More DIY driving bands

[Fred]

I recently acquired a 6pr shot which I suspect was an incomplete factory reject. I replaced the driving band with a simple method and was so pleased with the result that I thought I should share it here.
I cut two strips of copper approx. 1.2 mm thick and wrapped them around the groove. The outer strip was made slightly wider than required to allow for trimming later and great care was taken to make the join as neat as possible. They were overlapped so that their joins were staggered and then soldered in situ. This was done with a small propane torch and I used flux cored electronics solder which I think will be less corrosive to the shot body than acid flux. As the copper cools it shrinks more than the steel so the band pulls in nice and tight. I was then able to tidy up the band and profile it on a lathe using very cautious light cuts to avoid peeling off the bands altogether. You can see that the result is pretty good and although there was just a small mark where the join was, I copper plated it so that it is almost invisible.

Obviously this method should only be attempted if you are sure that the projectile is free from explosive.


fred

 

[RichardB]

Very neatly done, great craftsmanship.
do you have more photos during the process?
Rich

 

[Fred]

Sorry, I don't. I wish I had taken some photos but I didn't expect it to turn out so good!
Fred

 

[hangarman]

Very neat Fred.

 

[Andysarmoury]

Well done it looks great, i am in the process of doing a 18 pounder, i have hammed a strip of copper round, but just need to get it welded up then pop it in a lathe
cheers
Andy

 

[smle2009]

Well done it looks great, i am in the process of doing a 18 pounder, i have hammed a strip of copper round, but just need to get it welded up then pop it in a lathe
cheers
Andy[/QUOTE

Ah that explains where the lightning conductor went from the local church then :wink:

 

[Andysarmoury]

Well done it looks great, i am in the process of doing a 18 pounder, i have hammed a strip of copper round, but just need to get it welded up then pop it in a lathe
cheers
Andy[/QUOTE

Ah that explains where the lightning conductor went from the local church then :wink:

Bugger you noticed ,:wink:

 

[hangarman]

Well done it looks great, i am in the process of doing a 18 pounder, i have hammed a strip of copper round, but just need to get it welded up then pop it in a lathe
cheers
Andy

Hi Andy, I struggled to get mine welded and ended getting it silver soldered. It works ok but guess it needs to be polished to hide the join, The 18pr is just too much of a heat sink. Good luck with your quest..
Cheers
Gary

 

[Andysarmoury]

Hi Andy, I struggled to get mine welded and ended getting it silver soldered. It works ok but guess it needs to be polished to hide the join, The 18pr is just too much of a heat sink. Good luck with your quest..
Cheers
Gary

Thats the only trouble Gary you need so much heat, i dont think i will be doing anymore, will let you know when its done.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Fred]

Yes, applying enough heat is a problem, that's why I used soft solder. Once the band is fitted I don't think it will be subject to any stresses so this should be more than strong enough. I used a propane torch with a narrow flame so that the heat was directed at the copper rather than the steel. The whole thing took a long time to cool down.

fred

 

[2pounder]

You could try araldite under the annealed band and ensuring the ends are clean and form a very good fit together, pull it tight with a jubilee clip while the glue goes off. then when really off remove clip and lightly hammer the ends to close up the gaps then gently turn on a lathe, sharp tool, light cuts so as to NOT generate any heat.

 

[Ginawilson]

Thanks for the tip. I have a number of 20 pdr he projectiles that were never used and disposed of as scrap..the driving bands have been removed from oll of them. I will give your method a bash

 

[Andysarmoury]

Finally finished the drive band after plenty of hammering, my ears are still ringing, i didn't need to solder the join as it was a good fit and then turned it in the lathe, and was well pleased when finished as cant see the join.
Andy

 

[DICKAREN]

Great job Andy.
Richard

 

[hangarman]

Looks Great Andy, I have another one to do, might try getting a length of copper, rolling it into a circle and welding the ends together. Make it slightly undersize and heat it up to expand it and shrink it into place. Tried getting the band welded in situ last time but the shell acts too much as a heat sink....
Cheers
Gary

 

[Andysarmoury]

Thanks Gary, and good luck, keep us posted on the outcome
Cheers
Andy