The black sand was probably left over from the casting process and was used to create, as others have suggested, a "dead blow" effect. Makes sense considering the shell is pointed and looks to be designed to penetrate instead of explode.

Beau, don't feel bad explaining the historical events. I love the stories, the way you tell them is very interesting. As a European who knows alot about WW1 and WW2 I love to hear about the Civil War from a fellow relic hunter, lol. Don't hesitate next time

I love these archaeology style videos ! felt like I was right there with yah!

Hey Beau! I, and I would imagine many of your followers, would love to see how you drill the exploding artillery shells. Love your videos, keep'em coming!

I love seeing history being saved. Thank you for what you do.

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing so much of your knowledge re: the Civil War, it's battles, and the weapons. I could listen to you tell us about the engagements for hours. Telling us about the Dahlgren shell was incredible Thanks, Beau.

Thanks for showing us this. I really enjoyed seeing part of the preserving process.

Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication Chigg!

Hey Chig! Thank you for the video. Great finds and a terrific presentation. If I had to make a guess at your sand, I'd say it is most likely from the casting process. Some probably stuck to the inner walls after it was pulled from the mold and eventualy it has fallen away. I bet if you had several shells to open up, you would be able to measure several, very different weights. Cheers!

Very cool !! Thanks for sharing. Look forward to many MOAR !!!!!

Chigger, this was my favorite episode ever! Learned so much, thank you for saving our history.

You make great videos sir! I love history like you and I can watch this stuff all day

Thanks for the video. You never bore us with the bonus information.

I love these stories and objects from the past!

Really loved this video... so interesting!! Please do more like it

I am so thankful for your making these videos. I have learned so much about the Civil war i would never know without them.

I never fail to learn something new from your videos. Thanks

Enjoyed all the info in this video. Thanks Beau

Amazing, thank Beau !

Awesome demo, Beau. Thanks for sharing.

I love watching your shows. You're smart, I love all the information you have in your mind about all your finds. You would be a great teacher.Nice work and thanks for all the great shows.

Awesome finds inside those those crusticles! Thanks for the video.

You sure give us flatlanders a good lesson in relic recovery and preservation.

I am so glad I found your Channel! You are absolutely amazing, and I could listen to you forever! Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge that you have.

great video, love hearing the history , great work Chig

Fascinating history lesson. Thanks

Thanks for teaching me along with all of your other viewers a history lesson!

Way way cool! Thanks for sharing.👍

So enjoyed this! Such enthusiasm and revealing the objects was great to watch :)

Awesome video Beau! You are a great teacher. I have learned so much watching your channel!

Another great video.THanks Chigg

Much respect Mr. Aquachigger.

Man you find so much cool stuff. Thanks for the stories and info. Youre the man👍👍

most informative videos on the hobby thanks for the tutorials!

I am impressed. Very nice indeed!

Loving these

I did enjoy this video! Thanks!

awesome episode Beau . look forward to the next one

Educational, as usual...and enthusiasm.

Nice finds, thank you for sharing

That was great, thanks so much for sharing with us....and i like listening to your stories...very interesting....

it sounds to me that the sand is to act the same way a dead blow hammer works very effective!

I would of thought they were just rocks! Wow! Thanks Bo!

I believe the black sand inside the shell would be the equivalent of a dead blow hammer if the projectile is going forward once impacts the target the sand would also move forward in the shell and makes a solid impact it will not bounce off like a solid projectile for example take a regular hammer and hit a piece of Steel it will bounce take a dead blow hammer that's full of iron pellets you will hit the target and it will not bounce

Fantastic vid Mr Chiggles. Great info,thanks for sharing with us.

These are my favorite types of video content! #ChiggHistory love it!!! Please do more educational videos like this Beau.

Cool seeing you open them up. Great history lession

Really cool, thank you Chigg!

Very interesting, enjoy watching your videos!

That was freaking awesome dude! Thank you.. absolutely fascinating.. I love your channel

Love the video man. I learned a lot from it keepem coming

Thanks, Chigg! I learn a lot from your videos and this one is no different. Don't mind the long winded stories either!

Just saw this, I found it fascinating, Thanks

What a fun video and very educational. I loved the mysterious blobs, that turned into treasure. The Maxwell's Silver Hammer reference was just too funny and sure takes me back too. Thanks again for a moment of calm in a sometimes stressful world.

Don't hit your thumb! Great informative video I have learned so much from your knowledge of civil war relics and your narrative on how you are getting these cleaned. Thanks so much

learned more from you than all my 3 1/2 years of high school. thank you.

