Item Spotlight: Lead Canister

The lead powder canisters carried by the Lewis & Clark Expedition were a unique design thought up by Captain Lewis. These innovative containers contained equal parts black powder and lead to melt into musket balls. Join Site Interpreter Ben as he looks at this unique item.
www.CampDubois.com

[@mrpirate3470]

Fascinating stuff, and what an excellent idea for transporting powder and shot

[@stevegartman113]

Really enjoyed this one as always Ben, thank you for sharing.

[@wannabe4668]

That is too cool

[@leflopjames5628]

This isn't Pavarotti...

[@egomaniac8510]

What are the specs for this? How did they make them? What are the dangers of them.

[@lewisclarkshs9309]

SK Wier did an interesting write-up on the necessary dimensions - you can find that here:www.westernexplorers.us/Powder_Canisters_of_Lewis_and_Clark.pdf .
For constructing them, they purchased sheet lead and had a pipefitter/maker assemble them from the lead. A sheet could be rolled into a tube and then soldered along the side and the top and bottom with lead caps. They then filled it with gunpowder.
These were probably a little safer than packets of pre-wrapped cartridges or barrels/tins of powder. They still carried the risk of being a bunch of powder stored together.