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Black Powder
| Black powder was the sole propellant, explosive and pyrotechnic agent for 500 years, from 1300 to 1800, and is still in use for certain applications. It is a unique and fascinating compound chemically, technologically and socially. It was invented as a pyrotechnic substance, then applied as a propellant in firearms, and finally used in engineering and mining. The history of black powder and firearms is treated in Cannon. Some authors make assertions about the history of black powder that are not supported by good evidence, and should not be accepted without better proof. |
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For almost thirty-five years black powder shooting and the many fascinating activities allied to it have been an important part of my life. Hunting is my primary black powder shooting interest, and most of my activities revolve around that, but historical reenacting, trekking and the study of life in this country in mid-eighteenth century get a fair share of my attention. This page is simply my musings about these interests, my experiences and thoughts about many aspects of the hobby. Because life is more than black powder, a few other topics are included. Hopefully, something here will strike a sympathetic chord with the reader, and add to their enjoyment.
An egregious assertion is that Chinese alchemists experienced a black powder explosion in 220 BCE. There is no evidence of "black powder" in China, and this is about 1200 years before nitrates were first discovered and used, according to more reliable sources. The great Chinese invention was pure nitrates, which they used in pyrotechnic devices, arrow throwers and rockets. The invention of black powder is shrouded in mystery; neither Roger Bacon nor Berthold Schwartz invented it, but high-nitrate powder is probably a European invention. Black powder is not a simple mixture of nitrate, charcoal and sulphur.
The composition of ordinary black powder is 65-75 KNO3, 15-20 C, 10-15 S, which is close to the "stoichiometric" ratio of 84:8:8 that gives the ideal reaction 10KNO3 + 8C + 3S > 2K2CO3 + 3K2SO4 + 6CO2 + 5N2. The heat released is 685 kcal/kg, and the volume expansion factor is 5100. The solid products make the characteristic white smoke. The actual reaction depends on the exact constitution of the powder, how it is prepared, and how it is detonated. The density of gunpowder is about 1.04 g/cc. Black powder is the safest of all explosives. It is insensitive to shock and friction or to electric spark. It must be initiated by heat or flame. Moisture renders black powder useless, and drying does not restore its properties.
Black Powder is also known by a couple of other names. The most common, is Gun Powder. Black powder is produced in large quantities commercially, and sold in small 1 pound containers, mainly for use in antique Black Powder guns. It is also normally sold in different granulations, and they indicate how fine the Black Powder is granulated by how many "F's" they put on the container. Coarse granulations are called "FG or FFG" (aka "1Fg" and "2Fg"). Finer granulations are "FFFg and "FFFFg" (aka 3Fg and 4Fg).
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