I feel like I'm in a kindergarten class during the best show and tell ever. The end tapping and busting iron crust is sooooo satisfying. I'm calling you the chiggfessor lol

Beau and maxwell saving the past one whack at a time.

Outstanding video!!!!

I have missed your long videos. Thank You ^^

Very cool thanks!

I'm a new subscriber from Idaho. Just want to thank you for sharing your videos. Very cool and informative. Thanks again and please keep them coming!

Always interesting seeing how to do on some relics

MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER......................Great reference, and yep shows our age Mr Beau! Brushy Brushy!

This was a BLAST!!

another great video , thanks

Great vid and history!

Good video Chig thanks for the lesson

The story you told about the 2 ironclads was very interesting just as the relics that you recovered. Thank you for sharing.

My family came from England in 1649 to Middletown ct. My ancestor Nathaniel bacon was one of the first 23 settlers. I've had family in every single war on American soil. One happened to even receive a medal of honor for capturing a south Carolina regiment flag in the revolutionary war!

Thanks for your video with soooooooo much knowledge from start to finish about the life of a cannonball

That's amazing! Great video !!

24 of those,and you got yourself a Christmas calender .

The weight of the black sand and it's hardness when the shell hit would slam into the nose area causing it to fragment with more velocity. Really great restore video! Thanks Beau,👍

Very cool video and always a pleasure to watch your content Aquachigger

Thank you so much

You have so much knowledge about everything! I'm learning such history from you, it's amazing. Thank you. Lynn from Worcestershire in England x💋

thank u for showing me all of the stuff

Very interesting, thanks

Very educational. Ty🤓👍👍

Good videos very interesting thanks keep them coming

Another good one, Professor!

Those things are like the acheology kid toys from dollar stores. Those with little stones or plastic dinosaurs inside. But those are for adults

Chig with regard to the ball canisters, the grounds of a police academy I attended early in the 1970's incorporated an old pre-World War one fort which was still administered by the Australian Army. The fort originally had massive 6" muzzle loading naval guns mounted in revetments on the parapet and the magazines for the guns deep underground had been converted into a military museum that contained relics from the Boer War through WWII. Over the years after WWII recreational SCUBA divers found several 'canisters' of grape shot on the sea bed out in front of the old fort and some wound up in the museum. My daily fatigues incorporated polishing brass on WWI vintage breech loading Vickers naval guns salvaged off an old destroyer so I had an occasional opportunity to browse in the museum. The salvaged grape canisters consisted of steel or iron plates attached on the sides a bit like a wooden barrel with similar ends and the whole shebang was riveted together with hoops top and bottom. The interior of each canister apparently contained steel balls with a central explosive charge fused with intent to disperse them at distances predetermined by an optic range finder located in a low cupola on top of the parapet.

Aquchigger you need to make some more videos like this one and finding the shells again I love this video Iv been a subscriber for a long time now but I like this kinda of videos you made hope you and your wife are doing good besafe and we love you all

Absolutely fascinating Chigg, really interesting to watch , i knew zero about them, but a little about ww1 artillery projectiles , really enjoyed this video, grape shot was amazing, well thank you very much👍🙂🇺🇲

Very interesting, learned a lot

Interesting to learn from your Videos Mr.Chiggs

My new favorite video

Wow, that was so interesting, especially the history lesson of the ships and the shells. And who would have thought that those lumps of rock would reveal round balls.

Thank you. Tons of free knowledge. Mt. Dora, Fl

Thanks chigg.

Very interesting cleaning process

Hey Beau, you probably already found the answer to the sand question, but here it is anyway- Rifled artillery projectile, Dahlgren design, Federal manufacture, blind shell with brass cap, lead cup sabot, rifled boat howitzer, 3.4 in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals following the design of John Dahlgren. The pattern employed a lead cup sabot with a groove in the middle on which greased twine was affixed, this to lubricate. The bottom of the projectile was cast with five ribs onto which the lead cup sabot was affixed. In addition four raised ribs were placed on the side, which were slightly wider than the rifling grooves in the cannon and designed to guide the projectile through the bore, but without catching on the grooves. These projectiles were cast with a cavity, the casting sand was usually left in the core, unfinished hole was plugged with a small brass plug, giving it the effect of a light bolt. This was probably intended as a transitional measure to test the pattern, the shell could be drilled and fitted for fuzes at a later time. These "blind shells" never had an explosive charge, the black substance sometimes found inside is foundry sand from the mold for the core.

It likes opening up a geode stone for the first time. You never know what you’re going to get, lol

AWESOME!

Great educating video! Than you.

Great stuff

I really like these types of videos, it was educational and enjoyable. Hope you keep us updated on the progress of that shell, even if it takes a year lol..