Antique Powder Canister ? - 24hourcampfire

I've been told that this large copper canister was originally used to store black powder. Haven't been able to confirm that, but if any of you good folks on the Campfire know about these old containers, I'd appreciate the info.

Shown with an 8 lb jug of Varget for comparison:

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Thanks, Guy

No idea...but it is one of the more interesting items to grace these Fora.

Spittoon?

Antique? Which one the copper one or the 8 lb'er of Varget?

Originally Posted by Featherweight6555

Antique? Which one the copper one or the 8 lb'er of Varget?

That’s what I thought. Anyone can see that antique container had 8 pounds of Varget. That copper thing is nice too.

Originally Posted by Featherweight6555

Antique? Which one the copper one or the 8 lb'er of Varget?

BwaHaHa! Ya, I knew someone would comment on the Varget. I was fortunate enough to buy a couple of those not long before the "shortage" got going in earnest. I think the price tag on it is under $200. Ah, the old days...

Thanks, Guy

Any residue visible?

I can’t help you with its origins but I can say that it is quite a nice antique piece of history and cooler than hell! The value of the copper alone has to mean it’s getting close to being worth as much as that jug of Varget?

I would think if black powder has been stored inside it you would be able to see the residual it would have left behind.

Probably not a good idea to check for residue with a match.

That much black powder would make a hell of a bang

How does the lid seal?

Uh..no. Black powder was stored in wooden barrels. They knew from first hand experience the pitfalls of static electricity and metal containers.

Explorers sometimes carried black powder in lead drums. The drum was melted to make balls. 1 drum had approximately enough lead to use the same amount of powder it held. Static isn't a problem with lead.
I know that Lewis & Clark carried their powder this way.

Cool.

How did they seal the lead barrels?

Cool copper container.

Originally Posted by Szumi

How did they seal the lead barrels?

Cool copper container.

Any relationship with copper clappers ??

Originally Posted by Szumi

How did they seal the lead barrels?

Cool copper container.

Corks and wax. I found this quote. The article says that they were completely submerged for some hours and stayed dry.

Quote

n Philadelphia in May 1803, Lewis ordered 52 lead canisters specially made to carry and protect the expedition’s gunpowder. None of the original canisters is known to exist.

At Fort Clatsop on 1 February 1806, Lewis wrote:

Today we opened and examined all our ammunition, which had been secured in leaden cannesters. We found twenty seven of the best rifle powder, 4 of common rifle, three of glaized and one of the musqut powder in good order, perfectly as dry as when first put in the canesters, although the whole of it from various accedents has been for hours under the water. These cannesters contain four lbs of powder each and . . . 8 of lead. Had it not have been for that happy expedient which I devised of securing the powder by means of the lead, we should not have had a single charge of powder at this time. Three of the canesters which had been accedentally bruized and cracked, one which was carelessly stoped, and a fifth that had been penetrated with a nail, were a little dammaged; these we gave to the men to make . . . dry; however exclusive of those five we have an abundant stock to last us back; and we always take care to put a proportion of it in each canoe, to the end that should one canoe or more be lost we should still not be entirely bereft of ammunition, which is now our only hope for subsistence and defence in a rout of 4000 miles through a country exclusively inhabited by savages.

As it turned out, they had more than enough to get them home. Lewis could even afford to give a couple of pounds of powder and some lead to two trappers he met coming up the Missouri River six months later, on 12 August 1806.

In addition to powder and lead, Lewis bought a supply of “fixed ammunition”—prefabricated paper cartridges each containing a lead ball and enough powder to fire it. These were intended for use in the smooth-bore muskets, but they were hard to keep dry; the paper often soaked up moisture and dampened the powder inside.

Here's another good article about how Lewis and Clark hauled their powder. LINK

After a little searching, I did find a number of copper black powder cannisters. Also, copper was commonly used for powder flasks for carrying in the field.

Great thread, enjoyed the Carson/Dragnet post also.