How do you preserve cannonballs?

[GarrettG1993]

While tilling up a garden my father dug up a 6 pound cannonball in his backyard, in Mount Pleasant, Texas. You see during the war Mount Pleasant served as a suply depot for the Confederates. Sadly the whole North East side of town, I.E. the depot, is now developed into housing. The cannonball has been sitting on his mantle for some 14 years now. Its condition is not deteriating, but I thought it would be best to preserve it just incase. Now for the burning question. Does anybody know how to preserve a cannonball?

Thanks,
Garrett Glover
1st Texas Light Artillery
Battery K

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Several of us do but we need to know what you are working with prior to giving any advice. Is it solid shot or a shell? (Is there a fuse or any kind of plug?) Some pictures or line drawings would be great.

[65thgainf]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Look for a mold seam for a Confed. ball. If solid shot, look up electrolysis on the internet. If it has a fuse - it should be disarmed only by a professional.

[Jimmayo]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

If it is like other iron items I have seen dug from the dry dirt of Texas you have to do very little. Wire brush the loose dirt and scale from the ball and spray it with satin finish varnish.

Of course if it is a shell or case shot you should have it unloaded first.

Borrow or rent a metal detector and check the yard. If the ball was dropped and not shot, there may be more.

[August77]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

There are professionals out there that will do the "dirty work" for you. I certainly would not try to disarm any shell if you do not know what you are doing or do not have the tools to do it, i.e. a drill press that can be controlled remotely. More than 140 years later Civil War ordnance is still injuring people, as was the case of Lawrence Christopher and his grandson of Dalton, GA just last year. And just as sad as the human injuries were, this incident ended up in the Dept. of Defense taking all of his other original shells and destroying them.

I would check out Harry Ridgeway's site for more info on disarming and preservation:
http://www.relicman.com/artresto.htm

Another good source is the Civil War Artillery site run by expert Jack Melton:
www.civilwarartillery.com

Good Luck!
Bill Lomas

[33rd VA Co. H]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

If it's a solid shot (no fuse) you can and should clean it yourself. Like Jim said... a good bit of the relics coming from Texas soil need nothing more than a light cleaning. A stiff bristle wire brush will take care of most of the rust. Coat it with Tongue Oil and let it dry for a few days on some newspsper. If it is really crusty, you will probably get the best results with electrolysis by either using a 12volt battery charger or the zinc/lye method.

IF it is fused, you should not try to clean it yourself. There are plenty of folks that will do it for you for a nominal fee.

If you have any questions regarding any of this, send me a PM and I'll get you headed in the right direction.

[KevinInDel]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

You got some good expert names there, but missing a good one: Pete George. I wonder if he is even still around? He did one for me, a 42 lb Confederate shell that still had the wooden fuse intact.

Kevin Mulrooney
Newark, Del

[GarrettG1993]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

It is a 6lbs. solid shot. I will have pictures by the end of the week.

Thanks,
Garrett Glover
1st Texas Light Artillery
Battery K

[sam.p]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Before you try anything yourself make sure it is solid, if not get an expert. However, if solid, an alternative electrolysis uses sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) instead of sodium hydroxide. I have used it with very good results.
See details at : http://www.civilwaroutpost.com/6.html.
Also, this method uses hot wax as the final coat instead of tung oil. IMHO, I think the wax looks better than the tung oil. Also, if you use microcrystalline wax, the finish is super stable.

Cordially,
Sam Patterson
Douglas, Ga

[33rd VA Co. H]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Since it's solid shot.... definitely clean it yourself. Regarding the link posted above.... it sounds like the guy who wrote it has a few of his processes mixed/combined. Regarding his instructions to heat loaded shells.... well you can take that for what it is.... pure stupidity. I'll give you a brief rundown of what you want to do to clean it yourself.

First you have the option of using the zinc/lye method. This method does not require electricity. Simply use a 5 gallon bucket filled with enough water to cover the shot.... add a bottle or two of lye. Take a good amount of zinc and either rubber band it to the shot or place it on and or as close to the shot as you can get it once it's in the solution. Be sure to wear a pair of rubber cleaning gloves when messing with this solution or you'll wish you did. This method takes the longest but by far gives the slickest results. Regarding the zinc you should use.... if you have old mason jar lids... they work great. Probably the best source of zinc is your local boating supply house. The annodes used on motors, outdrives and hulls are usually pure zinc and will work like a charm. Combine everything and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. It will eventually "hatch" meaning the rust comes off like an eggshell usually leaving slick metal underneath. You'll be surprised how good it comes out.

The other method requires a 12 volt battery charger and works much faster though it doesn't usually give quite the slick results and you have to drill a hole in the piece. (only large items to be cleaned) The previously posted link does a decent job of describing how to drill and tap a very small hole for the insertion of a threaded brass machine screw or bolt. Regarding the use of copper in the electrolysis process... I advise against it for the very reason the link states. It imparts a copper color to the cleaned item. It may take a little searching but I strongly recommend stainless steel... either sheet or otherwise. You could use spoons and forks for smaller items but for a larger item, you want a good sized piece of stainless. For the electrolite solution... you can indeed use baking soda,...salt or several other mediums. Baking soda is probably the best for this method. To set everything up... you basically drill and tap the piece to be cleaned.... add a generous amount of baking soda to water and start placing the pieces. Hook an alligator clipped lead to the brass you've threaded into the shot and place it in the bucket. Get the stainless steel as close to the shot as you can without them touching.... connect the other lead to the stainless steel which should stick up out of the solution and plug the charger in. That's about it. If you've got a good connection... you should see bubbles coming from the solid shot. If you see bubbles coming from the stainless steel.... you've got your leads backwards. This method should work in as little as a day or two but it sometimes takes longer.

