19th Century William Greener Whaling Harpoon Bow Gun, 1851
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A rare 19th century 1851 William Greener whaling harpoon bow gun, maker's name and details to the barrel 'Inventor and Sole Maker Birmingham 1851'. Muzzle loading with sighting bar raised on brass pillars, bronze hinged cover to the single cast iron hammer and two percussion cap striking nipples, evidence of another covering to this now absent. oak stock. Fired by a lanyard connected to a hidden trigger. The cast iron yoke on spike mount to allow swivel fitting to the bow, length 127 cm. Diameter 4.5 cm (barrel). Fairly complete. Note: The Greener gun was regarded as the best of the open whaleboat guns.
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- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture. - Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.
Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,
Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.
Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.
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