These simple, but essential tools were used to properly set the wood fuze plug holding a  paper fuze that was color coded to indicate its burn time, and could be quickly shortened with a sharp knife to adjust it if neccessary. In his “Artillerist’s Manual
Gibbon explains the advantage of these fuzes over more sophisticated fuzes for some purposes: “The great advantage of this fuze is its simplicity; and the little trouble required to place it in the shell . . .”

This is steel, measures 2 5/8” tall with a 2” diameter base having an interior 1-1/2” diameter. Deeply stamped in the raised ring handle on top is, “ORDINARY CAST IRON SHELL.”

Gibbon notes that the wood fuzes (referring to the combined plug and fuze) were particularly suited for very long range guns such as seacoast mortars and notes that while their shells were being loaded, the fuzes would be cut to proper lengths and tried in the “eye” of the shell, where it should enter “3/4 of its length. If it does not, it may be reduced by rasping. The head of it is covered with tow to prevent the breaking of the composition, the fuze-setter placed on, and the fuze driven in until the head projects from 0.2 to 0.4 in. above the surface of the shell.”    [sr][ph:L]

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