TURKISH BOMBARD- HELP!
by John
Does anyone have a decent photograph of the writing on the muzzle?
I have repeatedly hunted through every picture which I can find on the net, but they are either taken at an angle, or too poor quality to be useable.
Does anyone have a photograph which I could beg buy or borrow?
I also need a photo of the touch hole.
I have contacted the Fort Nelson Armoury Museum, but not too surprisingly there was no response.
Is there someone in the Portsmouth UK area who could pop in and take some pics for me?
POSTSCRIPT: October 5. I have had 2 excellent and positive responses to my appeal.
First, reader Richard sent me a connection to a Turkish Dr/Professor, who has made a 1:25 model of the bombard using 3D printing. (at least that is how I think he has done it. My Turkish is non existent). I am following this lead.
Secondly I have had a response from Fort Nelson Armoury, with a good photo of the barrel mouth, and a high res photo on the way, after payment of a significant, but not unreasonable fee. Isn’t the Internet wonderful!!
johnsmachines 
I’m very interested in how you accomplish this muzzle decoration and what it means. I’ve looked all over the place for pictures of this famous beast, thinking that I could alter the perspective etc. to get an image from which to make a file, but I haven’t had a lot of luck, either. But you might find this interesting, if you haven’t seen it already:
http://www.pclife.org/fatih-sultan-mehmet-in-sahi-toplari-3d-yazici-ile-yeniden-uretildi.html
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Hi Richard, I wish I could read Turkish! That gentleman has made a 1:25 model which looks like mine!! Except that mine is 1:10, and therefore bigger. See how he has managed to reproduce the writing around the muzzle in pic 3. That is what I want to do, but I need a decent photo. It appears that he has used CNC technology (?3D printing). I will try to contact him, He might have a digitised file. Thanks heaps for the connection. John
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My pleasure. I pulled out Diderot and looked through it before I started poking around. Ancient technology fascinates me almost as much as modern rocket technology. When you started your project – and I saw the screwed together barrel – it made me very curious. Much to learn yet…
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I totally identify with your interest. And I have had a positive response from The Royal Armouries Museum, with a good low res photo, and a high res one on the way after a not unreasonable fee is transferred. I think that I know how to do the decoration, using a program called “Photo V Carve”. I will post info when I make some progress. Thanks again.. John
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Incidentally Richard, what is diderot?
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Search for “A Diderot Pictorial Encyclopedia of Trades and Industry” by Denis Diderot. His volumes are a crowning feat of The Enlightenment and an extensive record of of the state of manufacturing before the Industrial Revolution. My wife gave me two volumes 25 years or so ago. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the illustrations over the years.
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Diderot was one of the authors of the great French Encyclopedia – before the revolution of course.
john f
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Diderot was an aggregator of information and a great publicist, the encyclopédie was the internet of the day.
When I was a child I sometimes spent Saturdays at my father’s office at Skiatron Electronics & Television in Manhattan. Dover Books – the publishers of the modern edition – was in the same building. The elevator almost always stopped at their floor on the way up or down from his company office. I distinctly remember the smell of that floor. It is a thrill to think that their edition of Diderot was printed at the same time my dad was developing radar, pay-per-view TV, flying spot scanners and large screen television projection on the floor above.
I’ve paged through the two volumes of Diderot published by Dover over and over again over the years since my wife gave it to me. I never cease to be amazed at the development of technology that led to our modern era, now sometimes referred to as the Anthropocene.
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Diderot was an aggregator of information and a great publicist, the encyclopédie was the internet of the day.
When I was a child I sometimes spent Saturdays at my father’s office at Skiatron Electronics & Television in Manhattan. Dover Books – the publishers of the modern edition – was in the same building. The elevator almost always stopped at their floor on the way up or down from his company office. I distinctly remember the smell of that floor. It is a thrill to think that their edition of Diderot was printed at the same time my dad was developing radar, pay-per-view TV, flying spot scanners and large screen television projection on the floor above.
I’ve paged through the two volumes of Diderot published by Dover over and over again over the years since my wife gave it to me. I never cease to be amazed at the development of technology that led to our modern era, now sometimes referred to as the Anthropocene.
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I ordered the 2 volume Diderot Industry and Trades encyclopedia today! (Dover publication).
Cant wait. Your wife is a treasure.
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