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View Full Version : How high does a shot tower need to be?


Silicon Wolverine
03-18-2009, 06:02 PM
because dad has several old windmill towers out at the farm and i bet i could set one of them up. they are about 30 feet tall IIRC.

SW
briang
03-18-2009, 07:22 PM
IIRC most where around 120 feet
jhalcott
03-18-2009, 08:57 PM
the littleton shotmaker doesn't NEED that muchttp://www.magmaengr.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&product_id=20&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0h height!
725
03-18-2009, 11:27 PM
The one in downtown Baltimore is about 130 or better.
barrabruce
03-18-2009, 11:47 PM
wind...... beware of the wind.
Do you really want to play around with hot lead up on top of a windmill??

We onced owned a shot maker. only droped about 4-6 inches into the water.
little dimples on the shot like real tower shot too!!!

Iv'e been up 2 shot towers and I rekon you can have it!!!! yep about that height as above
Hard lugging all the gear up for a start.
northmn
03-19-2009, 06:22 AM
As stated the original shot towers were up to 160 feet high. The biggest draw back would be sitting up the melting system on the top. Also the Baltimore towers and the original towers were used to make larger ball than just shot. They started to supply the military with drop shot for muskets. One in St. Louis supplied rifle shot for the western expansion. This may have had something to do with the fact that early calibers were all gauge, a 32 being about a 50 cal. To get proper shape they used "poisened" shot or shot with arsenic added.

Northmn
Flash
03-19-2009, 06:31 AM
The one in downtown Baltimore is about 130 or better.

Na, it's 230' tall.
northmn
03-19-2009, 06:35 AM
Sorry, grey hair CRS.

Northmn
725
03-19-2009, 06:58 AM
Flash, You're right. My bad typing stikes again.
Silicon Wolverine
03-19-2009, 08:49 AM
well so much for that idea.

SW
Cap'n Morgan
03-19-2009, 11:15 AM
well so much for that idea.

Depends on what size you want.
I'm pretty sure 30' would be enough for #7 shot. From that height the drop would take about 1.5 second, enough time for the shot to cool, if the lead isn't too hot to begin with.

The reason the shot towers has to be high for making larger shot is twofold; The larger the shot, the larger the ratio between volume and surface. This means a larger shot takes longer to solidify. But since the shot accelerate at 9.8 m/s^2 (until terminal velocity is reached) it's not as simple as just doubling the height when doubling the shot weight. A 15' drop will take about one second, but that 230' Baltimore tower - fifteen times higher - will only buy you three extra seconds.

Here endeth the lesson :coffee: