*Black powder*
by pipebombman of
WWW.BOMBSHOCK.COM
edited by six-five-two
How it works:
Black powder consists of one oxidiser and two other units which burn when mixed with the oxidiser.
Ingredients:
The common ingredients of black powder in order of highest quantity required are as follows:
75% Potassium Nitrate (kno3)
15% Charcoal (carbon)
10% Sulphur (s)
Substituting ingredients:
-Oxidizers
Some of these components are replaceable with suitable counter parts.
I have changed the oxidiser many times potassium nitrate can be substituted for potassium chlorate (KCLO3) or sodium chlorate(NACL03) they each oxidise the reaction so there is not much difference.
Tried and tested changes of unit 1 (charcoal)
-Charcoal
Coal is an acceptable substitute to charcoal as it is still wood and it has been changed over a period of time.
WARNINGIf you substitute for any CHLORATE as an oxidizer beware of the dangers of mixing chlorates with sulphurous (sulfur) substances as they are dangerous and can combust without warning.
*HOW TO MAKE BLACK POWDER*
Get your ingredients:
Black powder can be made very easily. First off:
Note: I live in England.
-KNO3
KNO3 can be found at local farmstores roughly 5 pounds for 2-3 kilograms in my local one
-Charcoal
You can buy charcoal at an art store used for painting or something, or you can scrape it off burned wood from an old bonfire
-Sulfur
Known as rock sulfur and can be found at pet shops.
NOTE: You can also buy some potassium chlorate at a pet shop aswell if you can't find KNO3
Right once you got all your stuff your set! First off the equipment needed for the preparation of the black powder
*1x ball mill/rock tumbler works just as well
*1x pestle and mortar if you cant get the above
*3x beaker so you can store each part separately
*1x knife to scrape charcoal and sulphur
*1x large sealable container to store it in once its complete
-Firstly powder your oxidiser and make sure it is powdered finely! It will still work with lumpy bits of unbroken-up oxidiser just not as well, then store this in a container for the moment
-Secondly scrape/powder your charcoal and add this to the container
that you put the oxidiser in make sure it is fine and not lumpy then shake the container. At this stage you will not notice any transformation for now.
-For the last stage, powder your sulphur and add it to the container also make sure this is not lumpy! Give the container a quick shake so it mixes everything together it should be grey in colour.
Notes:
-If it's fairly white you haven't added enough charcoal as it should be grey.
-Too yellow = too much sulphur
Once you have this grey powder you have black powder!
Now if you want it to look more like "Black Powder" instead of "Grey Powder" add a bit more powdered charcoal, use this tip below:
-Shake it after every half table spoon until it's black this makes it charcoal heavy and it burns a little better.
Testing:
Now walk into your garden while your parents are out or in if they know what your doing
, find a stone or patio slab and put the Black Powder down on it in a small pile now to make sure you've made it right. Get a bit of paper make it into one long and thin strip and put half of it on the Black Powder and the other half sticking away from it. This is the half your going to light now light it and watch it burn down to the paper.
When the flame hits it, it should burst into a small flame and it should burn slightly blue in colour and pop sometimes. it will work better when used in conjunction with a cardboard tube half full of black powder and half gases. This way the expanding gases have some where to go. This will fill the container with expanding gasses which will then proceed to explode outwards with a fairly loud bang...
!You should be pleased your on the way to making more powerful explosives!
Storage of Black Powder:
Store Black Powder in an air tight container to protect if from water and keep it away from flammable material as it is explosive material and very flammable if you store each component separately keep the nitrates/chlorates away from water and other sources of ignition, keep sulphur away from water and charcoal is okay as long as it's kept away from water.
The History of Black Powder:
I really don't think anyone would read this. But the chinese most likely invented it first, but it is hard to tell as there isn't much records about it.