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Black Powder - Books, Charcoal, Substitute Powders
Black powder consists of a fuel (charcoal), an oxidizer (saltpeter), and (sulfur) for a reduction of the ignition temperature and a stable reaction. The carbon from the charcoal plus oxygen forms carbon dioxide and energy.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Explosive.
Black powder is an explosive and is the oldest explosive of mankind, the reaction of the components would be slow much like a wood fire or charcoal grill, except for the oxidizing agent. Carbon in a fire must draw oxygen from the air. Saltpeter provides the extra oxygen and makes the mixture burn much faster.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Mixture.
Black powder is an explosive, a weighted mixture of potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal, potassium nitrate 75%, charcoal 15% and sulphur 10%. The desired characteristics of black powder are achieved by varying its composition, such as the application of different kinds of charcoal. The secret of a good, fast igniting, black powder is the charcoal.
Note: Serpentine powder dates back to the ninth century in china which was an equal weight ratio of each component.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Corrosive.
Black Powder produces a rotten egg smell when ignited, that is sulfur, which produces sulfurous acid or sulfuric acid which is highly corrosive to steel.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Smokey.
A great deal of smoke is produced when black powder is ignited. The smoke is generated by the charcoal and sulfur components of the black powder.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Propellant.
Potassium nitrate, sulfur, and carbon react together to form nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases and these expanding gases provide the propelling action for projectiles in muzzleloaders.
Black Powder / True Gunpowder, Granule Size And Use.
Granular size of black powder determines the intended use of the powder. The following sizes are for the specific use in muzzleloaders.
1-Fg: This grain size of black powder has the largest grains and normally is used in muskets and small cannons.
2-FFg: This grain size of black powder is smaller than 1-Fg powder and is most commonly used in shotguns and larger bored rifles starting at about .45 caliber and up.
3-FFFg: This grain size of black powder is smaller than 2-FFg and is used primarily in pistols and small bore rifles .45 caliber and down.
4-FFFFg: This grain size of black powder is smaller than 3-FFFg and is used only in flash pans on flintlock ignition systems.
