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Bomb civil war

Yes, Cobb County sometimes still gives up some nice CW relics due to construction and development. I found my first relic ever in Cobb County at age 13 in 1969. It was a shell frag from a Hotchkiss Artillery Shell. That is what started it all for me. Thanks for posting this Draco.
 
Rick W said:
I have unloaded several Parrot shells that I dug years ago, but after an "expert" blew himself up in Richmond, I decided not to do it ever again.
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Yes, I remember this. Very sad. This gentleman was defusing a shell in his driveway, something he had done many times before, when this one time something went terribly wrong. The blast killed the well known relic hunter and collector, and sent a piece of iron shell frag through the front door of a house a half mile away.
 
Confetrit said:
Yes, I remember this. Very sad. This gentleman was defusing a shell in his driveway, something he had done many times before, when this one time something went terribly wrong. The blast killed the well known relic hunter and collector, and sent a piece of iron shell frag through the front door of a house a half mile away.
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Now that's sad.
Those were black powder charged weren't they?
Surprised the powder was still good.
 
I knew Sam we went to the same place in Richmond Wayne’s detector shop he was always at the civil war shows selling relics . I spoke to the guy who found him not a way to die . It shook the local relic hunters pretty bad . Most people unloaded shells remotely when drilling but Sam didn’t that time for some reason got in a hurry or lax in safety
 
IDB said:
I knew Sam we went to the same place in Richmond Wayne’s detector shop he was always at the civil war shows selling relics . I spoke to the guy who found him not a way to die . It shook the local relic hunters pretty bad . Most people unloaded shells remotely when drilling but Sam didn’t that time for some reason got in a hurry or lax in safety
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I went to Colonial Heights a few weeks ago and went by Wayne's shop, but he was closed. I think he has experienced some health issues, like most of us have. I bought my favorite machine from him years ago. Still have it.
 
Odanscoils said:
Now that's sad.
Those were black powder charged weren't they?
Surprised the powder was still good.
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Yes sir, if the fuse is still in place the black powder in the chamber is still dry and is still dangerous. They become unstable and dangerous when trying to drill out the fuse. One has to know what they are doing each step of the process. The gentleman that was killed was familiar to this process, and had refused many artillery shells in the past, only this one time something went wrong and cost him his life. I personally would not attempt this on my own.
 
IDB said:
I knew Sam we went to the same place in Richmond Wayne’s detector shop he was always at the civil war shows selling relics . I spoke to the guy who found him not a way to die . It shook the local relic hunters pretty bad . Most people unloaded shells remotely when drilling but Sam didn’t that time for some reason got in a hurry or lax in safety
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Unfortunately that is what happens at times. Sometimes folks get too lax, and things become too routine. It was a shame about your friend. I would have liked to have met him.
 
Confetrit said:
Yes sir, if the fuse is still in place the black powder in the chamber is still dry and is still dangerous. They become unstable and dangerous when trying to drill out the fuse. One has to know what they are doing each step of the process. The gentleman that was killed was familiar to this process, and had refused many artillery shells in the past, only this one time something went wrong and cost him his life. I personally would not attempt this on my own.
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I would think a seasoned de fuzer would have done this remotely. Drill press with a drive on the feed.
Being trained in EOD. Sons 4 generation.
I'd if drilled an 1/8" hole then soaked it for weeks.
Just thinking out loud.
I believe I've read a similar process.

And yes. Sorry about your friend.
Good friends are so hard to come by.
I've lost quite a few now.
 
I would soak shells underwater for at least 2 weeks in a plastic 5 gallon bucket, standing them upright with 1/2" water over fuse plug. I had a Black & Decker cordless drill with a variable speed trigger. The lighter you pulled the trigger, the slower the bit turned. I took a very small bit first and very slowly drilled down through the fuse hole, allowing the water to seep into the hole as I went. Then,, I would increase bit diameter up to the size of the fuse hole. Then flush the sludge out with water until most was gone..
 
Confetrit said:
Yes, I remember this. Very sad. This gentleman was defusing a shell in his driveway, something he had done many times before, when this one time something went terribly wrong. The blast killed the well known relic hunter and collector, and sent a piece of iron shell frag through the front door of a house a half mile away.
Click to expand...
Yep I remember reading about this. ☹️
 
Rick W said:
I would soak shells underwater for at least 2 weeks in a plastic 5 gallon bucket, standing them upright with 1/2" water over fuse plug. I had a Black & Decker cordless drill with a variable speed trigger. The lighter you pulled the trigger, the slower the bit turned. I took a very small bit first and very slowly drilled down through the fuse hole, allowing the water to seep into the hole as I went. Then,, I would increase bit diameter up to the size of the fuse hole. Then flush the sludge out with water until most was gone..
Click to expand...
There is a Mr. Phillips who has done some very nice videos on Utube showing his drilling process for defusing CW artillery shells. He has a pretty elaborate system set up to where he does the drilling at a safe distance away, and is out of the small building where his press is set up. He is well known and has literally refused hundreds of artillery shells. This is pretty cool to watch.
 
Before the tragic accident in Richmond, a guy in Dalton, Ga also had one blow on him. It didn't kill him but he did have some very serious injuries. Later North South Trader Mag, published an article about that. They were saying that under certain conditions a gas develops in the shell that causes the explosion. They maintained that the explosion wasn't as big as if the black powder had blown, but it was still large enough to send fraqs some distance away. It's been some time since I read that article so I hope I have quoted it accurately.
 
Rick W said:
Some of the shells will "burp" when you break into the cavity. That will usually cause you to poop in your pants.
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😳😳😮😮😬😬💩💩
😂🤣😂
 
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