Cannon Ball Question

[jmarkitell]

A local fellow brought in what he said was a cannon ball that was dug up from the Bushy Run Battlefield in Western Pa, the site of a British/Indian skirmish shortly before the Rev war. The ball is not magnetic and weighs about 6 Lb and 12 Oz. This gentleman claims he and his father used a metal detector to find it (before the site prohibited their use). The ball feels a bit soft, almost like hard rubber or lead, but it is too light if it was 100% lead. The ball is about 5 inches in diameter and has no markings other than a circular rusty mark. My fingernail doesn't leave a permanent mark and a pin can be stuck in it, so I'm unsure if it is a true cannon ball...any suggestions?

Jim

[colmurph]

[quote=jmarkitell;435575]A local fellow brought in what he said was a cannon ball that was dug up from the Bushy Run Battlefield in Western Pa, the site of a British/Indian skirmish shortly before the Rev war. The ball is not magnetic and weighs about 6 Lb and 12 Oz. This gentleman claims he and his father used a metal detector to find it (before the site prohibited their use). The ball feels a bit soft, almost like hard rubber or lead, but it is too light if it was 100% lead. The ball is about 5 inches in diameter and has no markings other than a circular rusty mark. My fingernail doesn't leave a permanent mark and a pin can be stuck in it, so I'm unsure if it is a true cannon ball...any suggestions?

Jim[/QUOT

Definitely not a cannon ball. Cannon balls were made of cast iron and you wouldn't be able to stick a pin in one. Cannon balls ARE MAGNETIC and were never made of lead. Lead was too valluable for use in casting musket and pistol balls and would never have been used for a cannon ball. A 5" cannon ball should weigh about 32 lbs. This guy is probably trying to blow smoke up your 4th point of contact.

[revwardoc]

I agree with colmurph. Using a lead cannon ball would've been totally impractical since the intense heat generated by a pound or more of black powder would've melted parts of the ball and seriously marred the cannon barrel. Even Rev War grenades were made of iron.

Some movie companies made fake cannon balls out of hard rubber strickly as a prop and never fired. Was a period movie ever made in that area? If so it could be a lost prop.

Also, maybe they found a 5-pin bowling ball that someone tossed away.

[farmboy]

How is lead going to damage steel?
Or any metal harder than itself?
Just curious.

[82Rigger]

farmboy,

The high heat and and pressure would cause lead to become soldered to the bore of the cannon and make it difficult if not impossible to re-load.

Duckpin bowling balls are hard rubber, have no finger holes, weigh 2 to 4 pounds, and are 5 inches in diameter.