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Very,very Rare Fuse/Fuze

Bellifortis

Well-Known Member
Also I assume that very, very few people here are interested in such old stuff, I still show for the few that are. Also i consider myself a small expert in the early development of prussian fuses, but i still have a problem with this. It is a fuse for a 25-pounder (stone weight system) shell which has a dia. of 22cm and an empty weight of 27,4kg . The fuse complete has a burning time of 13 sec. In P.1 you can discern the numbers 6,7,8 and 9. I assume thefuse was adjusted to a 10sec burning time by drilling a horizontal hole through. When the fuse was pulled more than 150 years later, it broke off at that spot. The timing rings equal 0,5 sec. P.2 is a view of the other side of the fuse. The reduction of the dia, on the upper third of the fuse, had the following reason. This was the part that stuck in the fuse-hole of the shell. For very short burning times, pieces of "black match" were strung through the horizontally drilled timing hole. The "black match" led the fire to the bursting charge. P.3 : View onto the top. This type of straight, stepped construction one only finds after 1869. P.4 : 2 repro 7 & 10-pounder prussian fuses compared to the 25-pounder. P.5 : Drawing of a 25-pounder fuse model 1851. Here you can see the cutaway construction on the sides of the upper half of the fuse. P.6 : 1855 fuse models. A 255-pounder on the right. These still have the socalled "Cup" with rounded bottom. P.7 : Page from the 1872-1877 prussian technical manual. In the middle the model C 69-23cm is shown. This has the top surface like my item. I assume this to be a 1845 experimental prussian fuse. May be somebody knows more.P.7-(1872-77) C 69-23cm (800x308).jpgP.6-Prussian fuses 1855  (800x533).jpgP.5 -25-pounder Fuse 1851 (531x800).jpgP.4 -7 & 10 pounder comp.to 25 pounder fuse (514x800).jpgP.3 Prussian 25pounder fuse(532x800).jpgP.2 Prussian 25pounder fuse(800x385).jpgP.1 Prussian 25pounder fuse(800x533).jpgRegards,
Bellifortis.
 
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They seem very much like the British fuzes of the same period. Thanks for showing this.
 
Thank you so much for the excellent information.
Here is my Prussian blaster,)
 

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Also I assume that very, very few people here are interested in such old stuff, I still show for the few that are. Also i consider myself a small expert in the early development of prussian fuses, but i still have a problem with this. It is a fuse for a 25-pounder (stone weight system) shell which has a dia. of 22cm and an empty weight of 27,4kg . The fuse complete has a burning time of 13 sec. In P.1 you can discern the numbers 6,7,8 and 9. I assume thefuse was adjusted to a 10sec burning time by drilling a horizontal hole through. When the fuse was pulled more than 150 years later, it broke off at that spot. The timing rings equal 0,5 sec. P.2 is a view of the other side of the fuse. The reduction of the dia, on the upper third of the fuse, had the following reason. This was the part that stuck in the fuse-hole of the shell. For very short burning times, pieces of "black match" were strung through the horizontally drilled timing hole. The "black match" led the fire to the bursting charge. P.3 : View onto the top. This type of straight, stepped construction one only finds after 1869. P.4 : 2 repro 7 & 10-pounder prussian fuses compared to the 25-pounder. P.5 : Drawing of a 25-pounder fuse model 1851. Here you can see the cutaway construction on the sides of the upper half of the fuse. P.6 : 1855 fuse models. A 255-pounder on the right. These still have the socalled "Cup" with rounded bottom. P.7 : Page from the 1872-1877 prussian technical manual. In the middle the model C 69-23cm is shown. This has the top surface like my item. I assume this to be a 1845 experimental prussian fuse. May be somebody knows more.View attachment 143409View attachment 143410View attachment 143411View attachment 143412View attachment 143413View attachment 143414View attachment 143415Regards,
Bellifortis.



Please tell me you no more pages of this book? And a large format of this scheme?
 
Guten Tag,Bellifortis!
I am interested in any materials related to the ammunition and artillery of Prussia, especially the schemes of various fuses. I mostly collect this period)
I would appreciate any information.
I hope that soon I will be able to pick up a wooden tube from a 15-centimeter ball of Prussia. As soon as I do this, I'll post a photo here)
Gr.Fr
 
I assume the fuse was adjusted to a 10sec burning time by drilling a horizontal hole through. When the fuse was pulled more than 150 years later, it broke off at that spot.

Early British fizes were very similar to this, fuzes in this period were cut completely through, not drilled. Drilling at set points was the next development. So the fuze is not broken off, it has been cut deliberately. A nice example, wood fuzes are quite scarce.
 
008.jpg010.jpg012.jpg016.jpg017.jpg020.jpgI have been fortunate to get these boxer fuzes over the years,the ones in packets are American civil war fuzes as is the tallest one, the others are British
 

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That's a very nice collection of 19th century wooden-and paper-timefuses and all in arsenal-stored, best condition. For many years I have been searching for samples like these, but have not even found 1 yet. These wooden and paper fuses can not be found outside. More than 150 years of rain and snow has destroyed all that are in the ground. Even in Museum collections these fuses are very rarely seen here.
Bellifortis
 
Guten Tag,Bellifortis!
I am interested in any materials related to the ammunition and artillery of Prussia, especially the schemes of various fuses. I mostly collect this period)
I would appreciate any information.
I hope that soon I will be able to pick up a wooden tube from a 15-centimeter ball of Prussia. As soon as I do this, I'll post a photo here)
Gr.Fr
Hallo Gr.Fr.,
only just now I read your post. There are quite a lots of Prussian military publications to be found, even online. There are the Feuerwerker manuals : "Ernstfeuerwerkerei fuer die Königlich-Preussische Artillerie" from different years, that give you precise measurements of everything. Then, there are many training books for Officers from which you also can glean a lots of usefull information. If there is anything special you like to know, just ask. Where is the foto of the big wooden fuse you talked about ? I'd love to see it.
Regards,
Bellifortis.
 
Hallo,
i just only noticed your post. You identifie the wooden fuse as a C/69. Because it is in a bad fragmentary condition identification is difficult. In the 2.photo one can recognise a portin with a smaller diameter. If the rest has swollen in dia inside and outside the shell I can not deduce from the photo. If this reduced diameter-portion was already present in the new fuse, than it is not a C/69 but like mine, a fuse that was only used for a very short time around 1851 to make the fire-transfer for extremely short delays possible. But, this construction did not work out very well.
Thank you so much for the excellent information.
Here is my Prussian blaster,)
 
I think these are more popular than you think, just so rarely found that
these are not often mentioned. I have two and that took 50 years to get !
 
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