Difference Between Gunpowder And Smokeless Powder

This week I found the history of black powder and the video the most interesting part of the week. I have always heard the Chinese were the first to discover black powder, but the text does not discuses the Chinese at all. According to our text “Accuracy and Functionality”, author unknown, Roger Bacon is the first to record a gunpowder formula in 1248. Bacon later made reference to gunpowder in his published works “Opus, Tertium”, “De Secretis”, and “Opus Majus” around 1270. His publications confirmed he was well acquainted with explosive mixtures of sulfur, charcoal, and niter (saltpeter). Notes revealed Bacon mixture was several parts saltpeter, five parts sulfur, and five parts hazel twigs. Berthold Schwartz, a monk of Freiburg, Germany, studied the Bacon's writings and conducted extensive experiments with gunpowder. Some believe Schwartz is the inventor since he made the properties

of gunpowder known and put gunpowder to use. The use of gunpowder was limited only to warfare and was not introduced to hunting or sports for several hundred years later. Manufacturing was a crude method of pounding the ingredients together by hand. It wasn’t till the end of the 16th century the process of “corning” or “granulating” was introduced. Corning is defined as “to granulate” by dictionary.com. Edge runners were made of stone at first, then bronze and used to help prevent sparks. This process allowed the granules to be equal size when grading the powder. The modern mixture of “black powder” consists of 10% sulfur, 15% charcoal, and 75% saltpeter.

When watching this week’s video, Black powder vs.

Smokeless Powder, it never had really sunk into me there are still full functioning firearms from the 1800’s. Firearms that still need to use gunpowder to function properly that are over 140 years old. In one of the key demonstrations the host showed difference between gunpowder and smokeless powder. He placed at one end smokeless powder in a line going right to left of center of the board. He then placed black powder from the center to the left. He ignited the smokeless powder; it burned at a steady rate (lower velocity), lasting about 3-4 seconds. Once the smokeless turned into the black powder, it burned rapidly lasting about 1-2 seconds with a greater velocity and huge amount of smoke. With this demonstration it also visually shows the difference in pressure of the two. The demonstration also shows how volatile black powder is. The major take away from this week there has not been a major change in the process of making or the formula of gunpowder in the last 140 years with the last being the introduction of smokeless

powder.