Maniac Mechanics

Several months ago, I stumbled across a machined steel cannon barrel at a yard sale.  I quickly made it mine.  Just, recently, I have overcome the main stumbling block that prevented any work- the hardness of the steel.

As I bought it, the steel the cannon was turned from was incredibly hard.  None of the drill bits I had on any speed would even bite the metal.  I decided it was time to try and anneal the steel.

I built a fire in the forge and put the cannon over it, with firebicks all around.  The polished surface readily showed the temper colors that appear on steel heated to a few hundred degrees.  The point is not to make the steel glow, but to blue it.

This was successful.  With the steel annealed, I was able to drill the vent hole and two shallow divots that provided support for the trunions, which were later welded in place.

The steel has turned a nice dark color.  I like it.

 This is one of the wheels in progress.  I turned some wood "hubs," drilled holes and inserted wooden dowels.  The next part will be the actual rim.

 This is the carriage propped up slightly.  It will actually be about 2.5x higher.  The wheels will be about 7" in diameter to give a sense of scale.

 You can see the vent in this photo.

More to come!  The carriage will be completed and stained soon.  Come back and check soon.