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"Color of Austrian Artillery Barrels" Topic


14 Posts

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3,020 hits since 9 Jan 2013
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Comments or corrections?

HandLCreator09 Jan 2013 9:58 p.m. PST

What was the color the barrels? I thought they were painted black?

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Dave
ABQ

Meiczyslaw09 Jan 2013 10:44 p.m. PST

I'm looking at the old Artillery Equipments Osprey, and they're of the opinion that brass barrels were left bare and polished in peacetime, and dull in war. Iron barrels were indeed painted black to prevent rust (and constantly repainted in the field).

Brass was favored because they were lighter, but apparently everybody fielded a mix of brass and iron.

von Winterfeldt10 Jan 2013 12:00 a.m. PST

brass

Larry R10 Jan 2013 6:08 a.m. PST

I've always gone with black unlike the other nations I where I use brass. Don't remember the source why I did it though. I know Osprey Napoleonic Artillery book shows black.

yorkie o110 Jan 2013 9:41 a.m. PST

I painted mine black too….

Clay the Elitist10 Jan 2013 9:59 a.m. PST

They were ORDERED to be painted black. So…do what you want.

Meiczyslaw10 Jan 2013 10:25 a.m. PST

I've always gone with black unlike the other nations I where I use brass. Don't remember the source why I did it though.

Because you had a choice, and it looked better with the carriage colors. wink

Or Clay is right, and somebody decided that the brass should be painted, too, even though they don't need it. Austrians are not remotely my specialty.

If the Osprey book is right, the only nation that had a different color at all was the British (of course), who mixed red with black to get sort of a chocolate color.

marshalGreg10 Jan 2013 3:02 p.m. PST

I paint my 3pdrs black since they were typically older equipment maintained under the older order to paint black, was most likely iron anyway and helps differentiate from the 6pdrs at 15mm and smaller scales.

Rudysnelson10 Jan 2013 3:58 p.m. PST

Captured brass cannon could be melted down and recast into a barrel size that would hold the new owner's ammo. Iron cannon could not be resized.

I read a few accounts many years ago, that stated that 'rewards' for capturing brass guns was more than iron guns.

14Bore10 Jan 2013 4:42 p.m. PST

If we only still had a Austrian Artillery expert on staff.

SJDonovan10 Jan 2013 5:28 p.m. PST

Dave Hollins may be gone but his ghost lives on in this link:

TMP link

I'm pretty sure he is the contributor going under the name of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I suspect he gives about as definitive an answer as you are going to get on the subject (and to paraphrase the answer it is 'you pays your money and you takes your choice')

It is also discussed here:

TMP link

HandLCreator10 Jan 2013 8:22 p.m. PST

Great, so one or both will work…

Thanks I feel better. :-)

von Winterfeldt11 Jan 2013 8:40 a.m. PST

No need for an Austrian artillery expert, Summerfield explained it nicely in the second thread and Klein shows especailly the change of shiney bronze during a campaign developing in a more darker "greenish" colour.
It can be clearly seen on this print, compare to the black of the iron parts of the guns and you will see the difference.

picture

14Bore11 Jan 2013 2:26 p.m. PST

My comment was not about any other persons, many who give answers perfectly suited to the subject. It was only a sad reflection on the people no longer (but still living) with us.

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