15' ball

[emike123]

Dave aka "Bart Jr Question Man": 5,7,10,15 and 20 seconds

There may be more, but you tired me out. I have to nap now.

[joevann]

Gunners had the authority to pull the paper fuzes and cut to any desired burning time, according to "Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy"

[CarlS]

In support of Joe's mention of fuse cutting, there is an image of a fuse cutter in the back of Chuck Jones' book.

[Garret]

Dave,
Is the ball from the Charleston area?
Garret

[divedigger]

No

[Dave the plumber]

          thanks Mike !!       
      Joe V., that was the exact answer to a lot of the questions. So there was no mealed powder or packed powder, just a paper time fuze. Thanks for the input !!                  Mystery semi -solved !!   [ semi 'cause why the length of the long fuzes, and what were the paper time fuze lengths in them ?? ]     
       Carl, I own that fuze cutter in Chuck's book, and if you would ever get your butt over here, you can see it for yourself !!

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

So we all agree that the longer adapter contained just one longer paper wrapped time fuse?
These must have been a special made fuse just for this application.  Yes David it is a driven mealed powder fuse.
Joe, so you reckon the gunner would pull the lead seal and quick match, using the small spanner and remove the water cap, push the paper wrapped fuse out of the adapter, cut it to length then reassemble the adapter, minus the lead seal, screw it back into the shell; all in a gun room full of smoke and in excitement of getting another shot away?  I guess it is possible but it doesn't seem to be a good idea.
Cheers,
John
 

[Selma Brooke Gunner]

     ok then another mystery appears. I have a complete copy of the 1860 navy ordnance instructions and Joe is correct. Yet, in the photo of Mike's fuze it shows something that appears to be powder.
     Of the paper fuzes that I have here none of them give that appearance, even the ones that are in fuze holders. Sometimes, I have found in my research that things were done and tried back then that now make no sense to us.
     It would make no sense to me to have a gunner aboard ship to spent the time to pack a wcf with powder on top of a fuze. They would not have any idea what the time of the fuze would be. That is why I suggested that it could have be something done at a laboratory so that the time of the fuze may have been known.
     Like I said earlier, just a thought.

[divedigger]

These are the fuzes, with the cardboard protruding, and no lead safety caps on any of them. Probably longer because the fuze is longer. Or maybe it was a tried experiment that made no difference. Either way it certainly generated some conversation.

[joevann]

The paper case fuzes in Navy Water Caps ARE NOT of Frankford Arsenal construction.  They were made at the Ordnance Lab at Washington Navy Yard.   Attached is a blurb from "Ordnance Instructions"  Make of it what you will. 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

"These fuses", Joe can you give us the lead in paragraphs that might identify which fuses?
John

[joevann]

C'mon, John, I sent you a digital copy of the whole pub.  It's the navy water cap, of course.  What else have we been talking about?

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

I was hoping for introductory paragraphs, not for myself but for members who may not have the reference.  Personally, I find these excerpts difficult to read. Not all of the members have access to such a vast library as yours. Cheers, John
 

[Aquachigger]

That thing turned out great Dave. Congrat's!

[scottfromgeorgia]

Excellent preservation work, Dave. I wish the archeologists could see work like yours.