[TM333TX]

I'm very fortunate to have ended up with Guns On Wheels mortar. I went to pick it up from Double D on Friday, and also dropped off his Lapan cannon / carriage that ZULU had. Is there a higher pay grade for being an artillery runner vs just a run of the mill gun runner ?

I'm disappointed not to have taken a few pictures while at Double D's. GREAT to meet him and Jane. We were pretty focused on unloading, loading, and then getting back on the road to home.

Now that the mortar is in my shop, my next adventure begins as there is much work to be done to build the base for it.

 

[double d]

Whew, now I have some space in the shop.

 

[RocklockI]

Artillery runners get more jail time ...IIRC

 

[Essex]

I hope there was a background check done at time of transfer. Not that that would have kept you from robbing the local 7-11 store on the way home. I see a blanket in the back of the truck, tack on another charge for a concealed weapon.

 

[TM333TX]

Hoping someone may be able to offer some insight... the 2 rods on the side of the mortar bed below, what are they used for?

 

[double d]

Raising and lowering the eccentric wheels so the mortar can be trained-aimed. Once the wheel is lowered the levers turn the wheels. I believe these are only found on the 10" and 13" siege mortars and not the 8 inch siege mortar.

8 inch Siege Mortar

Has anybody ever made one of these for cans or golf balls? This is one I took photos of a couple of years ago in Raleigh, NC

www.go2gbo.com

 

[Fredstaple]

Some photos showing this feature

 

[TM333TX]

Hoping someone here may be able to help... I am planning on building a steel bed for the Guns On Wheels mortar. I need "t-bar" for the perimeter of each of the sides. The largest size t-bar I can find is 2" x 2' x 1/4". I am fine with the 2" wide and flange but would prefer thicker - at least 3/8". Any thoughts on a source for t-bar? I have scoured the WWW and made many phone calls and not finding what I want

I have pondered a split H beam but to get a thicker mid section I'd have to buy a monster beam - like 16" wide, and then cut it down but beams that size are too spendy for me. I have also thought about welding 1/4" on top of the t-bar and then cleaning it up to look like one piece.

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. T

 

[zulu]

Could you weld two angles back to back? Or maybe sandwich flat plate between the angles?
Zulu

 

[double d]

I think Dom made a post on doing this a while back.

 

[TM333TX]

I’ve considered back to back angles with flat bar on top. A lot of welding. My thought is to add flat bar to top of t-bar if I’m going to with multiple pieces. But ... I’ve never done this before

 

[zulu]

Trey,
Your last thread was titled "I've never done this before". And look at how that carriage turned out!
You can't use that as an excuse a second time.
Zulu

 

[TM333TX]

That made me laugh !! The fun is figuring each step of the process. Lots of different ways to get to end of job.

 

[TM333TX]

I did manage to drill out the mortar vent for a friction primer. It was already drilled at 7/64”. High anxiety as breaking a drill bit would kill me.

Slow, oil, slow, oil, repeat, repeat. Last pass was a 5mm reamer. Friction primer fits but will be tight once it’s fired. Plan to ream to 5.1mm and call it good.

 

[zulu]

Trey,
Keep in mind that the friction primer hull will fire out of there with considerable velocity. We wouldn't want you to shoot your eye out like your Mother always warned you about. Don't let anyone stand behind the mortar.
Zulu

 

[TM333TX]

Yes, a different angle for the primer exit than a cannon. I'm thinking anyone pulling the lanyard will be off to the the side and any others will likely be hiding behind a tree.

 

[bronzecannon]

Many moons ago, learning what I acquired here on this site, I built a "fuse deflector plate" and I use it for both my soda can and golfball mortars.
It has worked fine for me to deflect blown out burnt fuse.
View photos on the North South Scrimmage Association site for similarly designed deflector plates, (I'm sure they are using it with friction primers there).

http://www.n-ssa.org/

No need for a likely tree, car, van, etc to hide behind.
Just a thought.

 

[double d]

Build a vent shield. You can see them on these two mortars. They are simply a block of wood base with a piece sheet metal in them standing up to block primer as it backs out of the vent.

Her is another made from a piece angle Iron.

and one more.

 

[Ex 49er]

Here is the vent shield I use on my beer can mortar. It is a repurposed reflector from a wall mount oil lamp.

 

[dominick]

When I built the 8" Siege mortar, I didn't use "T" bar. I made the side plates from 10 gauge sheet and welded 1/4" x 2-1/2" or 3" (I don't remember) flat bar across the top and 4" wide across the bottom. I wanted to keep the carriage and barrel light because the owner was storing the mortar in his second floor apartment. Same method I used for the smaller mortars. Here's a link to a video of it. I think this shows the plates. Dom