[meteorite-list] Whatsit--Cannon Ball and Brass Monkey
From: EL Jones <jonee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:00:12 2004 Message-ID: <3D46C159.6040205_at_epix.net> <html> <head> </head> <body> <font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><big>If the size/diameter was ever mentioned I missed, it if it is 2.5-8 inches, it looks like a cannon ball, naval perhaps-- that was stacked exposed to salt air too long. I've seen "regmaglypts" in iron artifacts stacked in such a manner. Corrosion/rust tends become most severe along contact points due to a meniscus</big></font> effect. Old grapeshot in canasters can also have similar depressions along contact points.<br> <br> As a side story -- On British ships-of-the-Line, cannon balls were stored in brass racks called brass monkeys. Racks were necessary to prevent the balls from rolling around freely. Brass was the metal of choice because of it's corrosion resistance to salt. Attached to the rail were cast brass orbs which interlocked with the iron balls such that the cannon balls could be stacked geometrically in stable piles. When the temperature in the hole/magazine was very cold the brass orb was easily snapped off whilst handling the heavier iron balls--Hence the origin of the term "Cold enough to break the balls off a brass monkey"<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:20020730061506.17818.qmail_at_web10308.mail.yahoo.com"> <pre wrap=""><br>--- Michael L Blood <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:mlblood_at_cox.net"><mlblood@cox.net></a> wrote:<br></pre> <blockquote type="cite"> <pre wrap="">Hi all,<br> As a dealer, I get all kinds of offers to buy the<br>"meteorite" someone<br>found.<br> Just for yuks, whadda yall think THIS is?</pre> </blockquote> </blockquote> <br> </body> </html> Received on Tue 30 Jul 2002 12:39:53 PM PDT |
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