In the interests of sharing our military history, many original cannons are displayed outdoors--either at city parks, historic sites or VFW buildings. After years of being displayed outside, the Archibald Bolt Hub Cannon Wheels, pictured above, had deteriorated to the point where all wood components needed to be replicated and replaced. We were able to restore all the original hardware by sand blasting the metal. Using original specifications from the one wheel that was still "whole", we replicated all the wood components. Our clients opted for us to add a special "preservative" finish to the wood wheel before applying a high gloss enamel finish in black.
The majority of the restorations that we do on cannon wheels are completed using the existing original hub--whether it be a heavy wood hub or a cast metal hub, like the wheel shown above. We are dedicated to preserving as much of the original wheel as possible. The ultimate goal being an authentic wheel with structural integrity for the support of the heavy cannon barrel.