What is this brass thing?

[SG500]

I thought I'd posted this a while back but can't find it.
What is this small brass thing?
Its 5 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter.
All empty and inert.
Dave.

 

[SHAKY]

I have a similar device that screws into the fuze well of a 1896 12pdr shell. The inside piece has a stub of the "flash tube?" still attached. Yours seems to have been broken or cut shorter.

 

[SG500]

Has anyone out there got a drawing of one or a sectioned one that they can post please?
Thanks.
Dave.

 

[Dronic69]

HI Dave,

John Bartleson (aka Bart) is the man for early British fuze drawings.

Actually - I have seen any posts from Bart for a while now...................

Cheers
Drew

 

[Alpini]

as Shaky wrote, it's not a fuze itself - I don't know how it is called, but it's the upper part of a shrapnel flash tube:



And it is not as old as it looks because Vickers merged with Maxim Nordenfelt to V.S.M. in 1897.

 

[SG500]

as Shaky wrote, it's not a fuze itself - I don't know how it is called, but it's the upper part of a shrapnel flash tube:

View attachment 82245

And it is not as old as it looks because Vickers merged with Maxim Nordenfelt to V.S.M. in 1897.

Brilliant, thanks Alpini that's a big help.

Dave.

 

[SHAKY]

On most diagrams I see for British shells they call it the "central tube". Flash tube I had seen as a part in fuzes. Same function basically.