jmorris
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Explosive power, 1 lb black powder
- Thread starter orpington
- Start date
david58
Member
I have more BP in my garage than I am comfortable with. Going into the garden shed, in a wood footlocker, locked. Even tho it is dry here, will put the cans in Ziplock bags to help ensure dry.
No metal ammo cans no more.
David
NM
No metal ammo cans no more.
David
NM
Twisted Chemist
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Edit:
Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot; for there is a reason why gunpowder and treason should ne’er be forgot.
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RetiredUSNChief
Member
In their original containers?
Probably an impressive "WHOMPF!", an equally impressive sized flare and smoke, and an awesome blackened scorch mark on the ground. Probably not much of a hole, if any at all.
The containers for these powders are plastic, and very likely an anti-static plastic (low resistance to electricity allowing it to easily bleed off any static charge to ground). They will not allow for much pressure to build up before bursting and burning, which is why they are used as containers for such powders in the first place.
The consequences are going to be the potential for a lot of stuff to get burned by the flash and flaming debris. Including anybody standing too close. More for the burning/debris/chemical spread than an explosion.
People with little or no experience with the effects of burning various materials generally have a lot of misconceptions about what will happen, how dangerous the various effects can be, and what the appropriate safety precautions are.
My youth is riddled with "indiscretions" that, in hindsight, literally made my survival (and without harm, at that) a frickin' miracle. I could tell you stories, but this isn't the place for them.
Though I DID make black powder at a (very) young age, I didn't make it in that quantity. And I've likewise experimented with various gun powders, even a thermite compound. All decades before the advent of the internet.
I will leave this:
- If you don't know what you're doing, DON'T. There are likely plenty of YouTube videos you can search for to satisfy your curiosity much safer...especially when you see how some people narrowly escaped serious injury/death themselves. (Like the idiot who shot at a refrigerator which had tannerite inside. He, too, thought he took adequate safety precautions only to discover luck had more to do with his survival.)
- Even if you're far enough away not to suffer direct burns, radiated heat can still cause serious burns, and in an instant. And set fires to things you didn't think about.
- Although an explosion might not be powerful enough to damage some things in expected ways, it may be powerful enough to cause damage in other ways. Broken glass or hearing damage, for example. And it may scatter debris/burning material/bad chemicals where you didn't expect.
Carl N. Brown
Member
orpington asked: If I detonate one pound of black powder in its original container on the ground, what are the consequences/how big a hole blasted if any?
Commercial one pound metal cans of black powder have folded but not soldered seams that tend to unfold and vent as explosive pressure builds up.
One pound plastic bottles or jugs of black powder tend to have airspace, loose powder and will pop the screw cap off.
Commercial one pound metal cans of black powder have folded but not soldered seams that tend to unfold and vent as explosive pressure builds up.
One pound plastic bottles or jugs of black powder tend to have airspace, loose powder and will pop the screw cap off.
Carl N. Brown
Member
ROA = Ruger Old Army (modern percussion pistol). Think cross between a Ruger Blackhawk and a Remington 1858.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
”indiscretions”? A Navy Chief?? I’m shocked and refuse to believe it!
Well...to be fair, it all started BEFORE I joined the Navy.
In fact, before my first day in kindergarden...
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woodnbow
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