Ideas for cannon ball extraction?

[coldsteelva]

How about liquid nitrogen poured into the ignition hole? The ball's mass would shrink faster than the cannon bore and may slip right out.

 

[npalen]

How about liquid nitrogen poured into the ignition hole? The ball's mass would shrink faster than the cannon bore and may slip right out.

Now we're getting down to the cold hard facts!

 

[GeneV]

I'm just here to say that "I inherited a cannon", not something you hear every day. Is the powder breach loaded? If not, hell charge it up and fire that effer! That will free that ball...or mushroom out the barrel, send shrapnel flying everywhere, just epic!

 

[scaredychicken]

Okay, I get it the expanding foam / insulating foam (we have used it at the back door to seal off drafts) is a bad idea. Fair point.
Yet the ball is still in there, and at one point it seemed to me like a possible option to aide in the problem solving. Oh well.

Yea, that’s a terrible idea. That stuff is horrible to clean up and it wouldn’t work anyway. It doesn’t make a lot of psi expanding.

I wasn't at all thinking of PSI or the clean-up mess ... I was thinking of it as a seal to produce suction and hopefully continue to inch the ball along, as it was moving at one point.


it is likely stuck in the gunk / blemishes behind it, rather than the gunk in front of it

What got me to thinking about expanding type foam is the stuff they inject under concrete slabs to raise and level.

bingo - expansion and loosen
still a bad idea, at this point

 

[Alien]

Big rope over a tree and tow it up with the tractor and drop it on the end of the barrel on some concrete. I'm sure that woud jar it out real quick. Take the barrel off the carriage first.

 

[jmc]

The problem with the many "drop it on the muzzle" suggestions is if whatever is interfering with the ball doesn't give way, the contour of the ball at its equator cause significant wedging forces.

 

[Egon]

Since the op has drilled into the lead ball threading in a coarse lag screw should give a point to pull from.

If excitement is wanted a little gasoline or propane down the ignition hole with a long fuse may be considered!!

 

[CADplans]

If excitement is wanted a little gasoline or propane down the ignition hole with a long fuse may be considered!!

This thread is worthless without excitement!!

 

[Root Cause]

if the Op wants to resolve this issue, he has long abandoned this thread. Lots of expensive or bad ideas (mine included). There are a lot of smart folks here but the reason for these rotten ideas is because it truly is a difficult problem to solve. It would be a great question to ask if you were interviewing an engineer or a problem solver but sucks if you happen to own the problem.

 

[Doughknob]

…. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

lawsuit? How so? Who sues whom? Person who does what some internet forum member says? I doubt that. Else there would be no such forums.

 

[Doughknob]

if the Op wants to resolve this issue, he has long abandoned this thread.

he just posted yesterday

 

[Ortimber]

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has been recommended.

Can you somehow use a pressure washer in the flash hole?

 

[Doughknob]

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has been recommended.

Can you somehow use a pressure washer in the flash hole?

We do not have that power.
been suggested….
lol

 

[alexpops]

At this stage (depending on how close the ball is), get a cheap harbor freight drill, bore through the ball, run a toggle bolt on threaded rod through it attached to a slide hammer & whack away to extract. The lead will deform & allow the ball to pass. THEN use a cylinder Hone on extension to clean everything up.

 

[Root Cause]

he just posted yesterday

I was making a point that if he takes all the time to read these ideas, he won't have time to actually work on it. It was in jest for pete's sake!

 

[Doughknob]

I was making a point that if he takes all the time to read these ideas, he won't have time to actually work on it. It was in jest for pete's sake!

Who is pete?

 

[bcp]

Who is pete?

Pete's sake?

He's the importer of Japanese rice wine.



Bruce

 

[Diggin It]

I bought a bit and some toggle bolts the other day, then I found a bit I had that was roughly 5/8 but more important, maybe 12/15" long... started looking for my extension, and when I found it, noticed it had a wood boring bit.

So, I've got a wood boring bit (the kind that pulls itself into the wood) Milwaukee 1/2" right angle drill and an extension that just happens to let all this work.


The ball at one point, rotated WITH the bit. So the ball was rotating in the bore. I'm feeling this is good as it's not bound. So I start pulling the bit out. I get shavings crawling up the extension then...

The ball is still stuck in the bore BUT it's much closer to the exit.

Since the bit is embedded into the ball and this is a tractor forum .....

Stand the big brass boomer boomer on the hind end, supported appropriately. Secure the chuck back onto the bit ... drill motor not needed. Lash a chain or steel cable around the bit, below the chuck. Hook the other end to your FEL and lift. Assuming the big brass boomer weighs slightly more than the small, apparently lead ball .....