For additional information see:
Historical Aspects and Black Powder Manufacturing
Harry Ridgeway's information on disarming

The Preservation and Hazards of War Between The States Artillery Projectiles

I have been a relic hunter and collector of War Between The States relics for over 35 years now.  My interest and specialty has always been artillery projectiles and preservation.  This came about because in the beginning I was lucky enough to find a few good projectiles.  I was also fortunate enough to meet and become friends with the late Tom Dickey, Sr.  Without Tom, whose extensive work and interest in projectiles educated us all, we would know very little about most of the more obscure types.  Most of those who have been involved with artillery projectile collecting, both today and in the past, are directly tied to the hobby because of Tom Dickey.  A consequence of my collection efforts has been that I have learned many ways to defuse shells, and preserve iron, wood and leather relics with a good degree of success.  In that time, I have experimented with a wide variety or preservation techniques and have observed many other collectors and museums in their efforts.  There is no absolute one way to preserve relics, all methods are experimental.  Many of these techniques have failed in stopping the inevitable deterioration of iron projectiles, and yet they are still in use today by both individuals and museums alike.  The techniques and ideas that I will be discussing are those that I have found to be successful in drastically slowing or totally stopping deterioration of iron relics.

First and foremost, DO NOT attempt to defuse a War Between The States shell.  Unless you have positive proof that a shell has been properly unloaded, assume that it is live.  These shells CAN explode.  They will explode underwater, and they will explode unexpectedly when being drilled.  The only attitude to take when unloading shells is to assume that they are going to explode while drilling, whether underwater or not.  The black powder inside a War Between The States projectile does not go bad inside the shell and in some cases it is more potent today than when it was manufactured.  Within the last ten years there have been at least six instances where shells have exploded while being unloaded.  The only way to unload a live shell is by remote rig, and this work should be left to others.  Even shells that appear to have been unloaded can sometimes pose a threat if that unloading was done improperly.  Air pockets are often present inside shells and these can cause damage similar to a powder explosion.  There are collectors out there who know how to properly unload a shell, and you should contact them for this service.  Don't risk your life and limbs over a old rusty piece of scrap iron.  I honestly feel that due to the people attempting to improperly unload a live shell, we have yet to see the last casualty of the war.

The use of polyurethane or paint has always been a common method of projectile preservation.  These methods are only slightly better than no preservation at all and I do not recommend either.  If polyurethane works well on a shell, then that shell probably does not need any preservation at all.  Polyurethane only serves to provide a hard outer casing on a shell, with which to hold it together, and it also traps moisture inside.  While the shell may look great in the beginning, polyurethane does nothing to actually preserve the shell and in most cases it will continue  to deteriorate from the inside out.  After some years have passed, your shell will probably still fall apart in large chunks.  Again, polyurethane may work well initially, but it is not preferable for long-range preservation.  Along this same line is the use of paint.  Many collectable shells have been painted black in order to mimic their original appearance.  This does nothing to preserve the shell and is frowned upon by collectors since it gives the impression that the shells' owner may be trying to hide some shell repair or misrepresentation.

There are basically two steps taken in order to preserve a War Between The States projectile: stabilization and preservation.  Stabilization is accomplished through the use of electrolysis of which there are two types: fast mechanical cleaning and slow sulfide removal cleaning.  Mechanical cleaning is really just an extremely fast version of the slower type electrolysis where the sulfides are mostly extracted from the shell, and the outer coating of rust and oxidation is removed.  Mechanical cleaning uses a higher current, whereas slow electrolysis uses low current.  Generally, slow electrolysis is used on large objects or more heavily oxidized and damaged relics, whereas mechanical electrolysis is usually more along the lines of being an overnight process, slow electrolysis can often take weeks or more.  The State of Florida currently has some Spanish cannons that will stay in an electrolysis bath for years!

Some projectiles that are found will be fine with little or no preservation work.  Others are extremely difficult to stabilize due to a number of different factors.  Waterlogged wood is the hardest part of the projectile to preserve.  Wooden sabots and fuses will shrink and fall apart if not properly preserved.  Some other factors include:  the location found, lost body weight due to a natural form of electrolysis, metals leaching out, exposure to fertilizers and chemicals, close proximity to other shells and exposure to water.  Salt water shells in particular prove to be the most difficult shells to stabilize.  Any brackish or salt water shells from the coast are going to have major problems with both stabilization and preservation.  The deep metal sulfides in these shells should not be cleaned with a mechanical type electrolysis which would leave only an unsightly rough core.  They can pretty well be stabilized with slow electrolysis, and other methods of sulfide removal, and then impregnated with a micro-crystalline type wax treatment.  This wax treatment, when done right is a complicated and extensive process taking many days or even weeks to complete.  This is not a wax "dipping" which would be unappealing and useless.  What a proper wax treatment accomplishes is total permeation of the shell, both on the surface and below, with a solid barrier to any further decomposition or environmental effects.  Unfortunately, in addition to those dangers found in attempts to unload live shells, wax treatments pose many hazards themselves.  Some types of wax, such as paraffin, can be extremely flammable.  The air pockets already mentioned can become explosive if subjected to excessive heat.  Lead sabots and fuses can melt and be ruined, and there is always the chance that you could spill a huge vat of semi-boiling wax on yourself or others.  I have personally had expanding air pockets blow out two shells, sending gallons of deadly melted wax out in all directions.  Again, this is not an operation to be taken lightly without the proper advice and assistance.

Another factor any serious collector should consider is the after-the-fact environmental controls.  Even a well-preserved shell will continue to deteriorate if exposed to environmental extremes.  Following preservation, projectiles should be kept in a fairly constant environment such as inside your home where extremes in temperature and humidity would not occur.  Many collectors, particularly those in normally humid parts of the country like myself, also use a de-humidifier in order to extract excess moisture from the room where the projectiles are displayed.  Controlling these two factors alone will slow most any deterioration, and coupled with a good preservation process will keep your projectiles in excellent condition indefinitely.

Many people ask me, "Why cannonballs?"  As I mentioned, I found a few good ones when I started hunting and then I specifically started looking for shells.  If you're going to find shells, you have to concentrate on that objective and forget about bullets and buttons.  Hunting shells is really a technique in itself where you can't go looking for everything.  Projectiles hold a great interest for me due to the fact that they were the deadliest weapon to be used in the war and they are still deadly today.  In addition, there is a wide variety of different styles and sizes out there.  Projectiles are also hard to fake, and heavy to steal.  Should you be lucky enough to come by some of these War Between The States shells, take care in preserving them.  Following these general guidelines I have provided should help you to keep your projectiles around for future generations to study. 
 
                                    -Steve Phillips