Black Powder - Invention to Explosion

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 2/21/2019 | B Shell

[w1n1]

It is believed that the Chinese have been using black powder for about a thousand years and they are generally credited with its invention starting with fireworks. Around 700 years ago someone came up with the idea that if you put some black powder in a tube with a rock it would expel the rock out at sufficient velocity to make it a weapon.
Another early idea was to use reinforced bamboo to shoot arrows and darts. No one knows who thought of this, but they did indeed change the world. The general consensus is the Chinese and Arabs were among the earliest to use guns in war.

The guns of the 13th century bore little resemblance to today’s weapons, and the blackpowder formula is essentially the same as it was then, although the older powders were weaker and gray in colored. One of the few improvements included making powder with water, so it could be made into a cake-like compound.
That seemed to make it more reliable and safer. A popular formula today is 75 percent saltpeter, 15 percent charcoal and 10 percent sulfur. There are and have been other formulas used throughout the centuries, and as time went on they improved the formula and strength. Even today, powders are better than just a few years ago. Read the rest of black powder.

[real saxophonist]

[Freedom4US]

I’ve read a little about what made for a good powder. In the not too distant past, it was a closely guarded secret, in fact. Part of the magic is the quality of the charcoal. Certain species of wood are better than others, charcoal made from willow for example, was said to be superior.

Even after the advent of Smokeless powders, there were differences in quality. My uncle spent some time on an all expenses paid trip to Europe in the 1940s, and said it was extremely difficult to determine where the firing was originating, the Werhmacht had very good smokeless powder for their firearms, while he said the stuff the Ami had was about as bad as the old black powder. “Good enough, and plenty of it” I suppose, but I could tell he was not happy about that situation years later. Wonder what the difference was?

[Tijeras_Slim]

LOL

[Elderberry]

When getting into black powder there are a few things that you need to be aware of. First of all it’s explosive, and you need to keep it away from open flames or sparks and even static electricity can cause a detonation.

Black powder does not Detonate. It Deflagrates.

https://www.thoughtco.com/explosions-deflagration-versus-detonation-607316

Other than that error, the article is pretty good. I haven't shot blackpowder in a rifle or pistol in a long time. I was getting pretty accurate with my 45 cal. flintlock.

Mostly now I use it for my 1 in. bore cannon and my 2-1/2 in bore Coehorn mortar.

[Paal Gulli]

"It is believed that ..."

By whom is it believed?

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is to use the passive tense only infrequently and NEVER in the lead.

[Freedom4US]

Some say, critics say, that is pour righting.

[Windflier]

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is to use the passive tense only infrequently and NEVER in the lead.

You're kidding, right? Modern 'journalists' can hardly spell, punctuate, or compose a coherent sentence in English.

[NorthStarOkie]

In order to burn coal or wood the oxygen in the air must move to the vicinity of the fuel. The interior of the wood/coal cannot be burned until the fuel around it has be burned away.

The reason that some chemicals detonate is that the oxygen atoms are within Angstroms of the carbon or hydrogen, etc., atoms with which they will combine. TNT, nitroglycerin etc., are good examples.

Approximately a liter of nitroglycerin will detonate in an instant to gases with a volume close to 650L at 0C and 1 atmosphere of pressure. If you assume a gas temperature of 500C the volume is near 1200L.