18pdr Gas shell

[Chris Collins]

Hi all,

Ive trawled through many of the threads on restoration.

and have drawn a blank,

I was given many years ago , a Shell head from a british 18pdr
(Gas shell,) it has a bronze/Brass cap, and iron body.. the iron is very pitted, and i will try this Oxcylic acid you all talk about

But where can i buy it in the UK ???.. and what sort of product is it in ??

and also The main thing is the brass cap, she is a beauty, but has crusted dirt and grime on her, and is a mucky brown,

How do i polish this up without using abrasive techniques, ???.. as I have seen some wonderfully restored shell caps on the net.. and allways wanted to get this one looking the same.. surely there must be a way to dissolve the dirt, and polish her all shiny shiny ??

[John Brandon]

Hi Chris
To be honest once the metal is pitted its past restoration, but you can halt it by applying some rust preventer from most decent cars shops

As for the brass. Warm soapy water a tooth brush and a lot of patience, failing that drop it into a bowl of coco cola

see the reaction it gets, then think of your teeth the next time you drink it

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say gas shell?

[Chris Collins]

Well.. to be honest.. thats what i was told when i was given it.. it is my only relic from the Somme. or so i was told.

a reenactor friend of mine gave it too me, and he said it was a gas shell.. personally ... I have my doubts.

i will post a pic soon for your purusal

[Chris Collins]

heres a pic of the rusty lump, as promised
it needs a bit of TLC .... Advice please ???.. is Coca Cola any good for stains and grime as bad as this ????..

[John Brandon]

Hi Chris
I am not an expert on these, i just have an interest. Firstly its not an 18 pounder. And secondly I don't think that it is a gas shell. All the gas shells I have seen or handled have a delicate glass insert inside the shell. This one is designed to "pop". And for the life of me I can't remember the calibre

Loctite Rust remover will seal the shell casing after a stiff wire brush has cleaned off the muck, and yes coca cola works wonders, try it and see. Either that or bi carbonate of soda, and vinegar mixed together, but don't leave it too long

I have attached a few photos, and turned your one around

There is an 18 pounder, a German gas shell and a cross sectioned photo of a few shell heads

Hope this helps a bit

[Steve T]

I would recommend a wire brush attachment on an electric drill, closely followed by a good 24 hours in Hammerite Rust Remover dip (readily obtainable from Halfords), but only submerg the iron, NOT the brass tip.

The brass tip cleans very easily with hot soapy water, then a good going over wilth a very VERY fine grinding paste and a dremmel multi-tool with 'pad' attachment.

Steve T

[appie]

I have got some of these heads in my collection, you pick them up in Belgium and the North of France. Like John said this is not a gas shell, seems to be a British artillery head, cant see the caliber from the pic.
I clean the detonator with a steel brush on a drill, and knock off the loose rust first with a hammer, and apply derust product that will turn it stable, and color it black. If you want to make it looking better you will have to use a filler on the body.
Before I forget, make sure the detonator is not live before working on it. Check if it still has the tube inside, that is strong enough to cause a lot of damage.

[Chris Collins]

Thanks Chaps

Right a bit more info for you .. firstly the markings on the detonator are " 4/18 .... 12.....No94 ... III X and below that a War dept arrow, I enclose a photo of its Inside . it has no tube , and is hollow.. it also has a Joining band near the base, but I know this is not the driving band, More , a sort of weld to another part of the shell head,

any clues as to what it is ??

[appie]

Looks safe to me, maybe its the head of a 60 pounder? What is the diameter of it?

[Chris Collins]

the shell is 95mm /just under 4." diameter,there is a slot in the top of the detonator.I suppose this is used for setting the charge .

it stands about 6.5" tall.

its wall thickness is about 4 to 5 mm..

I am a pretty good judge of size, as My job for the past 10 years has been X-Raying Pipework of Various sizes... (Non destructive testing) .

we are getting closer... ? .. the Truth is out there ,LOL

Any Ideas.. 60 Pounder ??