How do you make gunpowder?

Question

what are the ingredients for gunpowder and how do you make it? Worry not I shall put it to good use :D

Answer 1

If it is really for good use why don't you describe your purpose directly? Is it not like you can't find this information on Google anyways, so no one can stop you for using it for anything but good.

Answer 2

70% Potassuim Nitrate
20% Charcol
10% Sulfer

You can add more charcol. Blend the three together thoroghly. Then add enough hot water to make a paste. Carefully spread it in a glass pyrex baking pan. Place it in the middle shelf of the oven and bake it at no more then 180 degrees. It should rise like a cake. Pull it out in an hour... stir carefully and put it back in. Bake all the water out. Let it cool. Then blend it again and put it in an air tight container. You can test it by throwing a small amount on the ground and lighting it. I would recommend doing a little research because there are a lot of precautions you need to take to make sure you don't blow up your Mom's oven. Start with small batches. Be careful.

Answer 3

Black powder is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate or, less frequently, sodium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has altered over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. Unlike smokeless propellants, it acts more like an explosive since its burn rate is not affected by pressure, but it is a very poor explosive because it has a very slow decomposition rate and therefore a very low brisance. This same property that makes it a poor explosive makes it useful as a propellant — the lack of brisance keeps the black powder from shattering the barrel, and directs the energy to propelling the bullet. Historically, potassium nitrate was extracted from manure by a process superficially similar to composting. "Nitre beds" took about a year to produce crystallized potassium nitrate.

The main disadvantages of black powder are a relatively low energy density (compared to modern smokeless powders) and the extremely large quantities of soot left behind. During the combustion process, less than half of black powder is converted to gas. The rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel and a dense cloud of white smoke. In addition to being a nuisance, the residue in the barrel is hydrophilic and an anhydrous caustic substance. When moisture from the air is absorbed, the potassium oxide or sodium oxide turn into hydroxides, which will corrode wrought iron or steel gun barrels. Black powder arms must be well cleaned inside and out after firing to remove the residue. The thick smoke of black powder is also a tactical disadvantage, as it can quickly become so opaque as to impair aiming.

The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in greater surface area, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous over-pressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of black powder is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.

Answer 4

"Black powder is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate or, less frequently, sodium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has altered over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder."

Answer 5

My favorite recipe (there are many):

Bat Guano (nitrates) and Fruit Loops (sugar).

More guano than fruit loops.

However, other recipes have a higher yield.

Answer 6

Saltpetre (which can be made by pissing on a pile of manure) and charcoal ashes are the main ingredients.... I can't recall what else you need to do. I saw it being made on a tv show.

Answer 7

saltpeter, sulpher, you can find the exact instructions out there on the web,