PREPARE to FIRE!!!

Now yes, I am aware that "pirate" stuff is somewhat problematic here, however this item is now part of my Tiki Bar, and causes much interest amongst the habitués. I found this at a weekend market, and at first thought it might be a fibreglass movie/stage prop, but was surprised at how very heavy it was. It's definitely solid metal.

Okay, so now it needed a sailing ship type gun carriage to be able to be displayed properly. A bit of research on the net, few hours work with wood, some serious bashing with a chain for "weathering" and some wood stain and here's the finished product.

For those of you wondering, yes it has been fired (long story!) and works well, although now that I live in town it is restricted to a little powder and fuse only. Impressive noise and smoke!

"It's been fired" How you gonna say this and not tell the story? Is there video?

Some sound advice: NEVER let Army blokes drink FAR too many Mai Tais in your Tiki Bar where they can see a piece of potential ordnance at hand. You will end up out on a shooting range, in real fear that you may very well see your newly found focal piece and its carriage shattered to a million bits in a monumentally disastrous attempt by four "big kids" to fire the thing! Thankfully all went well. No photos unfortunately.....Army property and I was a civilian. Not even sure the Army blokes were authorised to be there, or doing what they were doing.... Where they obtained the required black powder I thought best not to ask, specially since they gave me some to use later. Purely for effect I hasten to add. I think my neighbours might take some exception to having cannonballs shot through their walls ....however small those balls may be.

Looks like fun to me LOL Any history on the cannon? Where it came from etc?

It's really a bit of a mystery. Asked the owner of the stall where I found it and all he knew was that it had come from a large collection in a deceased estate. Nothing else. To me it LOOKS a bit Spanish just going by the decoration but that's about it. As mentioned above it is VERY heavy and solidly cast so it seems unlikely that it's a movie prop. It's also scientifically authentic in construction, with those three bracing girdles around the end of the barrel to resist the stress of firing.

[ Edited by TIKIGIKI on 2022-09-15 18:57:41 ]