Black Powder - I
A while ago, we studied about black powder in twoseparate posts. Since we've studied the processes of obtaining the basic ingredients of black powder (saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur) in great detail in...
View ArticleBlack Powder - II
In our last post, we studied the composition of different kinds of black powder as manufactured in various countries. In today's post, we will study some of the physical and mechanical properties of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - III
In our last post, we studied some of the physical and mechanical properties of gunpowder, information which will come in handy when we study manufacturing methods in some detail. In today's post, we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - IV: Powder Grain Sizes
In our last post, we saw that the size of the black powder grains are a significant factor in the rate of combustion of the powder and therefore, the pressure curve as well. In today's post, we will...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - V: Powder Grain Sizes in 19th Century England
In our last post, we looked into how black powder grains are classified by size and type in the US, from the 19th century onwards to the present day. In today's post, we will look at the classification...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - VI: Serpentine Powder
In our last few posts, we looked at how grain sizes of black powder are/were classified in the US and in 19th century England. In today's post, we will look at an early form of black powder, that was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - VII: Corned Powder
In our last post, we looked at the manufacture of an early form of black powder called "serpentine powder". As we noted previously, there were a few problems with serpentine powder:The ingredients were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - VIII
In our last post, we saw how people started to manufacture corned black powder starting in the early 15th century. In today's post, we will look at how it was done from then on until the end of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - IX
In our last couple of posts, we saw how people started to pulverize the ingredients of gunpowder together, in order to maintain a consistent grain size and an even rate of combustion. While the grain...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder - X: Mixing the Ingredients
In our last post, we saw that by the 18th century, many countries had settled on a process of making black powder by first grinding the ingredients separately, then wetting them and then combining them...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XI - Pressing
In our last post, we saw how the ingredients of black powder were ground down and mixed together. The next step of the process is to press the mixture down into cakes. We will study the pressing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XII - Granulating
In our last few posts, we studied the first few stages of making black powder historically. The stages we studied so far are:Pulverizing the ingredients separately for safety.Wetting the ingredients...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XIII - Granulating and Rounding
In our last post, we looked at the process of turning pressed black powder cakes into grains of uniform size, a process called granulating. In certain countries, such as Switzerland, Austria and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XIV - Dusting and Glazing
In our last two posts on the study of black powder manufacture in the 19th century, we studied the process of granulating the powder into grains. The powder coming out of the granulating machines is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XV - Drying the Powder
In our last post, we studied the processes of dusting and glazing the powder. In today's post, we will study the next process in line: the drying process.As we studied previously, the ingredients of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XVI - Finishing
In our last post, we studied how black powder was dried in the nineteenth century. After the drying process comes the finishing process, which we will study in today's post.During the drying process,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XVII - Blending
In our last post, we studied what goes on in the finishing process of manufacturing black powder, namely some more dusting, blending and sifting. Despite using the utmost care in the sifting process,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XVIII - Packing
In the last few posts, we have studied the process of manufacturing corned black powder in the nineteenth century. Today, we will study the process of packing the black powder in the nineteenth...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XIX - More on Packing
In our last post, we talked about the packing process of black powder in the 19th century. However, that post went a little easy on details about the containers used, so we will discuss those in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Powder XX - Reworking and Re-Shaking
In our last post, we looked at different types of containers that black powder was shipped in, in the 19th century.A stack of powder barrels. Click on the image to enlarge.Now, it must be remembered...
View Article