Banging About - Old Men, 'BB', & 3 Dice in an Ale Flagon:

This is my Christmas Special   - I thought that I should celebrate early - as you never know how things may be later in the year ..

Did I mention that I like Copper and Brass?

Looks like that silver lining could take a second 330 ml bottle..

Repurposed item below - but not extinguished ..

Two different but freshly arrived Copper items - a Repurposed SIMPLEX Fire Extinguisher to use to stand Walking Stick GUNS and other Canes .. (dusty antique Hot-Water Bottles in background (Patina).

and a 'Tavern Gambling Tankard' with three dice in it's bottom

Eight Georgian copper Farthings dated 1799, inset through the tankard sidewall. - I had no idea such a thing existed until I saw this one and bought it ..

- but I do understand this "18th Century" flagon likely was a 'second generation' made at the end of the 19th C by the 'ARTS & CRAFTS' Copper movement based in Newlyn, Cornwall UK. - Either way it's an antique beer sipper with shaky dice in it's bum - encouraging me to drink more beer ..

NEWLYN.

So beautiful before the emmets flood-in & crawl over everything ..

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The 4kg heavy 'Fire Extinguisher' is perfect as a stand or holder for umbrellas and cane stick guns and is looking better after a quick clean-up ..

More Distinguished than Extinguished ..

Yeah - there are still a few things that turn-me-on (even at my age) .. Old Copper & Brass, Gun Stuff, cold beer on hot days, - & Brigitte Bardot movies.

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Further to 'Pocket Pistols' being triggered by loose stuff like KEYS carried in the same pocket .. Here is a sorry tale:

- Getting ready for bed at around midnight I threw my jeans on to my clean clothing pile, in my unlit  bedroom, and thought that I saw a flash of light through the window - so I shuffled the pants around and my parked car again flashed it's lights at me .. Ah said I, one of my eleven keys (police regulation security, doors, approved safe, disapproved safe, transport-lockboxes, ammunition safe etc.) has triggered my remote key fob - then - "Oh feck - does that mean the bloody thing is unlocked?". - Now me being nekkid, in the dark of night - I left the house, without the exterior LIGHT - to avoid partial exposure, 

She's Gone .. aged 91

and, racing like an 82 y.o. - I tripped down the last of three concrete steps - bounced off the car and fell to the concrete.  - Thrown like a wooly ewe, in searing leg pain - I struggled-up from the wet concrete, locked the car, and listing badly, climbed back, into the house - to clean and bandage my skinned knee, - shinbone, - and foot - which did all heal OK after some scabby weeks.

Life is good eh

Season's Greetings

Marty K.

IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY - WE ALL MUST INSIST THAT all NZ POLICE EMPLOYEES QUALIFY FOR, - OBTAIN, AND MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD NZ FIREARMS LICENCE in exactly the same way that we other citizens are required to. - How can NZ Police claim to be SAFE & well trained without achieving a Firearms License?

 

UNDERHAMMER GUNS: The Book and Guns ..

 I hate to ask - But my blog posts are being censored and restricted because of my PRO GUN, pro LAWFUL SHOOTER views - Please share my posts:

First I bought this antique cane gun .. then I got the book by Herschel C Logan from USA ..

I was futilely hoping to identify what I have bought ..

- Well it's obviously an underhammer Cane Gun .. but who made it, and where and when?

The book written in the 1950's is very good in all aspects, including excellent line drawings & photographs - but as the writer explains, most of these, made in America, are 'one-offs' from unidentified makers. - I did find perhaps three examples therein with characteristics that looked vaguely related to mine .. but they each were labelled Unidentified. 

There is not one example in the book of a similar shaped action Palm-Grip to my Cane Gun.

The book outlines three good reasons for building an 'UPSIDEDOWN' GUN:

1/- Placing the hammer near the trigger clears the top face of anything that obstructs the choice of SIGHTS and puts the flash-bang of the ignition blast safely away from the shooters face and eyes.

2/-  Underhammer guns have a much simplified lockwork - with fewer parts - making them much easier projects for home-constructers lacking in machinery. Indeed the cleverest designs use the Trigger Guard as the MAINSPRING to drive the hammer.

3/- STREAMLINING. This design makes the pistol free from snags and readily able to be BOOTLEGGED conveniently into a boot top.

About six years back I admired the elegant J Rock Cooper Underhammer pistol design that has only TWO moving parts ..  https://flicense.blogspot.com/2020/05/j-rock-cooper-pistol-keeping-it-simple.html

I have my eye on a likely future acquisition of a Belgian Mariette Pepperbox Underhammer Pistol - soon I hope ..

An interesting aside is that the current Italian Chiappa Rhino revolvers, - that fire from the bottom chamber .. are said, by many, to be a modern Underhammer Pistol ..

LOW RECOIL is the Main Sales Pitch for the Chiappa Rhino Revolvers:

The future is hard to tell eh,

IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY - WE MUST INSIST THAT ALL NZ POLICE EMPLOYEES QUALIFY FOR, & OBTAIN, AND MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD NZ FIREARMS LICENCE in exactly the same way that we citizens are required to. 

- How can NZ Police claim to be SAFE & well trained without achieving a Firearms Licence?

But Life is Good

Marty K.

