AirCowPeacock Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 It certainly does depend on the charcoal; what it's made from and how it's cooked. If I were to cook the living hell out of it, I would get near pure C, and not the C5H7O approximation.
Potassiumchlorate Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 For what I know, sodium nitrate based BP is weaker, though. That's why they called it "B". It was used in the quarries to get out big blocks of granite etc. without damaging them.
pyroshell Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 For what I know, sodium nitrate based BP is weaker, though. That's why they called it "B". It was used in the quarries to get out big blocks of granite etc. without damaging them.I thought they called it "b" because it is blasting powder not grade b. Any ways in my experience Nano3 black powder (blasting powder) is far less powerful. Even with indirect heating (so that it is dry and all of the blasting powder is almost at ignition point). I have tried a few of the formulas posted in this thread, standard 75/15/10, and commercial blasting powder made in Peru (really coarse stuff). All of them are slower then 75/15/10 with kno3 using the same charcoal from the same tree (not for the commercial for the ones that I made), using the same sulfur, and using the same method for processing the blasting powder. The nano3 blasting powder might be fast enough to lift large shells or to make rockets. P.S: blasting powder was really hard to get because now it is far cheaper to use thermobaric charges to do the same thing they tend to have "push" because they have low brisance. It turned out I was able to find some blasting powder locally.
Potassiumchlorate Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 The powerful BP made with sodium nitrate is a mix of both potassium and sodium nitrate, as far as I know.
AirCowPeacock Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 So a mix of Sodium nitrate and Potassium nitrate based BP is superior to either alone? Is that what you are suggesting?
Potassiumchlorate Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 That's what I've read. I don't know exactly how it works chemically and physically, though.
AirCowPeacock Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 I would certainly try this out, if I had any Sodium nitrate on hand. Perhaps the higher oxygen density of the sodium nitrate is better utilized combined with the driving (thermodynamic) force of the potassium nitrate counterpart.
pyroshell Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 The powerful BP made with sodium nitrate is a mix of both potassium and sodium nitrate, as far as I know.What would the ratios be? The blasting powder is a mix of the two. When it is mined it has both in it. That is why it is blasting powder from Peru. Have you ever heard of Peru saltpeter? That is what they make the blasting powder from. It could be that the naturally mined saltpeter is not in the right mix of the two salts. If I could get more info I could test it for you as I have a readily available supply of sodium nitrate (for about $0.35 a pound). So it would be no problem to test with a few pound of it. (No the sodium nitrate I have is not Peru saltpeter, it is technically pure)
Potassiumchlorate Posted November 23, 2012 Posted November 23, 2012 What would the ratios be? The blasting powder is a mix of the two. When it is mined it has both in it. That is why it is blasting powder from Peru. Have you ever heard of Peru saltpeter? That is what they make the blasting powder from. It could be that the naturally mined saltpeter is not in the right mix of the two salts. If I could get more info I could test it for you as I have a readily available supply of sodium nitrate (for about $0.35 a pound). So it would be no problem to test with a few pound of it. (No the sodium nitrate I have is not Peru saltpeter, it is technically pure) I don't remember the ratios, but anyway, that's what I've read.
AirCowPeacock Posted November 24, 2012 Posted November 24, 2012 Why not try 50:50 and tweak it from there?
Mumbles Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 There is probably some details in patent literature about things like this. I'd be surprised if some of the books on black powder technology didn't mention this as well if it is indeed a real practice. It does make me kind of uneasy to see all the thus far totally unfounded information being thrown around as quasi-fact here. It'd be nice to see some sort of reference or president to this before anyone goes too far. The B is sodium nitrate based blasting powders, as far as I am aware, is to differentiate it from the "A" type blasting powders which are potassium nitrate based. I don't know that it designates blasting explicitly, though it is a blasting powder.
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