Cutting Gallery 2

Close up of the left side, bottom half, middle third. Close up of the left side, bottom half, rear third. Close up of stem at the rear of the left half of the mortar. This was included and used to grip the mortar. Close up of right side, top half, rear third. Close up of right side, top half, middle third. Close up of right side, top half, front third. Close up of right side, bottom half, front third. Close up of right side, bottom half, middle third. Close up of right side, lower half, rear third. Close up of stem at the rear of the right half of the mortar. This was included and used to grip the mortar. Mold fragment in kiln at 1700 degrees fahrenheit.
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Cutting Gallery 1

Cutting dead head in half. It is not cut on the same plane as the mortar was. The dead head again. It had to be turned over about a third of the way through to compensate. Exterior of the two dead head halves. Surface detail of dead head section closest to mortar. Detail of the top of the dead head. Detail of the top of the dead head. This is the interior of the dead head. The top of the casting is at the bottom of the photo. The end of the first blade for the mortar. I would end up using three for this cut. Another angle of the same time frame. Cutting the mortar in half. Cutting the mortar in half, a few hours in. Last few seconds of the mortar cut. Two halves of the mortar. The top of the mortar is central in the photo. Left side of mortar. Close up of the left side, top half, rear third. Close up of the left side, top half, middle third. Close up of the left side, top half, front third. Close up of the left side, bottom half, front third.
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Cutting Gallery

The dead head is cut in half on a saw. The interior of the dead head is pocked with large bubbles. One gap measures an inch in length. Three blades were used to halve the mortar in a process that took several hours. Above, the first begins its cut. The interior of the mortar reveals more evidence of gas bubbles. The stem where the mortar would be gripped is riddled with small voids.
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Turning gallery

A modern lathe is used to clean the casting. This image was taken after rounding the casting up. Bubbles remain after removing an additional .1”. Pictured here is the most worrisome hole, which is .2” deep.
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Pour test video

Furnace under constructionView video of the pourAt 2:07 p.m. Tuesday, the Founders pushed open the tap hole plug of the furnace and a smooth, red-hot stream of molten bronze flowed into the coehorn mortar mold.

The bronze had melted shortly before, after being heated, slowly at first, through the night and this morning. We won’t know exactly how the casting looks until we dig it up and break away the mold tomorrow afternoon, but the heating and pouring process went without hitch.

A number of folks lent a hand out at the site over the night and today. Thanks to them and all the other tradespeople and others who have worked on the project.

Opening the mold gallery

Cannon and mortar molds were nested in tightly-packed earth to support and insulate the mold during the pour. Suzie Dye exhumes the cast coehorn from the pit. Paul Zelesnikar and Mike Noftsger hoist the coehorn using the mechanical advantage of block and tackle. Mold and mortar are freed from the earth. A still-warm casting is ready to hatch from the clay mold that surrounds it. Founders begin the process of chipping away the external mold. The first glimpse of the coehorn reveals crisp detailing. Separated from the mold, the solid coehorn will next be polished and bored out.
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Making the mold gallery

The clay model is removed, leaving a hollow mold.

At this stage, the clay model and the mold surrounding it are separated, leaving behind the hollow mold. Founder Mike Noftsger begins the deconstruction by tapping out the center spindle as Suzie Dye and Roger Hohensee brace the mold. A cross section of the mold reveals the layers of its construction. Once loosened by the mallet, the spindle at the model's core is released by hand. Skewers which secured the wax model are tugged loose. In the next stage of the model's dismantling, Roger Hohensee unravels the armature rope that was coiled around the spindle. A fire lit below the mold will loosen the model's wax layer. Roger Hohensee positions the barrel. Mike Noftsger goads the flames as Roger Hohensee gauges the results. Roger Hohensee breaks remaining bits of the model's brittle clay loose from the denser mold around it.
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Audio podcasts

Podcasts

Listen to Recreating a Cannon, Part 1

Listen to Recreating a Cannon, Part 2

Listen to Colonial Weapons System

Listen to The Joy of Discovery

Making the model gallery

Founders create a model for the cannon.

Journeyman Founder Roger Hohensee greases the spindle to allow it to be removed from the mold. Journeywoman Founder Suzie Dye looks on. Jouneymen founders Suzie Dye and Roger Hohensee tightly wind the spindle with rope to approximate the barrel's form. Interpreter Layne Chappell assists the rotation. Continuous hammering of tightly-wound rope makes a strong core for the mold. A thick layer of fine clay is applied atop the rope. The clay eventually will support the mold. Any imperfection in the clay will be reflected in the final mold, so founders are meticulous in the application of the layers. When the clay is applied thickly enough, a fire will be built in the box below it to dry the model.
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Wheelwright gallery

The wheelwrights create the carriage and limber.

Journeyman Wheelwright Paul Zelesnikar steadies the board as Master Wheelwright John Boag traces a curve. Apprentice Wheelwright Andrew DeLisle throws his weight behind the saw. In the Wheelwright's shop, the great wheel transmits power to the lathe at the bench. Wheel hubs are one of the principal lathe-turned items of the shop. Apprentice Andrew DeLisle shaves away the excess as the form of the hub emerges. Friction and rotation are the physical principles behind the lathe. Journeyman Pete Zelesnikar provides power at the great wheel. Drilling holes is a process of pressure and persistence.
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