"What color are Bronze Cannon in the Field?" Topic

OK this is a old favorite, what color do you paint your bronze guns. I was thinking of brass, with a corrosion wash. From what I have heard, the gun crews did not polish their guns in the field, as the glinting brass, drew the eye.

Any opinions?

--Tom

I paint them Ral Partha bronze. It appears like brass with black wash or ink.

That makes sense – gun crews on campaign had better things to do than polish gun barrels

Didn't a lot of them get painted black ? In the US, anyway. Less maintenance and shine to give it away.

Bronze???….

Actually they polished barrels to a high sheen, even in the field. The guns were their pride and joy. Iron barrels were painted black.

"From what I have heard, the gun crews did not polish their guns in the field, as the glinting brass, drew the eye. "

I've never read anything like that. Bluebottle's take, I have read, and read often. It's as common a practice as officers making their men polish their rifle barrels and metalwork. A clean gun is more likely to operate well.

In the darkest days of the Confederate army, officers still made their men polish their weapons, if only to maintain pride and discipline, or just to keep the men occupied. Artillery officers were no different.

I don't think bronze barrels were painted. The heat from firing them would quickly make the paint peel off anyway.

Got the info about painting black from a reinacter at Ft. Tejon. They had a small howitzer/mountain gun, I believe ? Oh well

I'm looking for a source I read. I think it was in "In Camp and Battle with the Washington Artillery"

Iron guns were often painted as they tended to oxidize worse than bronze guns. Mountain guns of the 19th c. were often iron, since they could be made with thinner walls and thus were lighter than similar bronze guns.

I always painted my iron guns (3" ordnance, 10# parrots, etc.) black and the napoleons brass colored.

Wolfshanza, many reenactors settle for iron replicas of guns that were originally bronze, such as 12-pdr Napoleons, 6-pdr guns and 12-pdr mountain howitzers. More than one artillery reenactor has streatched the fact that since some guns were painted black (specifically iron guns) his supposed bronze gun could have been painted black also. The credo of the poorly researched reenactor is "If the could have done so, they would have!"

Yea, I think the gun you saw at FT Tejon was some form of reproduction. They must have painted to look like the real iron guns. Kind of odd if it was really bronze, though. The material is much more expensive and heavier than a iron tube.

The gun was bronze or brass (highly polished). The gunner said it was supposed to be painted black but it looked too good and shiny, so they didn't. This was a few years ago. Never really thought about it 'till this thread ? <chuckle>

I'm sure there are as many reenactors who know just enough to be dangerous as there are gamers.

I cannot think of any good reason or historical instance for painting a bronze gun. Since hiding a 12-pound Napoleon with cassion pulled by 6 horses would be kind of tough, I don't think worrying about having a shiny barrel would ever be a concern.

Regarding weight, iron has a weight of .260 pounds per cubic inch, and brass [Cu3Zn2] (rather than bronze), using a copper-zinc-tin mix of around 60%-39%-1% would have a weight of .307 pounds per cubic inch. So not actually that much more for brass/bronze, only around 15%, well worth the longer life.

Ever see a wargamer paint his ACW bronze gun barrels a light green, because that was what he saw at Gettysburg or other Parks?? I have ,on more than one occasion, seen it. Now ignorance like that is both fixable and forgivable, on the other hand stupidity is not. Thankfully, most of us are in the ignorant group!!

Mine are bright and shiny. I start with a Bronze base, add a nice black wash and highlight with pure gold. The end result is a shiny gun, glinting in the sunlight, daring the enemy to take them out. I do add a little black MIG powder to the touchhole and muzzle to simulate the soot accumulating when firing.

Remember your crusty sergent is going to find something for the gunners to do in their off duty hours and what better than polishing that bronze.

We've had the arguemnt on the 18thC and Napoleonic Boards about AUstrian bronze guns being painted black because that's what was done to metal work – sorry gentlemen my guns remain bronze.

So its seems the shiny brass is the answer. Thank you all

Iron guns were painted to prevent rusting. Bronze doesn't rust. If not kept polished it develops a thin green patina, such as seen on guns left sitting out on battlefields or town squares today. But I'm sure that any battery that had at least one NCO left kept their guns polished.

I paint my bronze guns for the battlefield.
Shiny at the causable merging to sooty black at the mouth.
Looks like they've fired a round or two.

Of course, the gun CARRIAGE was painted the same regardless of what the barrel was made of.