BBC Coast - plumbago mining · AditNow Community

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simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration Topic Starter

12 years ago

Interesting snippet on Coast (BBC2) at the moment about the role of plumbago (graphite) mining in Cumbria and the role in perfectly spherical canon balls. Borrowdale graphite mine I guess.

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

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simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration Topic Starter

12 years ago

Ok, so that was a very short snippet...

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

ian S
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Short but it was Borrowdale/ Seathwaite.

I am a mole and i live in a hole !

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Mmmm, tying to get my head round the smooth canon ball theory when they put dimples on a golf ball to make the flight longer and more accurate.. :confused: 😢

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

RJV
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

I was under the impression that it was used for the moulds. Not sure whether I read that or just assumed that.

I don't think coating a cannon ball would make much odds, the charge would not be entirely predictable in those days likewise the cannons themselves would only be accurate to a certain degree however the coating would assist in that it would prevent rusting & extrusions therefrom.

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

yes that what it was used for coating the moulds with the aim in making the canon ball much smoother and as they said far superior.. back to the golf ball somebody is wrong. :blink:

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

RJV
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Ah, I thought I'd read above that it was used to coat them. As a principle though, I'm sure that golfers are wrong generally...

Pinzgauer
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Oddball interest No.25b of mine is collecting old glass telegraph/telephone insulators. (Pause for laughter to subside.) A graphite/plumbago/lead mixture was used in days of old to act as a release agent in their manufacture. The inner part of the cast iron insulator mould was coated in said gunge. When the molten glass had cooled to a hot solid, the insulators were then tipped out of the iron moulds no problem! This could be similar to the cannonball sketch maybe?

Who threw the overalls in Mrs Murphy''s Chowder ??

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

yep we have now agreed on something, after the music :lol: the golfers probably are wrong they usually have the dress sense wrong as well. :lol:

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

gNick
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

#10

Graphite is very heat resistant & often used in crucibles and the like so ideal as a release agent for cast iron.

The aerodynamics that give rise to the dimples in golf balls wasn't discovered then, possibly because they didn't re-use cannonballs so they didn't get natural dimples and it is counter-intuitive unless you know something about aerodynamics...

Don't look so embarrassed, it's a family trait...