HAZARD Cartridges could be Dangerous ..

Old Stuff Comes in mixed Shapes & Sizes Eh

I hate to ask - But my blog posts are being censored and restricted because of my PRO GUN, pro LAWFUL SHOOTER views - Please share my posts:

Both the HAZARD Powder Company and the BARTHOLOW Cartridge Manufacturing Co made 'Waterproof' Cartridges during the American Civil War 1861-65. - These cartridges were an alternative for loose powder and ball and the self contained paper cartridges - and consisted of a conical charge of compressed Black Powder glued to the base of a bullet or ball - sealed with a waterproof coating.

Paper Cartridges were somewhat FRAGILE ..

These waterproof solid cartridges are getting close to being "Caseless Ammunition" and you smart buggers will note that these look a bit like grannies' suppositories.

The black powder typically might be mixed with 5% Dextrin and 5% water (as a binder) or collodion (nitrocellulose used as a glue-binder) before the mixture was compressed into conical shaped molds.

Links to three articles about "Hazard Cartridges" ..

https://cdn2.imagearchive.com/muzzleloadingforum/data/attach/306/306763-Hazard-Cartridge-trimed-for-printig.pdf

https://flicense.blogspot.com/2024/09/hazard-caseless-boolits-4-blackpowder.html

https://flicense.blogspot.com/2025/09/what-load-of-balls.html

Making these convenient-to-use cartridges is an interesting process for the hobby home reloader who can focus and use her or his brains. BUT everyone needs to remember that GUNPOWDER and ammunition factories have a long history of deadly EXPLOSIONS ..

U.S. Chemical Safety Board Issues Investigation Update on Fatal October 2025 Explosions at Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tennessee

Using antique ballistic propellant safely is straight-forward for those of us with an IQ above room temperature - BUT never forget that exactly HALF of humanity - that's 50% - have BELOW AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE.

One: There may be some of you thinking that this "blackpowder stuff" is a load of faffing about and thank gawd for the invention of BRASS CARTRIDGES .. Well, there are very good reasons that this antique mixture of three substances remains in use to this day. - You can DIY when all the factories are empty and closed. You can find the magic ingredients all over the place in garden sheds and garages - and if you have the knowledge, - you'll never feel alone and abandoned again ..

Two: Although gunpowder CAN explode if mishandled in bulk - it is very forgiving when loaded into a gun .. because charcoal gunpowder is such an "inefficient" gas generator (around 50%), it makes pretty low pressures. - If an idiot was to overcharge his pistol or well made rifle with this antique blackpowder - he likely will get-away with a bigger cloud of smoke and a miss on target - because much of the surplus powder will be blown-out of the muzzle due to that 'inefficiency'. - Please DO NOT TRY THAT EVER WITH MODERN SMOKELESS POWDERS AS THEY WILL KILL YOU.

Three: 'Modern' BRASS CARTRIDGES were just as much faffing-about back in the day when they were introduced .. watch this video from 'Cap'n'ball' about how they did it then .. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKfolYV_0Xk

The main requirement to start making 'Hazards' at home is the MOULDS (or MOLDS). - Clever New Zealand folk will be able to 3D-Print their own molds, - as the U S expert does not export. - Another possibility is to machine your own split moulds or maybe adapt old bullet moulds.

CROSSEN Molds:

- OR you might come across some solid brass gang-moulds offered for sale on-line that could be useful 

44/45 Caliber .. 36/38 Caliber Brass Moulds.

- What could a daft old bugger do with these?

The moistened, weighed, propellant/binder mix would be inserted into the mould and pressed-down using a shaped punch - perhaps in a small press.(A brass dowel, flat one end for conicals - rounded t'other for ball) to compress - and then left to 'set' before extracting from the cavities and completely drying, before waterproof coating and gluing to the pill .. sunny window sills are an asset for the happy Kiwi.

I am talking about REAL charcoal blackpowder - NOT substitute nitro propellants.

"Navy" Caliber

The rounded conical form of the powder cake is such that when pushed into a revolver's cylindrical chamber and compressed - it's base is crushed and conforms to the chamber.

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These Vintage Medical Instrument Brass Suppository Moulds were offered on trademe sparking my interest ..

A suppository is a small, solid piece of medicine designed to be inserted into a body opening—most commonly the rectum, vagina, or urethra—(OUCH)where it melts or dissolves at body temperature to release medication. 

Or, - for forming "Hazard" blackpowder cakes to glue to the base of blackpowder balls, improvingthe reloading process by eliminating handling loose powder & ball.

Owning old tech pop-pops and knowing how to use them, makes me feel all cuddly & warm -happy to be alive - and sort of reassured and confident in these 'Interesting Times'.

IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY - WE MUST INSIST THAT ALL NZ POLICE EMPLOYEES QUALIFY FOR, OBTAIN, AND MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD NZ FIREARMS LICENCE in exactly the same way that we fit & proper citizens are required to. - How can police claim to be well trained without achieving the same Firearms Licence that is essential for all fit & proper persons?

Here is a question: Are British, European, & Commonwealth Weapons & nuclear Scientists and Technicians required to obtain a Firearms Licence? - They control awful deadly weaponry. - If NOT .. Why not?

Marty K.