Cannon ball - how to stop it falling apart?

[J3JCV]

There was a rock pooling session on a local beach due to the large tides, whilst down at the water line pretty much bang on low water we found this cannon ball in its crust, which I subsequently broke off. I remember my dad used to have one in his office and it basically fell apart over time, so I have smothered this in one in grease, but wondered if there was a better solution?

Pendennis castle is in the background of this shot - maybe it came from there.

[1878]

[Monkeylegend]

Shrink wrap it.

[Impasse]

Fire it from a canon. The heat to subsequent expansion and contraction will resolidify it.








This may not be true. But you will have fired a canon!

[glazbagun]

I would imagine that it's corrosion that eventuallybkills these things. Are they just iron? If so then I'd recommend heating the thing up to get rid of absolutely all moisture and then drown it in something like reneaissance wax to stop oxygen getting to it:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

[SystemParanoia]

Vacuum seal it

[markcoznottz]

Balls to you n'all pal 😀

[williamp]

Red braces

1. rockontommy

[poing]

https://youtu.be/W9C8fW2Mz0g

or

https://youtu.be/W9C8fW2Mz0g

[BadBob]

Contact a local museum, preferably (I suppose) one with experience of that kind of thing. I believe they'll have a conservator who will be able to advise you.

[Leptons]

POR 15 it. Just don't get any on your hands. Took me 3 weeks to get it off last time!

[Zad]

Yes, a local museum will be able to put you in touch with a conservator. On one or other TV programme last week they showed a medieval arrowhead that had been excavated, it had to be preserved in resin. They explained that a lot of similar items get dug up, but they rarely last more than a year. I wouldn't be surprised if they recommend storing it in de-ionised water or similar.

[Evolved]

Not what I was expecting opening this thread.

[xRIEx]

Wrap elastic bands round it to hold it together. It has the added benefit of really confusing people when they try to pick it up and bounce it.

[Andy RV]

Soak it in diesel for a few days?

[Phud]

soak it in a bucket to leech the salt out, change water every three or four days for about three weeks, then paint it.

Or go down to seaways diving and ask Colin what he does.

[FraserLFA]

Impasse said:

Fire it from a canon. The heat to subsequent expansion and contraction will resolidify it.


This may not be true. But you will have fired a canon!

I'm not a scientist so trust me when I say this is true.

[silverfoxcc]

This bishop may have something to say about that

[matchmaker]

silverfoxcc said:

This bishop may have something to say about that

As the old joke goes, When the Queen got pregnant they fired a twenty-one gun salute, but when the Mother Superior got pregnant they fired a dirty old Canon.

[BristolRich]

Jenolite?