"Ideas for Making Your Cannon Really Fire" Topic

I'm currently casting 40mm Prince August SYW/WSS soldiers for an imaginations campaign a'la Grant or Featherstone. I'm planning to run this at my local shop. Most of the gaming there is typically Warmachine/Hordes, Fantasy/40K, or X-wing. I hope to introduce a little more variety.

To offset the minimalist Old School type terrain I thought it would be fun to have the cannon actually fire (just some flame and smoke, no projectile).

So here's my question: has anyone done this before and how did you do it?

I've done some research and have actually produced a firing cannon in the past. I opened up a small fire cracker and used the components and fuse in an old drilled out metal GW Empire cannon. This was fairly successful (it worked about 60% of the time), but the process of losing it was time consuming and a little risky.

I've considered using a fuse and flash cotton. It seems safer, easier, and with the smaller 40mm Prince August cannon, more doable. I'm unsure if there'll be enough smoke. I don't want tons of it but I do want some. It's an eighteenth century artillery piece after all.

I'm also considering casting multiple barrels for "reloads." Also I'm putting into the rules that is your cannon is a dud then you really did misfire this turn.

The first time you cut loose grapeshot against an opponent at point blank range and scortch his figures, well, I sure do hope you're fast. And heaven help you if any of your scenics are flammable.

What could possibly go wrong?

Lol. Minimal terrain and no projectiles. And all the toys will be mine I'm afraid. Eastern NC is a wasteland for historical gaming. A lot a good gaming buddies just not a lot of history (so far).

I would not recommend taking the products of your research with you in carry on luggage flying to Historicon. Just a hunch.

Fredericksburg is only 5 hours. I usually drive. Maybe some day I put on a participation game with pyrotechnics. ;)

30+ years ago, a cousin of mine figured out a way to make an Elastolin cannon fire a matchstick. He did so successfully, but the matchstick "bouncing" on my felt table top actually ignited and the felt started to smolder.

the guns will also emit tiny amounts of toxic crap.

Actually, I had (and probably still have somewhere) some 1/35 scale Civil War-era cannons made by Britains that use a spring to shoot little projectiles. I was old enough that my mom did not actually say, "you'll put your eye out", but I was young enough to hear it anyway.

This sound really dangerous. If you want "smoke" why not place a few small water trays around with water and a small amount of dry ice, a little experimentation should give you the proper "fog of war". True you won't get a flash and a bang but it seems a whole lot safer.

Actually, I had (and probably still have somewhere) some 1/35 scale Civil War-era cannons made by Britains that use a spring to shoot little projectiles

I had them too. Earlier Britains artillery (and other) used pot metal ammunition. My Mom quickly confiscated the ammo.

link

Please video your efforts for posterity!

Reminds me of a local public transport safety campaign.
youtu.be/IJNR2EpS0jw

Putting my sensible hat on for a moment, I'd just go with cotton wool. Simple and effective I think.

Well there's the quintessential "You'll shoot your eye out."

The flash cotton appears pretty safe. Magicians use it a lot from what I've read. It'll be easier to get into the 1mm bore.

Oh. I have Company B's 28mm colonial train too, BTW. I'll keep PSA in mind. 😁

In my childhood I wanted to produce a flash of smoke when my spring loaded cannons fired. So I would load the cannons with shot (a ball bearing, piece of matchstick or similar) and then pour in a small amount of talcum powder. When the guns were fired they produced a satisfying puff of "smoke". There wasn't any flash but it was and is infinitely safer than using actual black powder. It worked with 54mm cannons and I can't see why it would not work for 40mm guns if they are set up for it.

Cheers,

TW

You used to be able to buy cap firing cannons from museum gift shops etc…

Just curious, where in eastern NC? Mind you, I live in NYC but have been hitting the Outer Banks in the summer almost every year since '76.

