colored smoke?

Raider2000 · May 25, 2008, 09:52 PM

Hello my friends, My close friend & President of the Hunt club is also a teacher here in Louisa co. Schools & during the football games he's in charge of the cannon.

I've never seen this cannon but I imagine it's be a decent cannon being that he loads it with 3 ounces of cannon powder & a newspaper wad for saluting the beginning/end of the games & if the home team scores.
He told me that this year he would like to experiment with some way to make different colored smoke when it it fired & for the life of me I can not think of anything that he could use that will achieve this..

This is where I come to y-all.

I'm in hopes that some one in here will kn ow how to do this or maybe a sight that can give me the information, I would appreciate it.

W. C. Quantrill · May 25, 2008, 10:57 PM

Let me be the first to tell you that you are begging to get a bunch of people blown to Hell. Jesus, Joseph and Mary--boy, the max load for a 1-1/2" bore, proofed cannon barrel is 500 grains of CANNON POWDER for blank reports. What powder is this joker using in this cannon? Anything but Goex cannon powder is begging for suicide. Every time you go up by one F, you are essentially increasing the pressure again.

THREE FREAKING OUNCES? PLUS NEWSPAPER WADDING? Do you have the slightest comprehension what the chamber pressure in that freaking thing is approaching?

You need to get into the Cannon forum in the Muzzleloading Forum and talk to the guys that have and shoot cannons. They will suggest that your friend be institutionalized probably. Even discussing an unknown cannon that might be homemade or God only Knows what the origin is, is suicide. If you have any good judgement you will avoid all association with that, because when it blows up and kills a whole bunch of people, that way they cant sue you too.

I am setting here beside my 5/8 scale USS Constitution Carronade, which was cast by Hern Iron Works who make most of the cannons in the US at this time. I had John cast a high pressure steel liner in the barrel. The steel tubing liner is good for 15,000 psi, plus I have one bore diameter of cast iron around that. The max I use for blowing holes in an old car body at 1/4 mile is 2 ounces of cannon powder. I'm not just telling you this to hear my head rattle. You have a more than serious liability issue that you are dealing with. The School is facing a multi million dollar liability lawsuit if that sumbich goes postal. Have the cannon inspected then cut the load back to about 300 grains. It will be just as loud.

Joat · May 25, 2008, 10:59 PM

You can try this site www.skylighter.com it is a supply house for build your own fireworks and has a pretty good faqs page (or it used to, I haven't been in a while).

When I was messing with BP shotgun shells I used to use construction marking chalk as filler. It gave a puff of color when fired. (and coated anything down range to boot

)

Joat

Tom2 · May 26, 2008, 07:39 AM

Well they use color inducing chemicals apparently, in military smoke grenades, that have a variety of colors. So that stuff might work whatever it is, to add to the charge. But it sounds like maybe a blank slate experiment if you cannot find someone who has done it before. Maybe colored confetti? Or talk to fireworks folks like the link above? I would think the cannon maker would have recommended charges and I would stick to that, like they said, one bad boom and cannons will be banned in your county!

Hawg · May 26, 2008, 09:45 AM

Maybe this will help. http://chemistry.about.com/od/fireco...loredsmoke.htm

Raider2000 · May 27, 2008, 07:45 PM

OK I've gotten some info on the cannon.

He could not remember the exact makers name but it is a full size replica of a 3 pounder field piece made in Florida & the 3 ounce volume of powder is what is recomended for this particular gun.

May 25, 2008, 09:52 PM	#1
Raider2000 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 719	colored smoke? Hello my friends, My close friend & President of the Hunt club is also a teacher here in Louisa co. Schools & during the football games he's in charge of the cannon. I've never seen this cannon but I imagine it's be a decent cannon being that he loads it with 3 ounces of cannon powder & a newspaper wad for saluting the beginning/end of the games & if the home team scores. He told me that this year he would like to experiment with some way to make different colored smoke when it it fired & for the life of me I can not think of anything that he could use that will achieve this.. This is where I come to y-all. I'm in hopes that some one in here will kn ow how to do this or maybe a sight that can give me the information, I would appreciate it.

May 25, 2008, 10:57 PM	#2
W. C. Quantrill Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2008 Location: No Man's Land Posts: 354	Let me be the first to tell you that you are begging to get a bunch of people blown to Hell. Jesus, Joseph and Mary--boy, the max load for a 1-1/2" bore, proofed cannon barrel is 500 grains of CANNON POWDER for blank reports. What powder is this joker using in this cannon? Anything but Goex cannon powder is begging for suicide. Every time you go up by one F, you are essentially increasing the pressure again. THREE FREAKING OUNCES? PLUS NEWSPAPER WADDING? Do you have the slightest comprehension what the chamber pressure in that freaking thing is approaching? You need to get into the Cannon forum in the Muzzleloading Forum and talk to the guys that have and shoot cannons. They will suggest that your friend be institutionalized probably. Even discussing an unknown cannon that might be homemade or God only Knows what the origin is, is suicide. If you have any good judgement you will avoid all association with that, because when it blows up and kills a whole bunch of people, that way they cant sue you too. I am setting here beside my 5/8 scale USS Constitution Carronade, which was cast by Hern Iron Works who make most of the cannons in the US at this time. I had John cast a high pressure steel liner in the barrel. The steel tubing liner is good for 15,000 psi, plus I have one bore diameter of cast iron around that. The max I use for blowing holes in an old car body at 1/4 mile is 2 ounces of cannon powder. I'm not just telling you this to hear my head rattle. You have a more than serious liability issue that you are dealing with. The School is facing a multi million dollar liability lawsuit if that sumbich goes postal. Have the cannon inspected then cut the load back to about 300 grains. It will be just as loud. __________________ NRA Life Whittington Center Life

May 25, 2008, 10:59 PM	#3
Joat Senior Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: Dayton, TX Posts: 383	You can try this site www.skylighter.com it is a supply house for build your own fireworks and has a pretty good faqs page (or it used to, I haven't been in a while). When I was messing with BP shotgun shells I used to use construction marking chalk as filler. It gave a puff of color when fired. (and coated anything down range to boot) Joat

May 26, 2008, 07:39 AM	#4
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	Well they use color inducing chemicals apparently, in military smoke grenades, that have a variety of colors. So that stuff might work whatever it is, to add to the charge. But it sounds like maybe a blank slate experiment if you cannot find someone who has done it before. Maybe colored confetti? Or talk to fireworks folks like the link above? I would think the cannon maker would have recommended charges and I would stick to that, like they said, one bad boom and cannons will be banned in your county! __________________ Your gun is like your nose, it is just wrong for someone else to pick it for you!

May 26, 2008, 09:45 AM	#5
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	Maybe this will help. http://chemistry.about.com/od/fireco...loredsmoke.htm

May 27, 2008, 07:45 PM	#6
Raider2000 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 719	OK I've gotten some info on the cannon. He could not remember the exact makers name but it is a full size replica of a 3 pounder field piece made in Florida & the 3 ounce volume of powder is what is recomended for this particular gun.