TURNED BRONZE. HAND-STAMPED. FULLY CUSTOM.

 

  • The Herrington Mk. 1 signal cannon was inspired by founder (and namesake) Tom’s original black powder signal cannon he’d kept aboard his Ericson 35 JUBILEE. That cannon went down with the ship in Hurricane Matthew, but was salvaged from the sea floor - and still works.

    In the fall of 2019, we spec’d the new cannon from Tom’s treasured original. Our Herrington Mk. 1 is an exact replica of the original.

    Lee Cumberland then took the specs and milled several prototypes from various materials on his lathe in Frederick, Md, staring with easy-to-work with aluminum, then brass, and finally solid bronze.

  • Our cannons are milled from a solid rectangular block of bronze ‘billet’. Milling is a process by which you start with a solid block of material, then using lathes and drill presses, unearth the underlying cannon shape. Kinda like how a sculpture is made, but with precision tools.

    In fact, it’s essential to mill and not cast our cannons. Casting weakens the metal and leaves a less than desirable finish.

  • Once back from the machine shop, we hand-finish each cannon to order. The fuse hole is drilled on a press, the oarlock mount is assembled, and the tail piece handle attached.

    The final step in the process is hand-stamping. Each individual letter (and the skull & crossbones logo) is hand-stamped using a small sledge hammer and a careful eye. Each cannon is stamped with a unique serial number on the bottom of the barrel, and production year on the top. By nature of the handwork, each cannon is different and provides a far more authentic finished product than if they were machine engraved.

    Custom-stamped cannons include your boat’s name on the end of the barrel for a truly unique piece of useable artwork.

  • Before shipping, each cannon is then dis-assembled and packed into our own hand-made waxed canvas bags. Each kit comes with wooden ramrod, 4 empty cartridges for loading black power charges, enough rockwool packing to last many firings, and our standard oarlock cannon mount.

    Optional, flexible mounting options include fishing rod holder mounts for motorboats, deck mounts for your home, mahogany desk display mount (which can also be used as a table-top firing mount) and custom options to suit your personal needs.