Regarding final cleaning.... definitely give the piece a very good rinse in clean water. Since it is a solid shot... you can heat it in the oven for a while to remove all the moisture that will be trapped in the metal pores. Afterwards... give it a light coat of tongue oil. It will soak into the pores and the remaining oil will wipe off. You can wax it like the link states but I don't think you'll like the results....I have and I didn't. Probably the best thing to treat it with is Tannic Acid but it's a little hard to come by. Do a google search to find it.
It really is as simple as that. If you need any further instruction... I'd be happy to help.

[sam.p]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

The link does not recommend heating a live shell. It is heating a disarmed cleaned shell. The final step is heating the disarmed cleaned shell so the wax may be applied. If you have never cleaned a shell, the lye method is very dangerous. Be aware that zinc combined with sodium hydroxide will produce hydrogen gas (remember the Hindenburg). In addition, the pH of lye (sodium hydroxide) is around 13, so disposal is a problem and actually a legal problem (see CFR 40). The sodium bicarbonate method works well and is safe.

Cordially,
Sam Patterson
Douglas, Ga

[VaTrooper]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

I've dug two 12lb solid shots in the last 6 weeks and cleaned them both up pretty nice. I heated them up and used a hammer to tap off the bigger chunks of rust, used a wire brush to get some of the smaller pieces of then some fine grit sandpaper to smooth them out. To keep them pretty I put a couple coats of olive oil on them then followed up when dry with a clear coat of polyurethane.

[33rd VA Co. H]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

The link does not recommend heating a live shell. It is heating a disarmed cleaned shell. The final step is heating the disarmed cleaned shell so the wax may be applied. If you have never cleaned a shell, the lye method is very dangerous. Be aware that zinc combined with sodium hydroxide will produce hydrogen gas (remember the Hindenburg). In addition, the pH of lye (sodium hydroxide) is around 13, so disposal is a problem and actually a legal problem (see CFR 40). The sodium bicarbonate method works well and is safe.

Cordially,
Sam Patterson
Douglas, Ga

This is cut and pasted from the link.

If the projectile is a solid shot or an unloaded shell, don’t worry if it gets overheated. Just let it cool down and reheat. However, a loaded shell should be monitored closely as they could explode (although I have not heard of this happening there is no use in taking chances).

You're correct about the hydrogen gas production but it is minor and is not much to worry about. I've done it and seen it done for years. You just don't perform the operation in an enclosed area and you don't smoke around it. As far as disposal.... well I figure that just depends on where you live.

Bill is also correct... I've got friends who have cleaned heavy iron pieces with a torch and hammer and it works pretty well. If you want to try even more interesting ways of cleaning.... Muratic acid can be used on certain items. A lot of HOW you decide to clean an item depends on the condition the item is in to begin with.

[VaTrooper]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Muratic acid can be used on certain items.

My high school chemistry teacher recommended this after I showed him my first shell but after trying it on some frag's I wasn't really impressed. But it's pretty cheap and can be picked up from most Ace Hardware's around here.

[Steamboat Willie]

Re: How do you preserve cannonballs?

Perhaps I may add a different perspective....

The sole premise of preservation is to save an artifact but alter it minimally, if at all. An item once altered cannot be reversed. An item once damaged, cannot be fixed.

Hammers, chisels, various acids, and heat will all alter the conditon of the cannonball. All will remove rust and dirt in the short term. Still we must consider the long term effects. It is important to ask these questions before proceeding on any item:

Will this alter the item from it's original condition? Is the item now susceptible to greater damage due to the treatment? Is it in the best interest of the artifact to simply leave the item alone?

At the Arabia we have a very simple process for cleaning metal. We gently pick away any excess dirt with a dental pick. If the item is exceptionally fragile, we will take a soft pink pencil eraser and gently " erase" any rust. Yet we are careful not to remove all the dirt and rust.

The worst thing than can happen to a metal item is to place it without cover in an environment that is both humid and oxygenated. Unless the soil that the cannonball comes out of is extremely alkaline or acidic, the dirt will act as a superb barrier to further damage. Even in less than pristine environments the chances are greater that a guy with a chisel will do far more damage than the soil anyway.

The final step at our museum is to coat all iron items with tannic acid, a thin black liquid that acts as an oxygen barrier. In theory, tannic acid is a completely reversible product as essentially it's a concentrated tea.

The overall philosophy is to tred lightly, impacting history as little as possible, thus saving the history for future generations. Using more permanant options crosses the line from preservation to restoration.

This is not meant to be a diatribe, nor am I claiming to be the bastion of preservation. Still, it is important to slow down a little when dealing with irreplacable artifacts. Rather than ask " Can we do this" perhaps we can ask " Should we do this".

Just a thought from a person of little consequence.