Ok... look.... can't make this any easier...
I can tell you one this with 100% sureity.
THAT IS NOT A BALL BEARING.
1. A ball bearing this size would be from a race 10 inches in diameter, at the least.
2. Because of the large voids between load bearing balls (at least 1 5/8 inches) , a bearing this size is VERY ineffecient and would not carry the weight you would think.
3. This item does not have a bearing finish.
4. A bearing is hardened steel and would not pit like this. (take your Eswing hammer and bury it for a couple decades, dig it up and see what it looks like.)
If you want to debate the dynamics of Bearing Technology... start a post.
It looks like a grape shot to me. (not canister)
The surface looks 100% identical to the FIVE CANNONBALLS that I have.
Cast iron, ductile steel, iron, steel, silver, gold.... who cares... it's metal.
Anyone know what the muffler spindel bearing on a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E is made from? (<---- there is a joke there if you look for it)
You can "cast" iron and steel... and any other metal that can be melted.
A cannon ball doesn't need anything more than MASS. Whatever was cheap and had weight, but you had to accomplish a couple things which would dictate the metal used.
SOFT metals such as lead would make poor cannonballs- lack of penetration on HARD targets such as a stone fort, or iron clad boat, and soft metals do not make good shrapnal becasue of their burst strength. Doesn't mean you can't make a cannon ball from lead, but hard, semi-brittle cast iron would make a far superior ball.
SO... once again.... GRAPE SHOT... or DECK GUN ROUND.
Below are pics of GRAPE and CANISTER rounds.... there are NO ball bearings large enough to have a ball this size that I could find or I would have posted a pic.