I have no idea (outside of illegal chemistry) how you might get the "explosion", but you might want to consider a "Vaper" (E-cig) for massive amounts of smoke?
Readily available with 0 mg Nicotine! :-)

On the nostalgia side, both Marx and MPC also used to produce spring-loaded toy cannon which fired plastic projectiles. The Marx cannon came in the Alamo and Zorro play sets, but there may have been others. The MPC cannon were included in bags of American Revolution and Civil War soldiers (both grossly inaccurate!).

So here's my question: has anyone done this before ?

Yep…
link
..twice :-)
link

If your REALLY serious, check out the madness from this remarkable dealer: pocketartillery.com

Considered this for "Funny Little Wars," but to date have thought better about it.

Oh, and Nnascati! Unless, of course your "friend" wanted a chance of starting a fire, REAL toy soldier players use HEADLESS matches. They work like a charm in 54mm spring loaded artillery, capable of remarkable range and accuracy, and are a staple of FLW.

TVAG

Stalwart, is this you? YouTube link

For my HG Wells little wars games I shoot throat culture swabs out of my naval guns. No matches. On some of the Britains guns you can put little percussion caps like we used to shoot in pistols.

Tassie:

That's a great idea. I just want the smoke and flame essentially and I'm NOT planning to use any black powder.

vtsaogames:

I live on the outer banks between Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle. My family owns a motel so we get plenty of tourists. Not usually any wargamers though :(

Pauls Bods:

That was GREAT! Exactly what I'm looking for (but without the flying artillery piece). What did you use for your powder?

TVAG:

The pocketartillery.com was cool. I'm also working on some 54mm "toy" soldiers from Prince August as well. With your rules BTW.

Waco:

?!? LMAO! I'm hoping to keep my eyebrows with this project though ;)

I used the gunpowder from fireworks.
I´ve got an Idea to make a "live" firing Version of an 18th/19th century gun using an old 54mm gun carriage. I´ve already made a larger (ca 1:6) test version but the carriage is quite crude. Makes a hell of a bang though :-)

Cool. That's what I did years ago when I first tried it for my Warhammer Empire army. Those cannon had a much wider diameter though. I was able to drill out the bore with a 1/4 inch bit! That was when GW used lead in their miniatures so it was a lot easier. I lined the bore with some brass tubing and it worked fairly well. Just working with the fire crackers was a little tedious. I'm looking for something where I can "pre-load" separately cast barrels and just switch out barrels during the battle as opposed to reloading during it.

You could , for pre-loading, go with either the System used on medieval Serpentines /veuglaires that used a chamber;

Might Look a bit odd on an 18th Cent gun, or, a bit more complicated, a rear part the gun, from the cascable to just behind the trunnions that could be unscrewed ?

Oh, I remember those Marx spring guns! Not just Alamo and Zorro: the AWI and Civil War sets had them too. Block trail if I remember correctly.
But there was a spring howitzer in the US Army set, and when they started making proper Germans, I think you could get a spring 88. The other nationalities just sort of petered out: you could buy bags of 100 Japanese, British, Russian or French if you hit Kresge's on just the right day, but there were never proper sets with tanks, planes and guns in the Sears Christmas catalog.

But someone else made a smaller spring-fired howitzer in a softer plastic. I had a jeep to tow it of the same stuff.

I've spent a smallish fortune on proper wargame gear which will never give me as much pleasure.

Have you considered using the paper cap rolls for toy cap pistols?

When I was a boy, I had a "Kentucky Long Rifle" toy gun from Disneyworld that fired cork "musket balls." You'd ram the cork ball down the barrel with an actual ramrod, tear off a single paper cap and place it on the "pan", cock the hammer, hope the cap stayed in place, aim (ha!) and fire. The gas traveled through a hole in the pan to the barrel, and had enough force to drive the cork ball out a good twenty feet or so. And was about as accurate as you'd expect.
Alas, they no longer sell this gun.

You know, the paper cap idea is interesting. Powder and wadding in one just need a fuse.