[BuffaloJack]

I remember making black powder with a Gilbert Chemistry Set in the mid-1950s. They actually gave you enough ingredients to make 2 or 3 fire crackers.
In today’s chemistry sets, you’d be lucky to get baking soda and vinegar.

[lacrew]

Oops...mis-read the title.

[IronJack]

I made my share of black powder, and even managed to make some nitrocellulose (smokeless “guncotton”) once. It was actually a lot of fun.

[Elderberry]

What are the characteristics of this ancient propellant? First, it is considered an explosive as opposed to a propellant such as smokeless powders

That has always struck me as odd, as smokeless powder can be detonated much easier than black powder. Though black powder has long been used as a low explosive blasting powder. When it explodes, it only deflagrates.

[SJSAMPLE]

Love the smokey goodness!

Hate cleaning my Uberti 1847 Walker Colt afterwards. It’s practically a complete rebuild.

[Lazamataz]

I AM SO SICK OF THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT!!! No race is better than another! White people are not subordinate to any other race, neither are latinos or Asians!

Oh, you said black POWDER??

Never mind.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***One of the few improvements included making powder with water, so it could be made into a cake-like compound.***

In THE AGE OF FIREARMS by Robert Held, he states that urine was used to dissolve and mix the ingredients. The urine of a “wine drinking Bishop” was considered the best.