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J.G. the magnificent Special user Griffith Indiana 886 Posts |
The workings of the cannonball catch are the basis of the secret to a modernized version of a illusion I have been working on for four years. I know it was first done by John Holtum aka The Cannonball King 1845-1919 with a fifty pound ball. The workings of the trick, I learned in a book once but I forgot which book so I cant find it anymore. That secret is the basis of the workings to my bullet catch. I know what it is but I need to know some math that goes with it.
To find out I need to know what type of cannon it was. Can anyone help me find out what cannon was used and or any documents describing the secret?
Jeremy Gates
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I think Giovanni Baptista Belzoni may have performed the cannonball catch. He died a couple of decades before Holtum was born.
If you are performing a bullet catch based upon the principle used in the cannonball catch, you are courting death. I say this based upon several years' experience loading both blackpowder firearms and firearms that use smokeless powder. There is always the risk of a wild burn, in which the powder burns with greater power than calculations would indicate. Black powder is notorious for this. Pyrodex, which is a very popular substitute for black powder, is even worse. The inventor of Pyrodex was killed in the second unexpected explosion of Pyrodex he was subjected to. It seems to me that once the compound has proved its unreliability, exposing oneself to the same conditions would be considered a D.A. move. In addition to the normal parameters, you have to take into consideration the compression of the powder, slight variations in the barrel, etc.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Donal Chayce Inner circle 1770 Posts |
And that's why I'm working on a Nerf ball catch illusion.
:P |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I'm certainly not trying to discourage anyone from sensible experimentation, but this can be very dangerous. The barrel of the gun involved must be squeaky clean. Ditto the chamber.
And don't get the idea that cutting the powder way down will be the ultimate answer. With certain powders, a low charge can cause an explosion, rather than a controlled ignition. This can cause an unexpected "hot" load. You need to figure the desired velocity of the load. This should be based upon the mass of the bullet as well as the shape of it. A round ball has a different kind of impact than a flat nosed slug. A spitzer or a boattail bullet has a different kind of impact than either of those.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
cairo Elite user 406 Posts |
There is a great depiction of the cannonball catch in the Peter Bogdanovich film The Cat's Meow.
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J.G. the magnificent Special user Griffith Indiana 886 Posts |
Quote: On 2009-06-11 15:57, Bill Palmer wrote:
Jeremy Gates
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Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-09 19:06, Donal Chayce wrote: Why can't we be satisfied with a marshmellow catch? It's good enough for the campfire crowd and should work anywhere audiences gather.
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-06-11 22:14, J.G. the magnificent wrote: I have already told you how to contact me directly. Please do so. I'll tell you where to look, but I need to know more about how much you already know. Posted: Jun 14, 2009 3:11pm Let me add this: I've been involved in reloading for a very long time. I know some of the wacky ways that gunpowders and gunpowder substitutes can behave. To put a list of the books that I either have or have used on this forum would be inviting trouble. Please contact me via the e-mail address I gave you on magicians.com before you make holes in yourself. I can give you information about how to make sure what you are doing is safe, or at least as safe as it can be. BTW, knowing what kind of cannon he used is only a minor part of the equation. The fact is, that it doesn't matter. What does matter is the material the cannonball was made of. If it was lead, the ball would be about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Iron would be almost twice as big as that, assuming that he was actually using a 50 pound ball. So, to do his version, you need a cannon with a bore of about a foot. That's a big cannon. Obviously, he used black powder, and some kind of fuse for ignition.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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