of an old Revolutionary War battlesite, but could never find it (just one sign on one of the back roads and that was it for directions). I think Cornwallis was there?

With any luck, there's more info about it than there was then (think the '70s).

HH
Nan

 

[viper771]

I have not found a whole cannonball yet, but I would like to see a picture when you get the chance. Sounds cool!

 

[Gribnitz]

its unlikely that it will exploded. it sounds like solid shot, and even if it wasn't, the gunpowder in there would be ruined with water. even if it was a tight seal, it would have expired anyways. but still be very careful. -GC

Wrong, old black powder becomes MORE unstable when it gets wet and dries out. It is probably damp now, and relatively safe but I sure wouldn't want it rolling around the back of a pick up, or go bowling with it. A man who defused these all his life was recently almost killed by a civil war parrot shell when it exploded while he tried to defuse it. Let someone else mess with it and don't take it to the police or the EOD folk if you want to keep it. They will destroy it.

If it is filled with powder, it will have to have a fuse someplace on the outside of it. It might be hard to spot due to the corrosion on it, but it will be there. The solid shot was usually the smaller balls. 4 pound, 6 pound, 12 pound. If it's earlier than the CW, they may have used bigger heavier solid shot, don't know.